A good way to pass the time on a flight

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2007)

So I have a thing with most biopics: I cannot get myself to love them, even if they're good. Walk the Line has a lot going for it. The performances are excellent, the story is well written, the directing is Hollywood invisible, the production values are high and the drama is good. But I can't seem to love it. It's just all right by me.
I suppose maybe I'm always looking for a bigger implication to the story than what's presented. What we have here is the life and times of Johnny Cash. A slice of his youth. His trouble with his father. His first marriage. And his pursuit of June Carter. All of which is presented in a mostly chronological order.
How true to actuality is it? It doesn't really matter. Biopics are primarily interested in legend and myth--but honest legend and myth. Johnny Cash was a troubled man. The film's Johnny Cash (portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix who seemingly also takes care of the actual singing in the film) is likewise a troubled man. We see his filmic not-quite-tragic obsession with June Carter (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon very effectively as well).
Maybe you need to be a bigger fan of the man or the actors or something to take the appreciation of this movie to another level. As far as I go, it's good. It does what it needs to and I applaud it for that. It's effect on me is less than spell-binding. It's just a nice movie and a good way to pass the time on a flight. 8/10.