Walk the Line is a biography of Johnny Cash. I've never been a fan of his or his music. This movie didn't change my mind. He had some hits, became an addict, was miserable to everyone that cared about him. Yes his father was a drunk and blamed Johnny for the death of his older brother but that doesn't excuse his behavior. Johnny married and had two daughters but he fell in love with June Carter who he toured with. She helped him get clean and eventually agreed to marry him.
What is impressive in this film are the performances by joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash. They are believable in both their private and their stage personnas. And, it's quite impressive that they did their own singing, in the voices of their characters. They are both guaranteed Oscar nominations tomorrow.
It's really June's life that was much more interesting to me. She was a child star of a performing family. She learned to do comedy because her voice wasn't as strong as her sister's and she managed a successful career. Her personal life wasn't as successful as she divorced twice while it was still something frowned upon. What she saw in Johnny I don't know and I don't think it was shown well in the film. I wish the film had concentrated on her instead of Johnny, her story has much more to it.
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