Fantastic

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2008)

I've seriously watched this film 10 times now and I'm still not tired of it. It's a brilliant and mostly accurate portrayal of the life of Johnny Cash. It's such a shame that he wasn't alive to see it. I know many people who strangely had never heard of Johnny Cash before who managed to thoroughly enjoy this film, so even if you're not a fan I'm sure you'll love it.
Most people agree, even those who rate the film negatively, that the acting is superb. The stand out performances are obviously of the two key actors, Joaquin Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon. I was sceptical when I learned beforehand that they did all their own music but I was extremely pleased with the outcome. All the vocal training they did clearly paid off, with both actors sounding like the people they represented. Their on-stage duets are a joy to watch and hear, but it's not just about the voices and the music though. The dense chemistry between them combined with their ongoing stories of troubled love means that it's very difficult not to become connected to them.
Every other aspect of this film is beautifully done and the acting alone cannot be given all the praise though. It's a shame that I only saw it at home and never in the cinema, but it's still an excellent experience. Being a huge Johnny Cash fan combined with just how good this film is has made it my absolute favourite. I doubt many others would rate it as their number one film, but I'm sure most people who've seen it will rate it very highly and would be tempted to see it again.