"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" *** (out of four): Raunchy, often hysterical parody of overplayed musical biopics ironically sags just when its targets do but hits several right notes thanks to the sturdy presence of John C. Reilly as a none-too-subtle riff on the Man in Black.

There was a time when a movie parody would take aim at a variety of targets. Let’s start with 1980’s genre-defining Zucker Brothers spoof “Airplane”. Yes, first and foremost, the film was a spot-on take-off of the “Airport” films of the 70s. But along the way, there were riffs on war films, "The Love Boat” and “Saturday Night Fever”, among myriad others. The trend continued with the Zuckers’ underappreciated “Top Secret” and the “Naked Gun” movies. Nowadays, you can cobble together a comedy based on a single film. “Hot Shots” and its sequel could barely sustain their respective “Top Gun” and “Rambo” spoofs, while the “Scary Movie” movies are an exercise in drawn-out fart jokes. But occasionally you’ll find a genre so ripe for skewering that it takes only the slightest push to turn it into mockery. Such is the case with “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”, a flat-out parody of “Walk the Line” from the Judd Apatow comedy factory, with hints of “Ray” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” thrown in for good measure.

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