Walk the Line

 

Walk the Line 2005

• Director: James Mangold
• Seen by this director: Logan, Kate & Leopold, Girl Interrupted, Cop Land
• Based on the book by Johnny Cash
• Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Joaquin Phoenix – Joker, don’t Worry He won’t Get Far on Foot, Two Lovers, Reservation Road, Hotel Rwanda, Gladiator
• Reese Witherspoon – Big Little Lies, Wild, Legally Blonde, American Psycho, Pleasantville
• Ginnifer Goodwin – He’s Just Not That into You, Mona Lisa’s Smile
• Robert Patrick – The Men Who Stare at Goats, The X Files, Cop Land, Terminator 2
• Why? Subject, music, cast
• Seen:  Once before. Now 10 October 2022      

       A childhood of poverty and hard work with an alcoholic and abusive father, a religious mother, a dying beloved brother and listening to 10-year-old June Carter on the radio.

       As a young man he’s a soldier in Germany, a young husband and father, a failing door-to-door salesman and a budding musician.

       He happens upon Sam Phillips and auditions with a ‘Jesus saved me’ type song. Phillips is not impressed so John does a nervous version of his ‘Folsom Prison Blues.’ And he meets June Carter at a gig.

       The gruelling path to stardom begins with groupies, drugs, family conflicts and a deepening on-again-off-again always stormy relationship with June.

       Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter are perfect, and they do their own singing too.

       Johnny Cash has never been a favourite of mine and the film makes me like him even less, but he does have a slew of good songs. June Carter wrote ‘Ring of Fire’ though.

       I find myself not liking the film so much, but I am so impressed with Phoenix and Witherspoon that the rating goes higher than the film itself deserves to 

4* of 5