THE JESUS ROLLS (C+) - This anachronistic piece of filmmaking from John Turturro has its moments, but this sequel for his character from "The Big Lebowski" is a road movie that goes nowhere and shares little other DNA with the Coen brothers' classic. Turturro's Jesus exits prison at the start of the film, and you can sense him stealing a page from Vincent Gallo's quirky self-directed oddballs in "Buffalo '66" and "The Brown Bunny."
Alas, Turturro has much less to say than Gallo did, preferring to wallow in silly walks (which are, admittedly, funny) and some sort of celebration of pansexuality. Go-to bro Bobby Cannavale and a giddy Audrey Tautou ("Amelie") are able companions for this confusing adventure.
Some of this is inspired and amusing, but too often its idiot plot (what there is of a plot) descends into '70s indie cliches and tired stereotypes (especially sexist ones) -- to the point that you wonder whether Turturro is attempting either a parody of those slices of archaic Americana or paying homage to them. In the end, that fogeyism might make you wince a little more than you laugh here.
WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY (2007) (B+) - Speaking of cliches and parody ... Judd Apatow, hitting his stride in the era of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" but before his descent into navel-gazing excess, hands Jake Kasdan a svelte 96-minute script parodying the rise-and-fall of a Sun Records-style rockabilly legend taking a Cashian odyssey through the excesses of the Boomer glory days of the '60s and '70s.
John C. Reilly is the perfect vehicle for the marginally talented doofus who coasts through pop-culture touchstones despite the childhood trauma that includes the infamous act of bisecting his more talented brother, to the never-ending regret of their father. Reilly slips on various personas, navigating phases that echo Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Glen Campbell and others. He also crosses paths with fictionalized versions of legends including the Beatles and Buddy Holly. Cox misses Holly's fateful flight but can't escape the lure of drugs that band member Sam (Tim Meadows) warns him away from, one of laziest but funniest running gags in the movie.
Apatow packs a lot of silliness into an hour and a half. The talented supporting cast is a bonus: Kristen Wiig, Harold Ramis (as one of the record producers so Jewish they are Hassidic -- get it?), Craig Robinson, Jack White (as a manic Elvis Presley) and Jane Lynch. But Reilly is the rock, the key to pulling this all off. And Apatow is smart enough to engage talented songwriters to pen the sharp musical parodies with substance. The result is a goofy romp through five decades of pop-music history.
BONUS TRACK
The classic from "Walk Hard," Reilly teaming with Jenna Fischer for "Let's Duet":
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