I need to preface this by stating that, aside from some country music-themed parties my grandparents threw in their backyard when I was a kid (my grandparents are pretty cool) I know very little about Johnny Cash, his music, or his relationship with June Carter Cash. And I can say that I haven’t been a fan of Joaquin Phoenix since he was “Leaf”, nor of Reese Witherspoon’s since she was “Tracy Flick” (and good GOD if you haven’t seen Election, please do. Now.). So - given all that - why would I even go to this movie?? Well, to see if I could be surprised, I guess. And I have to say that I was beyond happily surprised with what I saw up on the screen.
With the exception of a few (key) scenes in the beginning, Walk the Line is a film that mainly focuses on Cash’s rise to stardom and the rocky-road he took with June Carter on their way to eventual happiness together. Walk the Line portrays Cash as he presumably was – a man with a life of contradictions - he was a musical talent, he was a drug addict, he was a man who loved deeply, he was a man with a mean temper, he loved one wife with all he had, and left another woman to be with her. Phoenix does a great job portraying the oft-broken down, pill-popping, heartbroken man, and Witherspoon is surprisingly good as the born-to-be-on-stage Carter, who stands by her man in spite of herself. Both actors do a great job singing as well, and though I didn’t think it would matter to me either way, I felt that it really increased the enjoyment of the film that they used their own voices and did not lip-sync to the original recordings.
More than the music of The Man in Black, the film focuses on the love story between June and Johnny – something that may be disappointing to some diehard Cash fans looking to learn more about his music and his sound. And though this relationship-centered approach to telling the story of Johnny Cash may be a little more conventional than some (myself included) may have liked, the strength of the performances really pull this movie along.
And, honestly, if you’re a sucker for a good love story - well - then this film is for you. I mean, aside from the drugs, pills, and screaming matches - who wouldn’t want to be in love like this?? (That’s not sarcasm – I really mean it!)
Walk the Line is in theatres now.
