Walk the Line- The Story of Johnny Cash
Walk the Line is the story of a great singer and songwriter the
legendary Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash is played by Joaquin Phoenix
who does a legendary job. He is definitely going to be up for an
Oscar for this role which is very deserving!
The film starts out with Johnny or JR as they call him as a son
of a sharecropper who is with his brother Jack listening to the
radio. He's listening to June Carter on the radio and loving her
voice. His brother Jack is his sidekick and they are like two
peas in a pod. But Johnny can never gain his father's
acceptance. When Jack is taken to heaven by a bad saw accident,
Johnny is told by his dad that the devil took the wrong son home.
Johnny goes off to the air force and is in Germany. There he
still writes songs and later calls his hometown sweetheart
Vivian and tells her he's going to marry her when he comes home.
Vivian (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) from the portrayal in the
movie is NEVER supportive of Johnny's music. She seems to look
down on it and want him to take the job her dad has for him.
Johnny is against that and we see him sitting on the porch with
his band singing Gospel but he finds out in going to the
recording studio and seeing Elvis record that Gospel isn't what
Phillips is looking for. So he sings the song for him that he
wrote while in the Airforce and records a song. Thus the
legendary Johnny Cash's music career has began.
After joining the tour of June Carter, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis,
and Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash becomes a household name. It's a
time when music was about the love of music and not about the
lights and videos. It was about the love of the craft.
From the moment Johnny Cash and June Carter meet you can feel
the electricity between them. June Carter played by legendary
Resse Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Just Like Heaven). Resse's
performance in this movie is amazing. She looks just like June
Carter and her voice is simliar as well. Her personality and
charisma ring through this movie and it will grab your heart.
The story is one of music, love, and family. It has moments
that pull at your heartstrings as when Johnny has his downward
spiral because he wants to be with June and she keeps turning
him down. He turns to drugs and we see a different side of Cash.
But when love kicks in and Cash hits rock bottom. Johnny rises
from the ashes.
It's a story with convictions that are strong. You will want to
slap his father for his condescending comments towards his son.
Nothing was every good enough for Johnny Cash's dad. The ending
leaves you wanting more. You want to know what happened next for
the Cash family. One fact I didn't know until watching the movie
was that June Carter Cash passed away in May 2003 and Johnny
followed her four months later. The two were truly soul mates
from the beginning.
This movie is the new Chicago! It's got the soul and heart that
Chicago had with the superb acting and direction. One thing you
should know about the film is that Resse and Joaquin did all
their own vocals. That in itself is outstanding!
This is a must see film!
I give it A-. A definite Date night film. Head to the theatre
grab some nachos and a soda and relax and enjoy the story. It's
one you won't forget!
For more on the movie visit Walk the Line.