Walk Hard

Walk Hard, the Apatow clan's most recent addition to its fake bio pic repetoire, stars John C. Reilly with a cast of supporting actors out the Apatow troupe, SNL and The Office. Unlike the previous two bio pic parodies, which starred Will Ferrell and were plenty funny, this one takes full advantage of the dramatic range of Reilly — finally a leading man in a comedy. The humor in these has been more subtle than in the other Apatow-related films like 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Certainly there's the genitalia as comic device, the oddly placed profanity, and the desire for sex that isn't always fulfilled, but the comedy is more about the juxtaposition with real life stories of similar people that are often told with extreme seriousness.

The film is acted and shot with a straight face and there are fewer caricatures than in Talladega Nights or Anchorman, which makes it funnier and more challenging. The humor is darker in Walk Hard. Jake Kasdan has used photography and his actors to create a film that doesn't differ much in tone from a typically well made bio pic. Walk the Line comes to mind often, though Johnny Cash is not the only musical legend lampooned by Dewey Cox. He has experiences similar to Elvis and others who came out of the Memphis music scene — in a recording studio he sings a treacly version of an Italian America standard that's met with disgust, but creates a stir with a song sung his own way.

This movie didn't do as well as its makers hoped I'm sure, but it should be enjoyed by many more people now that it's on DVD. The trailer suggested a campy, silly movie — another example of the misleading quality of many trailers — when in reality it's a smart, funny movie. Neither shy nor offensive, Walk Hard strikes even notes creating many chuckles and a few belly laughs. Ultimately it's more satisfying than a laugh fest can sometimes be. Put it at the top of your Netflix cue.