Movie Mini-Review: Walk the Line

If you have seen "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Ray," you have seen "Walk the Line." That is no knock, as both of the earlier movies are excellent. There is something about telling the story about mid-century popular musicians arising out of the South, though, that forces writers into a familar arc: childhood poverty plus love of music; seemingly miraculous confluence of events that give the singer his or her big break; endless, frenetic touring, as if the artist knows that the art can barely keep poverty at bay; the inevitable breakdown hastened by drugs; and redemption in the eyes of family, friends and fans.

I had never paid Johnny Cash much thought. I didn't dislike him, but I had never sought out his music. "Walk the Line" made me want to read biographies and buy albums. I haven't been a fan of Joaquin Phoenix, as I've always felt he was a bit leaden in his acting, but that heaviness served him well in his portrayal of Cash. I have been a fan of Reese Witherspoon, however, and she was excellent as June Carter. Her effervescence onstage is coupled with a seriousness offstage that illustrates well why Cash viewed Carter as his soulmate. Finally, the music is terrific, and like the best movies about music (try "The Commitments" sometime), the genuineness of the actors' performances as singers lends an authenticity to the story that dubbing cannot possibly provide. The concert scenes are almost always filmed from the musicians' point of view, so it is not so much a concert film as an inside look at the insecurities and triumphs of young performers in a genre of music they created as they went along.

Overall, "Walk the Line" is highly enjoyable, at once an interesting slice of American musical history and well-polished, satisfying big Hollywood movie.