The one and only man in Black

Rating: 8/10 (15 September 2006)

My trouble with this movie is that I have 20-30 albums with the real Johnny Cash so I know what he sounded like and how he looked like. On the other hand I have no clue what June Carter looked like, or how she sounded. (Except for a few duets with Johnny).
The first scenes when the camera flies over the walls of Folsom Prison, and the famous boom-chicka-boom sounds grows louder and louder , and then goes inside the walls of Folsom, where prisoners clap hands and stamp feet, is one of the most powerful openings I'v seen in a movie recently.
Then follows the usual story of childhood sorrows (Remenicent of other biography movies like "Ray" about Ray Charles), younghood backdrafts, a usual tour of Duty, to early success via Sam Philips Sun Studios, early marriage with kids, touring and drugs. Missbehavior, drunk or pills and a collapse on stage. What makes this work is the acting of Witherspoon, far beyond her Valley Girl image. From a country music hillbilly sidekick or an early version of stand-up comedy, to a caring friend and later wife.
Phoenix doesn't look like Johnny Cash at all, but yet he makes a great role about a man named Johnny Cash, he might have learned the manners and how to sing, and Phoenix does a great job, no doubt about that, and sings well in his way, but since I have Cd's Lp's with the real Johnny Cash, something is missing. On the other hand I think the producers made a correct choice to use (or pay) an A-actor, instead of searching for a lookalike, and maybe find a look-alike in the c-actor, d-actor or even z-actor divisions, that might have looked like Johnny spot image, but with no talent.