Performances

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2005)

At one level, this is the same old thing: success, booze, redemption, comeback. Nothing new at all here and the history changed to fit the formula.
At another level  the one most moviegoers will see  is a concert with background intended to make the concert richer. If you had ever seen John and June perform, you will know that this movie version is a whole lot better. And you may also admit that the reason you went to see them wasn't because of their music, but because of the whole story of them and what they symbolized -- and how that colored the music.
In other words, their lives were deliberately part of the show. They made it so, even punching up John's ex-con status and other tough guy attributes. The whole Carter family developed this as a marketing strategy long before John appeared, though their lives were artificially made in the mold of wholesome, white Baptists.
So, if you follow these things, what we have here is a nice construction: Two stage performers who make their lives part of their performance, portrayed in another performance (the movie) that features the reverse: lives illustrated through stage performances. Managing all those layers as they have makes this mildly interesting.
And the surprise of Reese is something too, though it makes sense if you know the type that southern women played as roles in those days.
What's missing is all the interesting stuff. John's obsession with the devil, the theories of his brother being murdered or committing suicide, the long-term weaving of paths with Bob Dylan  holy and otherwise. The debauchery. The deliberate manipulation of religion in the 70s as part of the public relations of his comeback. His phenomenal loss of weight. The rivalry among his touring mates. Deep, deep, rivalry.
Now wouldn't all that real stuff have made a better movie than the formula script we have here?
As with all big movies these days, you have the movie proper and you have the beginning sequence. Studios (meaning financiers) take these very seriously and bring in a separate creative team, usually uncredited. This opening is far, far better than the movie itself. It has a whole different feel, obviously a different director and cinematographer. Obviously edited by a different crew.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.