A Thing Called Love

Rating: 6/10 (27 February 2006)

It is the movie I was waiting for...about the childhood and early rock 'n' roll years of Johnny Cash as well as the relationship with June Carter. All mixed together it results an excitable and amusing movie. The story is based on Johnnys autobiography with some slight changes, but generally captures the best and the most important moments. The Folsom prison scene at the beginning makes you really feel like entering into a live concert and is one of the few memorable scenes in this movie.
Surely the acting has to be praised, Joaquin Phoenix as well as Reese Witherspoon really got into their roles and were very convincing, you actually feel the chemistry between them! Both Joaquin and Reese made a Oscar-worth performance!
Although I sometimes missed Johnnys voice in the songs, Joaquin(Reese also) made a solid singing performance as well so there cant be any real objections. Throughout the movie we hear great early songs of Johnny (and June), like Cry!Cry!Cry!, I Walk the Line, Jackson, Get Rhythm, Ring of Fire, Folsom Prison Blues,...
"Walk the Line" must be watched as a love story in first, and not a detailed Johnny Cash movie, and some parts of his life were just kind off simplified for the purpose of this love story(like why Johnny wears black,...). I cant loose the feeling that Johnny was even stronger and more charismatic then shown in the movie. But I guess its because we see just the young years of Cash.
But this movie succeeds not only because of its great actors and classic love story. "Walk the Line" also manages to display the engaging portraits of stars like Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis(also episode roles of Waylon Jennings or Roy Orbison), of course just as background, but after all the 50ties are just unthinkable without them. And it comes to my mind that Johnny Cash really outlived them, they lived fast but also burn out fast, except for Johnny. He went on, and on,...and the strength for this came out of June and the love that was connecting them..