Great Biopic of Start of Majestic Career

Rating: 8/10 (26 February 2006)

James Mangold has displayed a great range of movies: from the indie Heavy (with Liv Tyler's best performance), the top heavy Cop Land (where Sly Stallone shines), the powerful drama Girl, Interrupted (with a magnificent Winona Ryder), the light but still very enjoyable rom-com Kate & Leopold, the multi-layered whodunnit Identity (with the always quality John Cusack and Jim's signature actor Pruitt Taylor Vince (one of the best actors of his generation!) now there is the long awaited cinematic biography of Johnny Cash.
Mangold could have gone the easy way and portray the settled-down and familial and grand person Cash became in the 90s and 00s (after struggling through his addictions and troubles). But instead he chose to show the hardships Johnny Cash had to endure as a child and how he became a recording and performing artist, while trying to grow up and keep in touch with reality.
Some will say that Cash now comes off as a cheating and pill-popping maniac who has little empathy for his wife and that may all be true, but fighting his inner demons with June Carter at his side is exactly how he in the end became the icon that is JR Cash.
Joaquin Phoenix is the embodiment of Cash, even though he doesn't look or sound like him, but that only shows his acting performance.
Reese Witherspoon does an outstanding performance as well, maybe it gets enhanced if you offset this against her Legally Blonde-type characters.
Kudos to both of them for performing (singing and playing), because this could have gone horribly wrong if Mangold decided to go with Joaquin and Reese lipsynching to Johnny and June's voices.
The supporting cast is great as well as is the selection of songs.
The story and tension arc is solid as a house and the 2 hours and 16 minutes fly by. All in all this is one of the best, most honest biopics I have ever seen.
Go see this, even if you don't like country ... and I don't even think Cash is country, he is real rock 'n roll.