Walks a fine line between success and failure

Rating: 6/10 (3 February 2006)

Walk The Line is the latest Oscar-baiting biopic, the subject in this case being twenty-five years in the life of Johnny Cash (played as an adult by Joaquin Phoenix). Naturally, his rise to the peak of his success as a recording artist is chronicled, but additionally, his relationships with his father (Robert Patrick), first wife (Ginnifer Goodwin) and fellow band member June Carter (Reese Witherspoon) play a prominent part in this tale, as well as his personal battle against the pills.
A really, really good biopic could have been made out of this. And it should have been. So why hasn't it been? After all, the actors play their parts so well (more on them later) and the music in the film is so good (more on that later too). Alas, something is lacking in the script department.
An uplifting tour through Johnny Cash's life will certainly satisfy most viewers. But as a Cash novice, I wanted something of more substance. Something that would help us understand Cash's character more, rather than just routinely showing us what he did. Director James Mangold not only fails to develop the characters convincingly enough (yeah, we see the two leads' families, but little else) but also struggles to retain hold of a meandering narrative that sometimes bores. Some emotional scenes don't hit the mark, and Mangold has a tendency to hammer home the few rather banal messages that his script has for us. (When watching the film, I thought "Alright James, we get it!" at least twice.) Yes, Cash fans. I do realise that you may not notice most, if not all, of the things I complained about above. But we have to take all viewers into account here.
Anyway, onto the positives...
Joaquin Phoenix has established himself as one of the decade's most dependable actors. Four films he has starred in (Gladiator, Quills, Buffalo Soldiers, Hotel Rwanda) have been among my favourite films of their respective year of release. It's somehow ironic that Walk The Line will not be one of those, for his portrayal of Johnny Cash is definitely one of his better portrayals. It's especially enjoyable to watch him perform Cash's material on stage (and yes, he did sing the songs himself). Unfortunately, the script doesn't allow him to inhabit Cash's character entirely, and that may well cost him the Oscar.
As June Carter, Reese Witherspoon brings her usual charm back to the screen. Thankfully, there are no traces of Elle Woods in this down-to-earth portrayal. She even manages to flesh her character out a little near the end of the film. It's not quite an Oscar-worthy performance, but it is very impressive nonetheless. She and Phoenix help to keep you almost consistently interested in the proceedings, and the supporting cast capably assist them.
Finally...I must mention the music. The decision to hire O Brother, Where Art Thou?'s composer, T-Bone Burnett, was inspired. Don't be surprised to find yourself humming some of the songs you hear after you have seen the film.
The above elements are enough to make Walk The Line a watchable film, if not a particularly inspired one. One thing it has definitely done is make me interested in finding out more about the life, times and music of Johnny Cash. I'm sure it may do the same for others who are relatively new to Cash's material.