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Walk the Line
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| John R. Cash: | Joaquin Phoenix |
| June Carter: | Reese Witherspoon |
| Vivian Cash: | Ginnifer Goodwin |
| Ray Cash: | Robert Patrick |
| Sam Phillips: | Dallas Roberts |
| Luther Perkins: | DAn John Miller |
| Marshall Grant: | Larry Bagby |
| Carrie Cash: | Shelby Lynne |
| Elvis Presley: | Tyler Hilton |
| Jerry Lee Lewis: | Waylon Malloy Payne |
| Waylon Jennings: | Shooter Jennings |
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Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's okay,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man in Black.
"The Man in Black" - Johnny Cash
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"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." With a distinguished baritone voice and a constant rockabilly rhythm, Johnny Cash
reshaped the country music landscape with confidence. Widely recognized as the man in black, Johnny Cash became
a legend, a rebel rocker with a conscience whose songs reached out to the impoverished, the blue collar, and the
downtrodden. Based on Man in Black and Cash: The Autobiography, "Walk the Line" chronicles Cash's early struggles,
from his childhood days in Kingsland, Arkansas to his first big break at Sun Records to the gradual rise to fame and
fortune on the country music scene, culminating in the famous concert at Folsom Prison. But even more so, the film
depicts a great love story - the kindred spirit and long lasting romantic affair between Johnny and June Carter
Cash. Filled with great music, "Walk the Line" pulsates with songs like "Hey, Porter" and "Cry, Cry, Cry" that
gave Johnny his start to the songs that defined his success: "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire," and the film's
title track. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line" is a stirring, straightforward musical
masterpiece.
The sound of a buzz saw from within Folsom Prison spurns a flashback. Born and raised in a small Arkansas town,
Johnny Cash grew up working in the cotton fields alongside his parents, Ray and Carrie, and his brother, Jack. And
he grew close to his brother, oftentimes going fishing with him and listening to country and gospel music's finest as
heard on the local radio. But in 1944, a tragic accident would forever change young Cash. While Johnny was fishing,
his brother Jack was pulled into a whirling table saw and sadly passed away. Making matters worse, his already
strained relationship with his father was made more severe as Ray blamed Johnny for Jack's death. And for that,
Johnny was burdened with a tremendous amount of guilt for the rest of his life.
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Eventually, he grew up and enlisted in the Air Force, where he aspired to be a musician and came to write his
first song. Then, following his tour of duty, Johnny found a wife in Vivian Liberto, settled down, and worked
as an appliance salesman out of Memphis. It was a respectable life, but one far short of his dream of becoming
a recording artist. While in Memphis, he stumbled upon Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant, who later became
known as the Tennessee Two. Together, the threesome honed their talent and won over producer Sam Phillips at
Sun Records. They recorded a few hit songs such as "Hey Porter" and "Cry, Cry, Cry" and soon thereafter joined
a tour with the likes of a young Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and the lovely singer/comedienne June Carter,
of whom Johnny felt an immediate attraction.
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But as Johnny became more popular, so too did his problems. Constantly touring, he became distant from his wife and
children, he began drinking heavily and became addicted to painkillers, and on numerous occasions, found himself in
trouble with the law. No matter what Johnny did, he could not impress his father. Nor could he escape the ghost of his
brother. And when things seemingly hit rock bottom, it was June and her family who pulled up their bootstraps and
intervened, giving Johnny the love and support that he sorely missed growing up. With a second lease on life, Johnny
Cash made the most of it, determined to walk that line.
Directed by James Mangold, "Walk the Line" is most noticeably a tender love story with lots of great music. But
underneath the warm and pleasant exterior, there lies a harder edge as the film deals head on with Johnny Cash's
personal afflictions involving childhood trauma, drugs and alcohol, and pressures to perform. Such characteristics
are quite familiar to Mangold, a director who first earned acclaim in 1995 for "Heavy," a Sundance award winner about
an overweight pizza chef trying to find romance in light of his negative self-image. And it was also Mangold who was
responsible for "Cop Land," starring Sylvester Stallone, about a half-deaf sheriff trying to maintain a guilt free
conscience while fighting police corruption, and Susanna Kaysen's "Girl, Interrupted," about a woman trying to overcome
internal demons while at a mental hospital. And it is this kind of insight, that depiction of personal affliction that
Mangold brings to the table, effortlessly evoking moments of awkward strife, emptiness and sorrow, guilt and yearning,
and that devilish abandon that comes from drug dependency.
