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House review of Walk the Line (2005)

It’s important to remember that this bio-pic of Johnny Cash isn’t saying anything about the beloved singer that he hasn’t said about himself. The chief sources for screenwriters Gill Dennis and James Mangold were Cash’s autobiographies, Man in Black and Cash: The Autobiography. That’s reassuring to me, because while I don’t believe in whitewashing facts, I do think that some dirty laundry is best kept private, and I appreciate being allowed to keep my admiration for those I admire. But it seems to me that if Johnny Cash wanted to share this with us in his books, then it must be all right for them to share it on film.

I missed most of the drama of Cash’s life. I was born two years after his landmark Folsom Prison concert, so I was an adult before I understood what a controversial song and concert that was. But I grew up with that album, along with the rest of Cash’s music, because my father liked him and played his records all the time. When Daddy and his buddies got out their guitars, Ring of Fire, Walk the Line, A Boy Named Sue, and Sunday Morning Coming Down were favorites, and Daddy had the dark, hoarse voice to pull it off.
Apparently Joaquin Phoenix has the voice to pull it off, too. In the best true-life character portrayal since Jim Carrey’s Andy Kaufman, Phoenix has the expressions, the mannerisms, the Arkansas/Tennessee accent, and even the drug-induced tics down to an uncanny T.

But it’s when he sings that you forget just who it is you’re looking at. Phoenix does his own singing, but it’s hard to believe he’s not lip-synching to old Cash records. He manages that Johnny Cash vocal sound that’s not quite talking, not quite really singing, that drips with pathos and pain and still leaves the listener with hope. In addition to the sound, he manages to show us Johnny’s face when he’s singing, nailing the crooked grin, the microphone nearly in his mouth, and the intimate eye contact that makes the listener feel like he means her when he sings those words.

Reese Witherspoon shows surprising depth in her portrayal of June Carter, as well. Her June is strong, stubborn, sweet, sad, angry, and funny. Witherspoon also does her own singing, matching exactly both the personality and range of Carter’s singing. This had to be a good career move for Witherspoon; after a long series of fluffy roles, this one finally allows her to show her quality, and she took home the Oscar to prove it. One of the pleasures of this film was getting to know June and the other Carters a little better. They play such an important role, not only in Cash’s life, which would be remarkable enough, but in the landscape of American music.

The other great pleasure of this film is the sheer amount of music in it. Somebody, usually Phoenix, sings in almost every scene. The story never suffers; we’re clear what’s going on in terms of plot and character development. But then it becomes clear; the music is the plot and character development. Music was the way Cash communicated, it was his only healing for some serious emotional scars, it was the way he plugged into existence. For those of us who have loved Cash’s music our whole lives, it’s humbling to understand the price he paid for that music. And it makes us grateful for the gift he gave us.

I appreciated the film’s respectful treatment of the deep Christian faith of the main characters. June Carter’s deep distress over her two failed marriages was taken seriously; these are not movie stars falling in and out of marriage. These are folk singers who were formed by regular church attendance, Bible reading, and the soul deep influence of southern gospel. Even in Johnny’s days of drinking, drugs, and adultery, he is a lost sheep, misled and self-centered rather than immoral. But June and the Carters have enough faith for all of them, and through their strength he is finally found again. This is a story of the redemptive power of love, both the love of two people for each other, and the love each of them has for God.

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Film Rating: 4.0/10 (7 votes cast)

Reviewed by Elessar
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