Admirable Effort That Never Quite Strikes the Magic It's Striving For

Rating: 6/10 (5 September 2012)

Joaquin Phoenix takes on the early life and times of Johnny Cash, with something more than an assist from Reese Witherspoon as June Carter. It's great material, more factual than many dramaticized biopics, but seems like it's always standing just a hair away from fully embracing the man and his mythos. Phoenix emphatically pours himself into the role, but can't quite nail the man's authoritative, larger-than-life presence either on the stage or off it. That, along with his ever-so-slightly imperfect take on Cash's legendary singing voice, had me seeing the Oscar nominee as a tremendous impersonator but not a living, breathing character unto himself. Surprisingly, Witherspoon fares much better in a role that seemed on the surface to be terribly miscast. She's sweet, streetsmart and talented, and much of the trauma we endure from Cash's self-inflicted trouble is drawn from the toll it takes on her. An ambitious picture that has its heart in the right place, but can't fully recover from a few crucial, disappointing near-misses.