Walk the Line

Walk the Line focuses on the life of Johnny Cash, and his relationship with June Carter. Johnny Cash is expertly played by Joaquin Phoenix. Reese Witherspoon won an academy award for her performance as June Carter.

While the movie is a little long, at two and a quarter hours, it covers multiple decades. We start with Johnny Cash as a boy growing up on a cotton farm, and follow his rise to stardom. Along the way we meet his future wife, June Carter, as their paths criss cross. We also gain insight into Cash's dysfunctional relationship with his father.

In this type of biographical portrayal, it is always great to see the nostalgia of yesteryear. Walk the Line does not disappoint, with the scenery, costumes, and cars all adding realism to the film.

I'm going to make a major disclaimer here: I don't really listen to Johnny Cash's music. Despite my lack of interest in Cash's brand of Southern rockabilly, I did enjoy the songs very much. They support the plot, and we avoid the feeling of a bunch of songs loosely connected by a weak story (like in an Elvis movie).

The movie also accurately portrays the life of Cash- good and bad. The story reminds me of Ray Charles, as told in the film Ray. Both Cash and Ray struggle their way to the top, only to end up emotionally scarred, and morally corrupt when they arrive.

I recommend Walk the Line to anyone wanting to see Cash's rise to stardom, and the constant struggle to stay there. I suspect that Cash fans will enjoy this at least a little more.

Overall Grade: A-



walk the line movie review