Eh, this will be unorganized and shit, but here it goes:

First, the cons:
- The film is a bit too long. Some scenes can be cut out, easily, such as one on Cash going down to Mexico to get his pills (yeah - this is important in setting up Cash's jail experience - which isn't even developed well - but do we really need the exact details of the trade? waste of time).
- It takes a while for the film to get started. I know the childhood things are important (it plays a large part in explaining Cash's relationship with his father), but it takes way too long to get back to them and justify their purpose...
- While it's a biopic, it's got so many of the elements of a love story. The problem here? Why does June love Johnny? We get why Johnny loves June (we know very well) and we get why June wants Johnny to recover, but how exactly does that transition into love? June is almost property at the end of the movie - maybe she does love Johnny boy, but the way he proposes to her ("40 times!") is so sketchy and scary that if I judged based on everything presented up to the predictable "yes, i shall marry you" at the end, I'd think Johnny just got his way through intimidation (kinda).

Now, the pros:
- Reese Witherspoon is the most fucking adorable woman ever. The hair looked strange at first, but by the end of the movie she's as attractive as a brunette as she is a blonde.
- Joaquin Phoenix is good as Mr. Cash. The singing is almost spot on (well, I'm not exactly the right person to judge, but from the little Cash I know, sounds pretty accurate).
- It's deeper than it looks. A lot of it has to do with Phoenix's performance, but the audience grasps a sense of how Cash feels internally - both physically and emotionally (I know it sounds cliche). Like Ray, Walk the Line showcases its protagonist's decline with drugs. However, unlike in Ray, it is easy to feel the protagonist's confusion and frustration with the drugs. You feel Cash's battle.
- I can't avoid Ray comparisons. Here's another one - the music. Johnny Cash might not be your thing, but you'll be humming "Walk the Line" as you leave the theatre.
- Even though I found problems with the love story, the two actors have "great chemistry." While the film doesn't explain June's "love," (I mean, why would she? Supposedly, she looks past the face, but that isn't evident in the movie...I need to sharpen this point) I could feel THE PASSION when they were on stage singing together and doing their thing...elsewhere.
- There's some humor.

I enjoyed it. B+

From the earliest days of his childhood, Johnny "J.C" Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) was fascinated with music. It was his salvation and his motivation to succeed. It was the only important thing in his life until June Carter (Reese Witherspoon) came along. The new biopic WALK THE LINE depicts famous musician Cash in his early years, and the audience witnesses his family tragedies, marital conflicts, and his developing romance with the love of his life. This film has been the talk of Hollywood for quite some time now. With both lead actors handpicked by Johnny Cash and June Carter themselves, audiences seemed confident that the film would deliver. All I can say after seeing it for myself is that it lives up to the hype.

The performances here are what drive the film and what make it a truly unforgettable experience. Joaquin Phoenix literally becomes Johnny Cash, delving into every little aspect of the character that he is playing. He is completely believable and a fascinating character to watch. His particularly powerful sequences include his memories of his dead brother, as well as his confrontations with his estranged father (Robert Patrick). He turns in his best performance to date. Another excellent performer is Ginnifer Goodwin as Johnny's first wife Vivian. After stealing the show in the charming teen film WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!, Goodwin is fantastic as the loving but confused wife who doesn't understand her husband's passion. The real revelation here, however, is Reese Witherspoon. The film literally ignites once she appears on screen and thanks largely to her it never stops from there. Witherspoon is absolutely magnetic, and I was engrossed in her emotional and charming performance - easily the best female performance of 2005 to date. She literally steals the show in every scene that she appears in, and is easily a lock for the Best Actress trophy at the Oscars. Phoenix and Witherspoon do all their own singing in this film and both are equally impressive. The two also have sizzling chemistry that makes their romance more than believable.

Direction by James Mangold is also excellent. The visuals are amazing here, as evident by the beautiful and memorable posters in release. Many scenes are just amazing to look at, from the dry cotton fields in Arkansas to the vibrant performances onstage. This outstanding work should also be remembered, for it truly sets the tone for the entire film. While some may look at Cash's life as bleak, Mangold embraces the fact that this is ultimately a love story - never making things too dark to enjoy.