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I am always impressed with actors willing to take risks, i.e. comediennes taking on straight roles, well known
action heroes playing villains, etc. And in "Walk the Line," both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon take
monumental ones, juggling between acting, singing, and musicianship. A very difficult task made more so by
the fact that both were hand picked by Johnny and June Carter Cash themselves - an honor and a heavy obligation
rolled into one. The two spent nearly six months in vocal training with music producer T-Bone Burnett. And
during that time, Phoenix learned to play the guitar and Witherspoon the auto-harp. In fact, I was surprised
to learn that both actors truly sang and played each and every song. And while the sound isn't a perfect match
with their counterparts, the illusion works to perfection. After all, it's the spirit that counts. And there
is an indescribable feeling that overwhelms you when the two share the same stage - an original moment. Just
watch the rip roaring "It Ain't Me Babe" or the romantic cat and mouse game that occurs during "Jackson" and
you'll know exactly what I mean.
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In the title role, Joaquin Phoenix evokes expressionless anguish. Embittered and wrought with guilt, Johnny rarely finds
pleasure or happiness in life, sulking and frowning so much that he draws such comments from his wife: "With you all
dressed in black, you look like you're goin' to a funeral." His behavior and appearance is full of sorrow, easily
enlivened by the outgoing and vibrant June Carter, portrayed wholesomely by Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon is almost
angelic, giving June proper respect and virtue, particularly since the public and private personas were so extreme and
misunderstood. From strong and motherly to smart and charming to enraged and betrayed, Witherspoon shows the full
spectrum, properly matching Phoenix scene for scene. And earns our empathy in one of the finest performances of the
year.
Although the film follows the same formula for music biopics of the past, i.e. a traumatic childhood, an early
breakthrough, conflicts of fame and fortune, drug addiction, marriage troubles, and life on the road, it succeeds
because it never wavers. Remaining focused throughout, "Walk the Line" is easy to follow and enjoy. For, unlike
Taylor Hackford's "Ray," which tried to do too much by covering Ray Charles' entire life and times, "Walk the Line"
stays focused on the romance between Johnny and June Carter Cash. From Johnny's childhood days of listening to the
Grand Ole Opry on the radio to the early touring days through drug intervention and failed relationships, that single
thread remains the same. In fact, it would remain a common theme beyond the film, for well over thirty years. Secondly,
the importance of the music cannot be ignored. Music is what brought Johnny and June together and in the film, it acts
as an extension of the story rather than the story itself. On stage, the energy and magnetism are at their strongest,
and the sounds and lyrics require no explanation. Cleaner and tighter, "Walk the Line" wisely and beautifully contains
itself.
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Some sixty years after his brother's death and all Johnny Cash could talk about was a reunion with his brother
in Heaven. Sadly, that day came on September 12, 2003, less than four months after his wife's death, when
Johnny Cash passed away at the age of 71 due to complications from diabetes. An American icon, Cash
personified country music, won numerous Grammy awards, transcended genres, inspired the likes of Bob Dylan
to U2, and demonstrated the necessity of breaking musical boundaries and rules. The film is a fitting tribute
to the man in black, exuding the same rugged simplicity and poetic beauty that filled Cash's own existence. And
with two magnificent performances from Phoenix and Witherspoon, "Walk the Line" reverberates thematically with
feelings of sorrow and redemption. In fact, it's the kind of movie that Johnny himself would have been proud
of - a movie that was "steady like a train, sharp like a razor."
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"A stirring, straightforward musical masterpiece."
Visit Moviefone.com, America's source for movie information, showtimes, previews, and even tickets.
"(Witherspoon) earns our empathy in one of the finest performances of the year. "
"Exudes the same rugged simplicity and poetic beauty that filled Cash's own existence."
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