DRUG addiction, physical disability, poverty and infidelity are the lifeblood of any compelling music biopic, from Sissy Spacek's portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter to Jamie Foxx and Joaquin Phoenix's turns as Ray Charles and Johnny Cash.

The harder the fall from grace, the sweeter the dogged ascent to chart-topping glory.

Director Jake Kasdan and co-writer Judd Apatow poke fun at these inspirational tales of rock 'n' roll excess in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which charts the rise and fall of a fictional singer-songwriter (John C. Reilly) against a backdrop of 50 years of American history.

The film begins in Springberry, Alabama in 1946, with the young Dewey (Conner Rayburn) and his brother Nate (Chip Hormess) playing one summer's day.

"You know how mad pa gets when we play with his machete!" scolds Dewey as Nate suggests a sword fight in the barn.

Freak tragedy strikes and Dewey's parents, Pa and Ma Cox, endure the agony of "a bad case of somebody being cut in half".

Dewey is rescued from the fiery pits of hell by his love of the blues and his trusty guitar, and the youngster plots his escape from Springberry with girlfriend Edith (Kristen Wigg) by his side.

"It's time for Dewey Cox to move on," he tells his mother.

"But you're only 14!" replies Ma.

Dewey (now played by Reilly) secures a recording contract and a backing band and develops an intense attraction to his backing singer Darlene Madison.

Meanwhile, Edith - who is now his wife - grows increasingly frustrated that she is left alone to raise his children and his pet giraffe and camel.

Walk Hard hits too many bum notes to reach the giddy heights of Apatow's previous films, Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Some of the gentle laughs rely on prior knowledge of Walk The Line or Ray but for the most part, the writers chose obvious targets, hitting as many as they miss.

  • See it at the Odeon.