The film follows many biopic cliches, but that ultimately doesn't matter. Even with that against it, WALK THE LINE is a fantastic film. With excellent direction, an accurate performance from Phoenix and a virtual knockout by Witherspoon, this is one of the best films of the year so far.

9/10 (A-)

El Maverikk is confirmed to have just seen it. Dun dun dun...

Walk the Line is Fantastic!

Johnny Cash was one of those guys who had something about him that made him cool. He wasn't the greatest singer in the world and he wasn't the most skilled musician, but he had a style that was quickly recognizable and enjoyable. Hats off to Joaquin Phoenix for pulling that off so well! I can see a best actor win in his future. He did a great immitation of the man, his singing and the way he held and played his guitar, and his acting was well done throughout.

Reese Witherspoon gave a performance that completely BURIES any other performance I've seen this year! That would include the excellent Joaquin Phoenix, and other great performances this year like Amy Adams. She steals every scene that she's in, and the singing and stage performance she does along with Phoenix is most impressive. I loved their version of "Jackson". Everything they sang together was excellent. The song that she sings by herself is called "Wildwood Flower", and that was the very first song that I ever learned on the guitar. The stage performances were the highlight of the film for me, as they both just did great work, and it'll probably earn them both a lot of awards, especially Witherspoon.

The story of Johnny Cash is an interesting one, as we follow him from his early days and his experiences with loss. I felt for him, knowing what it's like to lose an older brother who's your best friend. Johnny's brother Jack was supportive of his younger brother's music, so that was another thing that I related to in the story.

Johnny joins the service and after his tour of duty, he lands a nowhere job as a door to door salesmen that isn't going too well. He's also a husband and a daddy before long. He impresses the owner of Sun records, the label with the original rock guys like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins, and the rest is history, as the film doesn't focus on his career other than performance stuff. Instead, the focus is mainly on Johnny's courtship of June and his addictions and his ultimate redemption through his love for her. She must have turned the poor guy's advances down about 5 times before he finally wore her down and cornered her on the stage and got her to agree to marry him after 12 years of her teasing his loins.

It's a very strongly acted and well directed film, but I do think it might have been about 15 minutes too long. It could have been trimmed here and there, but that's a very minor complaint. I see this being around and a serious contender in every awards event this season.

A-

At least I'm happy to see that Mav didn't just give this one an A+ because of his anticipation, hehe.

Completely agree. I'll be very disappointed if she's not nominated this year. Just an amazing performance.

Glad you enjoyed the movie Maverikk.

I liked it.

Walk the Line covers some familiar territory (a singer from humble upbringing makes it big and we are treated to a dozen or so musical performances interspersed with some highs and lows of their career and personal life), but it is the love story between John and June that makes this one stand out a little. It's kind of touching and sweet and that final proposal was made very effective by showing just how arduous their journey was up until then. June was quite the difficult conquest for Mr. Cash. There is great chemistry between the two actors and although Phoenix holds his own, he very much lives in the shadow of Reese in this movie . Witherspoon is just too adorable and the way she adopts that accent and completely throws herself into her character impressed me. And she has a great voice! Definitely the best female performance I've seen this year.

I wasn't really into the film until June arrived though. The stuff with his family didn't really resonate and I thought the whole beef with his dad wasn't well handled. And personally, country music isn't my thing, so I found the musical numbers tolerable, but I certainly didn't revel in them. Good production values though. Inevitable comparisons will be made with Ray, which I thought was a little bit better than Walk the Line, simply because there seemed to be a greater energy and zip and a more emotional connection with the main character.

B

Fantastic movie. Phoenix, in my opinion, was just fantastic as Johnny Cash. I don't think I could pick anyone better suited for the role. Witherspoon was also great as June Carter. Both of them just shined throughout the film, and I definately see Oscar Nominations, at the very least, in their future.

The movie is not really a biopic about Johnny Cash, but rather the story of both Johnny and June, the love they shared and the obstacles they both had to overcome in order to finally be together. In that way, I think it makes this biopic stand out more then others. The musical numbers were amazing. If I didn't know better, I probably would have really thought that was Johnny Cash. Reese's voice was nice as well. I was surprised at how well she could sing. And the southern accent she had in the movie just made her the most adorable thing ever.

