Who's in It: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig, Tim Meadows, Chris Parnell
The Basics: Dewey Cox is a 1950s pop star. Like Johnny Cash, he loses a brother and marries his singing partner. Like Ray Charles, he loses a vital physical capacity. Like Bob Dylan, he writes poetic lyrics. Like Brian Wilson, he becomes obsessed with the theremin. Like Jim Morrison, he gets strung out. Like the Beatles, he goes to India. And that's only in the first hour or so. It goes on and on and on like that, a spot-the-reference game for people who read Rolling Stone and not much else.
What's the Deal? It's a fake musical biopic that's out to make fun of other earnest musical biopics, which might seem fresh if I'm Not There hadn't already busted the genre in the face earlier this season and if This Is Spinal Tap hadn't already successfully mocked musicians over 20 years ago. And I must say that I'm totally disappointed that this came from the creative minds of people associated with Superbad and Knocked Up. It makes the lack of comedy even more disappointing. Because this one doesn't just not walk, it barely limps.
Even More Disappointing: The songs are lame, too. One of the first ones performed, titled something like "Love Your Negro Man" is pretty funny. The rest just sound like bad versions of whatever was popular during the period. There's not one "Big Bottom" in the bunch.
Who's Trying to Save It: Reilly, who's proven he's hilarious (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) and that he can sing (Chicago, A Prairie Home Companion). But he can't fix this at all. It's just a lot of dead air.
Best Part: When Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Jason Schwartzman and Justin Long show up as the Beatles. Suddenly, it's like everyone remembered they were supposed to be making a comedy. Runner-up best parts are every time Saturday Night Live's Wiig is onscreen as Dewey's first wife, having baby after baby and reminding him that he'll always be a failure, even after he's made it big.