AMAZING with a capital A

Rating: 9/10 (28 November 2005)

Growing up with Johnny Cash's music, I was apprehensive about seeing this movie. For one, I didn't know about Joquoin Pheonix, wasn't quite sure if he was "Man in Black" material. Honestly, I wasn't sure if he was going to be able to pull it off. Then there was Reese Witherspoon. While I think she is a great actress, I have yet to see her in anything but romantic comedies (I didn't see "Vanity Fair"). Again, I wasn't sure if she had the right dramatic chops to pull of a role as this. Now I will be the first one to admit that on both counts, I was dead wrong. The chemistry between Pheonix and Witherspoon was electric, not to mention the writing and direction of the film. Out of the 2 hr and 30 minutes I sat in the movie, there was honestly only one section that I though went about 5 min too long; the time literally flew by. Both of them blew me away with their singing as well...I was really impressed with Reese Witherspoon who sounded better than the actual June Carter Cash, while Pheonix sang with a DEAD ON Johnny Cash tone, including his famous wobble. Strong performances by the supporting cast members (most memorably Ginnifer Goodwin and Robert Patrick) made sure that the bottom didn't fall out. My vote for this movie, is a solid 9 out of 10, and I urge everyone to see it.