I really do think this movie will get some Oscars next year, but I suppose we'll have to see what the rest of the year has in store. I would highly reccomend the movie to anyone. It was one of the few movies this year that I would want to go see again in theatres. It might even be my number one movie of the year over Cinderella Man.

So, yes, I'd give it an A.

Best performance came from the guy who played Jerry Lee Lewis.

That'd be Dennis Quaid. And yes he owned ass.

...

huh?



I really enjoyed it, btw...

OH haha I think I read it wrong. I didn't realize before that he probably meant a guy who plays Jerry Lee Lewis in this movie, not the guy who played Jerry in the Jerry Lee Lewis movie(Great Balls of Fire).

Very decent movie. Phoenix and Witherspoon really do shine, I do think that people saying how Witherspoon's performance was better is not right at all imo, she's great dont get me wrong, but I dont think she was better then Phoenix or that she outshines him in anyway, she wasnt in enough of the movie to warrant that I think, sometimes it kinda felt like a supporting role, but sometimes so did Phoenix as Johnny Cash with the music being the real star. They did a fantastic job with the songs, I cant belive thats them singing, very talented individuals ( hell they should go on tour together )

The story was at times conventional and very been there done that, but I did like how this wasnt a fluff piece at all, it didnt try to make you feel so emotional for Cash all the time, like feeling sorry for him and such, they showed him as being human and having problems just like anybody else, you didnt feel sorry for him, you did feel sorry for the people around him though. The movie couldve used some work, I thought there was more potential in it, some things felt rushed somethings felt drawn out, it is sort of uneven at times, but even with those problems the performances both in the actors acting and singing really did push this movie above your ordinary biopic.

Grade - B

Wonderful film, surprised by how much I loved it.

I think Reese pretty much has her Oscar. (unless some surprise comes around at the end of the year...) Both her & Phoenix give extremely impressive performances.

A

I agree. I didn't think that Witherspoon outshined Phoenix in anyway. She was great as June Carter, but I didn't feel her acting was in any way better than Joaquin's. On level with him, possibly, but even then, I'd say he still had an edge on her.

Good movie, not great. The story never really takes off, very much by the numbers. The acting though strong, wasn't epic in any sense (unlike say What's Love..).

B

Agree with general sentiment. A good but not spectacular movie. Great performances, but weak story structure. B/B+.

I very much liked this movie A+

Thought some of this was interesting.

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http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Today/Enter ... 0-sun.html

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By LOUIS B. HOBSON

HOLLYWOOD -- Reese Witherspoon thinks she knows the reason the new Johnny Cash biopic is called Walk the Line instead of Johnny or The Man in Black.

"This is a movie about two people. It's the story of a love affair that was also a great musical partnership," says Witherspoon, who plays June Carter opposite Joaquin Phoenix's Johnny Cash.

"You don't often get to see the amazing woman behind the successful man. She usually gets the shaft in a biopic but without June there wouldn't have been a Johnny," insists Witherspoon.

Witherspoon, who has always claimed she and Ryan Phillippe were destined for one another, claims the same is true of Carter and Cash.

"There's no question in my mind they were destined to be together. Theirs was not an easy relationship, but then most relationships aren't.

"What's important and what the film shows is that it was a true relationship. It was real."

Both Phoenix and Witherspoon were signed to Walk the Line 18 months before they began filming.

"I immediately started reading everything I could get my hands on and watching hours of tapes from the Grand Ole Opry and of the tours June was on where she met Johnny," recalls Witherspoon.

"I never even met Joaquin until our first rehearsal and then we rehearsed for six months together."

This meant the two actors had two hours each day of vocal training with their coaches and a four-hour recording session in a sound studio.

"We had to sing our songs over and over again each day.

"I had only seven but Joaquin had 26. We had to get the nuances June and Johnny brought to their songs."

She admits the recording sessions were particularly daunting.

"I'm darn good in my car and in the shower, but, boy, when you get into a recording studio, it's scary.

