Last year...

Rating: 5/10 (28 November 2005)

this movie was called Ray. Walk the line is your standard biopic about a deceased rock star, complete with all of the expected story lines. In case you haven't seen Ray, here you go: small child loses brother in tragic accident. Boy grows up, gets discovered, has a problem with drugs and alcohol, cheats on his wife, gets arrested for drug possession, gets his life straightened out. The end.
There really isn't anything new to add in Walk the Line, which is truly unfortunate. The performances by Witherspoon and Phoenix are top notch and they both sing their parts extremely well (side note - don't hold it against Jaime Foxx for not singing in Ray because no one sounds like Ray Charles except Ray Charles. Any bass can sing Johnny Cash - his voice isn't that distinctive.) The characters, unfortunately, really don't have that much to say. In the end, Cash appears to be a really moronic spoiled brat - not exactly a glowing tribute to a music star. The movie seemed more like a vehicle to sell Johnny Cash albums to a new generation without having to pay royalties since both he and his wife are now deceased.
I don't know why these same formulaic biopics are still being made. I wouldn't keep watching them if my wife didn't like them. No one's life is so boring that you can fit its entire essence into two hours.