Good but could have been so much better

Rating: 5/10 (12 February 2006)

I loved the music but not enough of it. The story line did not make up for this shortcoming. Like most biographic screenplays (created whilst the two central characters were still alive) it presented a sugary picture of their lives. True it showed the 'warts' but these were depicted in a biblical way as a rite of passage to salvation and the obligatory Hollywood happy ending. Phoenix and Witherspoon were brilliant - but some of the other characters were so underdeveloped that it was painful to watch . A central theme of the whole story was the tension between Cash and his father . Most people at some points in their lives can relate to this emotion but in the film it just never really convinced because of wooden acting by Cash's screen father. Also, the film was overly long and could have done with some sharper editing. What kept my interest was Witherspoon. Every time she appeared on the screen the story started to move forward - she had fantastic presence and deserves an Oscar for this performance