"Still, I grew up (in Louisiana) listening to this music. I knew how it should sound and my father played the banjo."

Witherspoon had to learn to play the auto harp and Phoenix the guitar.

"Joaquin is a natural musician. I'm not.

"I used to sing my songs at home and for anyone who came over to visit. Ryan and the children know all my songs by heart." Must be fun at her house

Witherspoon says before she teamed up with Cash, Carter "was essentially the filler act between the top-billed musicians like Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.

"She was the comic relief until Johnny made her an equal."

Witherspoon concedes that Carter and Cash were an easier fit than she and Phoenix.

"We had some difficult times, but it was because we wanted the best for the film."

She says the Cash family gave her "a couple of things of June's that were special to them, so they are all the more special to me."

What a goddamn good movie. More and more lately, I find myself judging on how entertained and enthralled I am (as such was the case with "Crash"), and I was enthralled in this compelling film from a little after the start until the finish. Those first few minutes are rocky, but after the film gets going, it doesn't stop for me. It's not so much a movie that breaks any new ground as a film, but I wasn't expecting it to, either. I think it's going to have a grand ol' time when Oscar nominations are announced, and I'd love to see some wins, too. The acting by the main stars (especially the obvious, Joaquin and Reese) is incredible. Everything worked for me, and I'm glad it did. I fully expected to enjoy the film, but not this much. Not by a longshot, whatsoever.

Grade: A

So I saw it and...

I loved it. I give it an A-. *laughs*

I actually went into sorta expecting that I would like it more than my bad-mouthing here pointed to, and I wasn't wrong. As a movie, which is all I needed it to be, it worked very well. Techincally it isn't the best made movie of the year, but it was hugely enjoyable.

Surprisingly though, I thought the weakest point was Joaquin Phoenix. I didn't feel he carried the refined iconic stiffness that Johnny always had, Joaquin was moving and emotionalizing too much when he talked. Basicly he was Phoenix in this movie, not Cash. He was very much the same guy that he was in Ladder 49 and etc. Also his southern accent was off, and his singing was too high-pitched. But he was the only problem I could find.

On the other hand, Witherspoon was downright brilliant. I think she'll be taking Best Actress this year. She was perfect in her role.

The movie itself is really what made the movie tick for me. All the music numbers were great, and the atmosphere of the movie was very on. All the extras and backdrop for it was good. The did a good job of storytelling through it all, and we really got inside Cash. The movie ended softly, but it all worked out.

A couple more thoughts:

-I can understand why Cash's daughter hated the way they portrayed Vivian. I understand what the filmmakers meant to do, they put her in the villiany situation. But if Cash was married to her for years, there definitly had to be something humane inside her. They didn't show any light to that character at all.

-What the fuck is Tyler Hilton doing in this movie? As much as I'm an OTH fanboy, and as much as I'd like to see someone like him get publicity, it truly was an odd casting choice to grab a teen show posterboy to play Elvis Presley. And he did a bad job of it too, his voice and performance didn't sound like Elvis at all. I think thats one of the reasons they didn't give Elvis much screen-time, they might've cut out some of Tyler's parts because he didn't really catch on.

Its not that he's a bad actor, its just that for this type of role's he's really in-experienced. He's much better at being on tv for now.

The guy who played Jerry Lee Lewis rocked though.

-I agree with torrino that it almost seemed that Cash forced June to marry him, its like he was hurting her with his hands when she finally had to say a crying yes.

No offense, Shack, but exactly how did you go from completely clueless about Johnny Cash to an expert on his every nuance?

I disagree witht he portrayal of Vivian, I didn;t think she was some evil villian, maybe I just empathized with her situation, but she spent most of her life waiting around for Cash. I think the final scene between them when you see her crying, it did alot ot show that her anger and demans towards him wer eout of frustration and she did care about him.

Overall a good film, but it was one of those films where I enjoyed the performances more then the film. I thought Witherspoon was perfect, even better then I thought she was, and Phoenix was excellent,t hat scene at the end when he tells them him plans to play at Folsom...it was like Phoenix was Cash.

B+