Coming on the heels of recent Hollywood biopics such as Ray and The Aviator comes Walk the Line, the heartwarming story of the man, not the legend, that is Johnny Cash. Joaquin Phoenix (who played a uber-Amish guy in The Village) stars as "The Man in Black" in a story of sex, drugs and country music. The film, which has one of the best opening scenes in cinema this year, follows the life story of Johnny Cash from his childhood discovery of music to his struggle with love and drugs as a country music superstar. At the center of the film is a beautiful tale about the Cash's relationships with June Carter and his father.
Reese Witherspoon stars as June Carter, a southern belle country signer who catches the eye of a (married) Johnny Cash. Phoenix and Witherspoon, hand-picked for the roles by their real-life counterparts, deliver Oscar-caliber performances as they portray the vacillating relationship between Cash and Carter. They lend genuineness and authenticity to the characters, and the incredible musical performances are remarkably good; the two stars performed all of the songs themselves without being dubbed. Walk the Line is perhaps the best biopic of the year and is definitely worth seeing, if not only for the award-worthy performances.
