In every profession, there is a defining moment. Our founding fathers had to choose between the Declaration of Independence and treason. Lincoln had to decide between preserving the Union and engaging in a vicious Civil War. President John F. Kennedy had to confront the fears of many that the dictates of the Pope in Rome would circumvent our Constitution.

In my case as a menial movie reviewer, I have reached one of those moments, namely whether to be honest in reviewing "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story". Having decided to be forthright at the risk of whatever is left of my reputation, let me say that this hodgepodge faux-biopic is frequently laugh-out-loud hysterical. While anyone with genteel taste will be offended from the very beginning, this movie is devilishly, profanely irreverent from beginning to end.

On one level, this movie is quite effective as a parody of the recent Joaquin Phoenix/Reese Witherspoon film "Walk the Line" and Jamie Foxx's "Ray". Taking no prisoners, instead of a young Johnny Cash accidentally allowing his brother to drown, young Dewey cuts his more talented older brother in half in a machete duel when they were both under the age of 10. Screamingly ludicrous, it also was hysterically funny and set the tone of this movie.

From then on, the movie follows Dewey's rise to stardom in the same manner as was done with Cash and Charles. First comes marriage and children; then unexpected national fame; thereafter comes the descent into drug abuse, philandering and jail.

However, what is surprising is despite the fact that this movie is a parody of the other two, it still is surprisingly moving at times. Well meaning, stupid and incredibly naive, you can't help but root for Dewey to succeed.

More importantly, John C. Reilly nails the part of Dewey, and this makes the film. No matter how preposterous the scene, Reilly saves this picture from devolving into a series of meaningless sketches.

For example, there is a wicked reoccurring scene involving his drummer, wonderfully played by Tim Meadows. Dewey continually walks in on him as he is engaged in the use of drugs with beautiful women in backstage bathrooms. As Dewey inquires as to what is going on, Meadows, trying to dissuade Dewey from participating, farcically describes the drugs in a manner that no one could resist. And it is giving nothing away to say that Dewey can't either.

Another truly inventive scene involves Dewey's experimentation with transcendental meditation in India. In the presence of a Maharishi, he proceeds to drop acid with the Beatles. The banter between them is as inventive as it is funny, and watching the Beatles devolve into a fistfight between John and Paul (played, believe it or not, by Jack Black) is a sight almost impossible to adequately describe.

Furthermore, this movie contains some outstanding music, as bawdy as it is. In particular, during Dewey's stoner protest years in the 1960's, he takes up the cause of midgets in a song that literally leaves the audience in stitches. I'll go out on a limb and say that even if you find the rest of the movie far too silly and profane to enjoy, it is worth seeing for that one song alone.

Clearly, this movie has all but collapsed at the box office. In doing so, I can't help but believe that it was released at the wrong time. It should have appeared in the theaters either before or after the equally raunchy "Superbad". I just think that audiences during the holiday season didn't have time to spend on a dicey movie experience like "Dewey".

In the end, I certainly don't want to suggest that this movie doesn't needlessly go over the top at times. The raunchy scenes of full frontal nudity of men and women while Dewey is in his "orgy phase" was better left on the cutting room floor. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a picture that is guaranteed to make you continually laugh despite the fact that you occasionally hate yourself for doing so, then drop your skepticism and see "Dewey" before it soon disappears from the theater.