great acting overcomes standard storyline

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2006)

Because it is based on two of his own published memoirs ("Cash: the Autobiography" and "The Man in Black"), "Walk the Line" becomes, in many ways, the "official" movie biography of musician/singer/songwriter Johnny Cash - and it isn't really the movie's fault that it arrives so close on the heels of "Ray," the equally critically acclaimed film about Ray Charles. The similarities between the two stories are, at times, positively amazing: the meteoric rise to stardom, the unhappy marriage, the serial philandering, the substance abuse, the arrest for drug possession. Heck, there's even the death of a beloved brother in a freak childhood accident that comes to haunt both the men for the rest of their lives. Yet, "Walk the Line, " written by Gill Dennis and James Mangold and directed by Mangold, triumphs over its biopic clichés thanks to solid writing, toe-tapping musical numbers and superb performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in the key roles of Cash and singing superstar - and future wife - June Carter.
Phoenix pours his whole heart and soul into his performance both as an actor and as a singer, reproducing Cash's sound and vocal intonations with uncanny accuracy. Witherspoon captures Carter's sizzle and spunk perfectly, yet brings a real sensitivity and thoughtfulness to the character. Their romantic scenes together are some of the best in the film and it is as a romance, rather than as a cautionary tale of the perils of show business, that the movie really connects with its audience.
We've seen a lot of this stuff before, but all credit to the actors, we don't mind watching it again.