Johnny Cash is Humanized in WALK THE LINE

Rating: 8/10 (14 December 2005)

It seems biographies of well known figures of the twentieth century have become an ever increasing source material for high drama (Ray, Beyond the Sea). Singer and songwriter Johnny Cash and his true love June Carter are realized by some honest, heartfelt performances and vivid period settings in Walk the Line. Directed by James Mangold (Girl Interrupted) from a screenplay by himself and Gill Dennis, the film draws material from autobiographies The Man in Black and Cash: An Autobiography.
An impending concert by Johnny Cash at Folsom State Prison is the point the story begins as it flashes back to 1944 in the South where the struggling Cash family works on a plantation. As a young boy, Johnny idolizes his older brother Jack and wishes for something special in life. Their mother gives Johnny the love for singing hymns while their father (Robert Patrick) is an alcoholic, stern figure. When tragedy strikes the family, an emotional, dark cloud hangs over Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) through the years even as he serves military duty in Germany and begins to find solace in writing music. He marries his sweetheart, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and the two have a family and struggle to stay afloat financially while Johnny tinkers with gospel music and forms a trio. When a fateful audition starts badly, he reverts to his more personal, angry music, and the rest is history. Johnny begins cutting records, dressing in his fabled black outfits, and touring with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). Cash begins an infatuation and life long obsession for June who is also married at the time. Before long, Cash develops a dependency on drugs with unfortunate results. His career at a crossroads and his home life a shambles, he descends into a self-destructive path with only June Carter as his true love and salvation.
Let's face it, the reason for seeing this film is to see how good the performances are by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, and they deliver the goods. There is definitely chemistry between the two especially in their duets as both of them show vocal abilities by singing their own songs (as in films like Coal Miner's Daughter and The Buddy Holly Story). It would require a strong actor to play a legend, and Phoenix proves to be adept. He gets his vocals in a deep, low range to the point you are convinced that he is young Johnny Cash! Kudos should also go to Witherspoon who also shows a gift for warbling with a country twang and acting all at once, not a feat to be taken lightly. Goodwin shines in her moments as the first Mrs. Cash, and it's a shame we don't see more of her in the film.
The concert scenes are restaged with authenticity while simultaneously involving us with fluid close-ups and sharp cutting. It's nice to hear some famous songs recreated for today's audience. Even if you weren't a fan, the songs strike a memory chord regardless. Like Ray, Walk the Line shows how familial loss can have a lasting impact creatively and emotionally. The story manages to move ahead a few years at a time and important moments are rendered realistically. It is amusing in these pop music biographies to see a Who's Who of Rock n' Roll greats in their career infancies. Just seeing Cash pal around with the likes of Lewis, Presley, and others is fascinating. A lot of ground is covered in a little over two hours, but it doesn't feel too episodic.
What the film captures successfully is the affect that his music had on prison inmates and how an overwhelming amount of his fan mail was attributed to prisoners who felt that he spoke to them. (Watch for a cameo by co-producer James Keach as the prison warden.) Cash was a man of the people, and the film takes great pains to show that Cash was not perfect and in fact very human. He succumbs to the temptations of female groupies, gets addicted to drugs, goes to prison, and shows peculiar behavior as he obsesses with June. Although he was smitten with her, Cash was instrumental in getting June into the spotlight to do solos and to stand equal with him.
The film's momentum bogs down during Cash's downfall but redeems itself with scenes such as the Thanksgiving dinner in which Johnny confronts his father. Among the movie's few flaws is the failure to develop the strained relationship between Cash and his intimidating father (well played by Patrick), and the resolution of the film with its family reunion doesn't ring true as one would have liked. There is an amusing scene with June and her family scaring off a drug dealer who is trying to see Johnny. More scenes like that would have been welcome.
There will naturally be constant comparisons with Ray, but that shortchanges a film that would shine in any year. OK, Ray might be a tad better and Coal Miner's Daughter is the gold standard, but Walk the Line does just fine and Phoenix is terrific.