Highly entertaining example of conventional genre

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2005)

When discussing movies that celebrate or elaborate on the lives of celebrities, I like to keep in mind that they are still only celebrities, no matter how entertaining they were or still are, nor how finely crafted the film is. After all, they're contribution to society, while widespread, hardly determines anything of value in a historical context. At best, they can move people, at least momentarily, and while that is something of note, I would argue that their impact is superficial, and minimal, when compared to that of true heroes. I'm referring to the everyday and the famous alike; those who stand for something important and even change society. From civil rights leaders to school teachers to volunteers, these are the people who should have stories told about them and their struggle.
True artists, those who create and innovate and change their landscape in some way are important. I am referring more to famous entertainers, those who are elevated to the status of celebrity and are given endless fame and fortune for their (arguably) overvalued contribution and 'talent'. They are heralded as heroes and icons and are given social status that they most likely don't deserve. Their work may be needed in some way, but to celebrate them in the same way we celebrate those true heroes can seem ridiculous and distasteful. That being said, when they're story is told, it can be riveting drama, at the very least a welcomed escape.
Last weekend the wife and I saw Walk the Line, the new film about Johnny Cash. the celebrated singer/songwriter who transcended genres and routinely created sounds that were unique and all his own. He was walking pop culture museum, really, going back to his days on the road with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis when they were just starting out, and intersecting with artists like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, among others. If any performer was worthy of a cinematic tribute it might be Cash. That brings up another point, however. Walk the Line is more a tribute to the singer than a intellectual essay on any themes that he, his career or his music may have represented. When one makes such a conventional biopic one treads dangerously close to the territory normally inhabited by TV movies and various celebrity worship. Its hard to make something artistically memorable in this way.
Yet, Cash's life was fascinating, and because he touched millions of people with his sound, it's intrigue is all the more palpable. Walk the Line attempts to capture that fascination and explain a little about what drove Cash to play. In this it succeeds, at least minimally. The portrayal of "rise to fame, a mighty fall and subsequent rise back", is formulaic, at least plot-wise, and doesn't offer any new insight into the phenomenon which his is so common in pop culture today. However, it's basically true, which earns it a stay of execution, as it were, in this review. Where is succeeds is not it is plot, however, but in its presentation of the played-out story. True, it follows the basic outline for biopics, but the characters on screen seem real and the entertainment value of the actor's performances is worth the price of admission.
Joaquin Phoenix plays Cash in a way that memorializes him and captures his reality at the same time. Its not an imitation but a interpretation, and belongs on a shelf with other notable screen portrayals of famous personalities, the most recent of which was Jamie Fox in 2004's Ray. Both Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, who plays his second wife June Carter, sing and play their own music, and the effect its invaluable. Witherspoon finally breaks away from her light, Hollywood resume to do something of note and it doesn't go unnoticed. The casting here was brilliant; she fits the character like a glove.
Its more than just the actors in the spotlight, however. The film is well crafted, if conventional. Part of that is the film's visuals. Hollywood routinely makes period pieces that to often look like big Hollywood productions and not the reality they are portraying. That's not the case here, where the photography, set and costume design work well and lend the film some authenticity.
That feeling of authenticity also lies in the story's execution. What to include in the finished story, how to end it and its overall pacing is also handled expertly by director James Mangold and Gil Dennis, who both collaborated on the screenplay. One won't notice the 136 minute running time, in fact they may leave wanting more.
It doesn't aspire too high, as Hollywood tends to do, and therefore what it isn't is not a huge disappointment. What it isn't is the end all discussion of Cash's career and musical creativity. Nor is it a critique of fame and its mostly dilapidating effects. For that, one would need to listen to his music, view some of his live performances, read his autobiographies, watch an interview or two and maybe check out some of the music that he was inspired by. That's not the point of this film and shouldn't be. Walk the Line, in the end, is an entertaining look into a fascinating life and a celebration of Cash's musical legacy, at least that of his career's first act. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, especially being that is so darn entertaining (and I'm not even a big Cash fan.) However, I would like to recommend something of a little more substance when award season comes along (Good Night, and Good Luck, for instance.) After all, there are more important things in this world than the lives of famous musicians, even the really good ones.