WALK THE LINE
**************
www.walkthelinethemovie.com/

*This commentary contains no spoilers, but does contain a few plot details*

I went to see this fantastic flick today and, man, was I not disappointed at all!

It was great to see a biopic that isn't just about physical imitation (as Witherspoon & Phoenix don't look like the folks they're playing to start with) and relies on the actor's innate, intense, and instictive portrayal of their character's emotional and psychological truths, and in this pic, there were many truths to relay.

Writer/director James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted, Copland, accomplished what he stated he was setting out to do - to create a film that celebrates both the icon and the fallible man that was Johnny Cash.

Our two leads, Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon, both deliver incredible performances reflecting Cash and Cartre's intensities as well as their subtlties.

I must admit that Mangold does juggle the story with what may be seen as too heavy a hand at times, playing up Cash's drug addiction and self-centeredness more so that the portions of life that offered him joy, which is where the concert and musical performance scenes come in and offer the film's viewer's a bit of a break from these torments.

The story is told very simply, thank goodness, and it is a film that could have fallen into a stylized trap. We are introduced to the story at a pivotal point in Cash's carreer & life, just prior to walking onto the stage at Fulsom Prison, and then the story jumps back & unfolds, giving us a good look at Cash's troubled, dirt-poor, childhood, his battles with drugs, his womanizing, and his ego, his tours with June Carter, Elvis, and Jerry Lee Lewis, his obsession with June, all to loop back to the Fulsom scenario and move a wee bit further beyond in his life.

Reese Witherspoon, an actress whom I've always admired, is amazing as the confident & amusing woman behind the mic when speaking, den-mother to the touring gaggle of unruly young men (Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, & Roy Orbison), June Carter. It was nice to see her in a flick that ain't a comedy for a change! She gets to spread her dramatic wings some.Hey - Whether she's playing a flakey blonde (Legally Blonde) or the not-so-girl-next-door-like 90's gal unwillingly dropped into a 50's TV scenario (Pleasantville), she moves through her characters naturally, with a crackling energy, and with more depth than scripts often offer her.

Phoenix again shows his diversity as an actor deeply dedicated to his craft. I think many may simply percieve him as the "rebel without a cause" sorta actor, and if you find yourself guilty of that inaccurate view of him, catch "WALK THE LINE", as well as his role as Commodus, the spoiled, pretentious, heartless, almost fey emperor in "Gladiator", not to mention his portrayal of the intensely religious, yet contradictory character of the Abbe du Coulmier (next to the brilliant Geoffry Rush) in "Quills."
in "Quills."

All in all, a great lil' movie, especially for those lovers of Cash!
*
For those into vintage 50's clothing - You'll be dyin' for the costumes in this movie, not to mention the cars!

Best,
T.Paul
a.k.a.
SwankHipster
www.t-paul.com