Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan, and written by Kasdan and co-producer Judd Apatow. It stars John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows and Kristen Wiig. A parody of the biopic genre, Walk Hard is the story of a fictional early rock and roll star played by Reilly.
Walk Hard heavily references the film Walk the Line (2005) about singer Johnny Cash and the Dewey Cox persona is mostly based on Cash. But the character also includes elements of the lives and careers of other notable musicians including Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Donovan, John Lennon, James Brown, Jim Morrison, Conway Twitty, Neil Diamond, Hank Williams, and Brian Wilson. The film portrays fictional versions of artists Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles; also, some artists play themselves, including Eddie Vedder and Ghostface Killah. In addition, the film parodies or pays tribute to the musical styles of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Van Dyke Parks with Brian Wilson, and seventies punk rock.
The film was released in North America on December 21, 2007. It received positive reviews from critics but was a box office bomb – grossing only $20 million against a $35 million budget. The film has since developed a cult following.