Pure and simple fantastic storytelling!

Rating: 9/10 (19 November 2005)

After a long, long wait for this film's theatrical release, I must say, I was NOT disappointed! It was great to see a biopic that isn't just about physical imitation (as Witherspoon & Phoenix don't look like the folks they're playing to start with) that relies more on the actor's innate, intense, and instinctive portrayal of their character's emotional and psychological truths, and in this pic, there were many truths to relay. Our two leads, Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon, both deliver incredible performances reflecting Cash and Carter's intensities as well as their subtleties.
(As a side note - I felt the same about Philip Seymour Hoffman's work in "Capote")
Writer/director James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted, Copland) accomplished what he stated he was setting out to do - to create a film that celebrates both the icon and the fallible man that was Johnny Cash.
I must admit that Mangold does juggle the story with what may be seen as too heavy a hand at times, playing up Cash's drug addiction, destructiveness, and self-centeredness more so that on the portions of life that offered him joy, which is where the concert and musical performance scenes come in and offer the film's viewer's a bit of a break from these torments.
The story is told very simply, thank goodness, as it is a film that could have fallen into a stylized trap. It's almost as if Mangold told the story of Cash's life the way Cash himself would write a song - here's the story, raw and hard, with a beginning a middle and an end - all in all the best way to convey any message. Cash didn't trouble himself with metaphors; nor does Mangold.
Reese Witherspoon, an actress whom I've always admired, is amazing as the confident & amusing woman behind the mic when speaking, den-mother to the touring gaggle of unruly young men (Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, & Roy Orbison), June Carter. It was nice to see her in a flick that ain't a comedy for a change! She gets to spread her dramatic wings some.Hey - Whether she's playing a flakey blonde (Legally Blonde) or the not-so-girl-next-door-like 90's gal unwillingly dropped into a 50's TV scenario (Pleasantville), she moves through her characters naturally, with a crackling energy, and with more depth than scripts often offer her.
Phoenix again shows his diversity as an actor deeply dedicated to his craft. I think many may simply perceive him as the "rebel without a cause" sorta actor, and if you find yourself guilty of that inaccurate view of him, catch "WALK THE LINE", as well as his role as Commodus, the spoiled, pretentious, heartless, almost fey emperor in "Gladiator", not to mention his portrayal of the intensely religious, yet contradictory character of the Abbe du Coulmier (next to the brilliant Geoffrey Rush) in "Quills." All in all, the casting was incredible all across the board, from Robert Patrick as Cash's cold father, Shooter Jennings (yes  Waylon's son) as Waylon Jennings, Johnny Holiday as Carl Perkins, to Tyler Hilton as a hopped up young Elvis.
This is the perfect Cash lover's, rockabilly, & country music lover's movie! * For those into vintage 50's clothing - You'll be dyin' for the clothing in this movie, not to mention the cars!
~T.Paul www.t-paul.com