Special to HollywoodinHiDef.com: Ben Williams' Review of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Blu-ray)

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2008)

WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY 2007 April 8, 2008 1080p AVC Mpeg-4 Video / Dolby TrueHD Audio Directed by Jake Kasdan Starring: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Chris Parnell List Price: $43.95
Reviewed by Ben Williams - Review Editor for Blu-ray.com 4/24/08
Synopsis
Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) is your prototypical rock icon. He had a harsh childhood, suffered tragedy and overcame his checkered past to rise to prominence in the musical world. His story is cribbed right from the plot of Ray and Walk the Line and follows the same basic structure of those films - - to the letter..
Video Quality
Walk Hard arrives on Blu-ray sporting a very nice 1080p transfer in the movie's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The movie will just about instantly leap off of your screen during the opening scenes in Springberry, Alabama. It's clear that this scene has been tweaked in post production to give it a colorful and idyllic feel. Fortunately, this is entirely consistent with the film's theatrical presentation and the entire film remains a faithful representation of the theatrical experience.
Audio Quality
I can't imagine that there would be any controversy over the audio section of Walk Hard. Presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround (48kHz/24-bit), the film sounds terrific. Additionally, Sony has provided a French TrueHD track as well as Dolby Digital tracks in both Spanish and Portuguese. The TrueHD track does a fantastic job of effectively portraying the film's many live concert sequences with abundant surround usage and crystal clear vocals. In a film where the joke is often-times the song itself, this is critical. If I can't understand what Dewey Cox is singing, then what's the point? Fortunately, this is never a problem and the sound does its part to move the story along.
Bonus Features
The folks at Sony have done an amazing job with the supplemental presentation of Walk Hard. This Blu-ray 2-disc set is completely loaded with extras. In addition to the huge list of supplements in this set, this Blu-ray release is also Blu-ray Live compatible. Those with the appropriate Blu-ray hardware will have access to an online portal featuring more deleted scenes, theatrical trailers and featurettes.
Tru-Blu? Walk Hard is absolutely worthy of your time and attention. This is a hysterical movie that belongs in the collection of any fan of well-written comedy. Walk Hard didn't do so well at the box-office, so there is clearly a segment of the population that isn't interested. I hope this Blu-ray release will present them with the opportunity to reconsider the film. Highly Recommended!