Walk The Line [R]

You know, i saw it yesterday. and I didn't think I would like it much the day after, but I do. I'd like to get a second source on about half of what happes in the movie, and it's really formulaic. The scenes I like best are when they're driving from show to show, and you think about it, and somebody could put down the 1955 equivalent of 10 bucks in a creeky little theater in Texarkana, and watch Cash, Elvis Jerry Lee Lewis and whoever else in one show. The music's very good, the performances, well, Phoenix is good, Witherspoon is good, too, but it's sort of the usual Witherspoon plucky, mouthy role. I don't quite get the Oscar talk for her. She's not nearly as good as Knightley is in Pride and PRejudice, or as good as Danes in Shopgirl. But both actors make a lot of the scenes work that otherwise might induce eye rolling

 

I was interested in seeing this movie, but the Wash Post review has kind of scared me off. The described it as all downhill from the start because of the big-time adherence to standard movie formulas.

 

It is formulaic. But it kinda works, too. I shouldn't like it, but I sorta do.

 

See it. It is somewhat formulaic, but Cash's life WAS something of the blueprint for a biopic. One thing they left out of the movie was the first thing Johnny said when he met June - "I'm going to marry you someday." I don't know if they thought it would be too hard to believe or what, but there couldn't be a more Hollywood start to their story than that - and it's true.

Ultimately, the movie is carried by two great performances and the first-rate concert scenes. Phoenix is excellent, but Witherspoon's performance makes her a serious Oscar front-runner.

The movie is better than Ray, which had a great lead performance and a lousy script. There are five or six aspects of Cash's life that could make a compelling movie - his childhood and start in music, his drug problems in the early 60s followed by the Folson Prison/late 60s comeback, his social activist/icon role in the late 60s and 70s, his American Recordings comeback in the early 90s, etc. This movie focuses on the relationship between Johnny and June and does it faithfully and very well.

 

not about the movie but best Cash song is Hurt so good

 

I love Johnny's version of "Hurt" (which is a Trent Reznor song, BTW), but if you listen to any part of the 45 year back catalog you might find something better...

 

The opening scene/lead-in at Folsom Prison was exhillirating, it was very well done. Such a great way to open the movie. The scenes with Cash's family were very chilling.
The singing, for what it was, Phoenix and Witherspoon singing, was incredible.

It was a great movie for me, I was feeling all sorts of different emotions watching it.

 

Watching the movie brought this great radio piece to mind.
It's from Chicago's WBEZ and they present it as "The Greatest Love Story of the 20th Century," Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. (it starts in act three, the last 12 minutes or so.)

 

i had to force myself not to clap after several of the musical performances, those alone were well worth the price of admission. i guess the movie was "formulaic" but then again it was based on his life and the "story" if well told, having been covered in the media since the 50s. i think for people whose main recollection of cash is the 70s/80s version or the comeback 90s version, this movie provides a lot of context that is easily forgotten.

i enjoyed it. i thought both actors were outstanding, as were many of the supporting roles. i did think the actress who played johnny's first wife was awful. i thought the actress who played mama carter had an uncanny resemblance to the real thing.

 

You know who was really bad? The guy who played Elvis. Ouch.

 

I saw this last night, and was really impressed. I thought that it was because I'm a big Cash fan, but the three people I brought with me who knew nothing about him really enjoyed it as well, and they both dislike Country music. They also asked to borrow my cash albums after we got out of the movie.

I agree that the singing performances were good, although Phoenix couldn't hit some of the low notes that Cash did. I think though that I was most impressed by a lot of the one on one scenes. The best was probably Cash talking to his father Ray at the Thanksgiving table.

I'm also glad they included so much about Jack, most casual fans don't realize how much his death affected JR throughout his life. The real story about the saw mill was much more graphic though, I think I'm glad that they didn't include it though.

 

Isnt that a John Cougar Mellencamp song?

 

JR once said that he never went more than a couple of days without thinking of Jack. Obviously, it was one of the key points in his life...I don't think a Cash newbie would have had a full understanding of the man without knowing about what happened. Definite kudos there...

 

That was one of the most compelling scenes of the move to me.

 

How'bout it..I was cringing from the first scene of them together, knowing what fateful event was about to take place. I was relieved they didn't go graphic on it.

 

Just saw it tonight. Nothing much to add, beyond what everyone has already said. The music was pretty much fantastic - this was a movie that made me want to not only go out and get the original recordings, but also to go and get the soundtrack, if it's got the actors doing their Cash and Carter. I thought Phoenix did a great job, as for Reese Witherspoon...well...I'd be totally, ga-ga smitten with her no matter what role she played or how well she played it, so I'm not going to belabor how adorably good she was.

 

Agree 100%, especially about the music.

 

The soundtrack does have Reese and Joaquin doing full versions of all of the songs that they did in the movie. It's great stuff, and ditto about Reese. I'd never thought that she could be any hotter than she was in Twilight, but I'd never see her as a brunette, either.

 

Ditto. I saw this movie last summer at a sneak preview. After seeing the movie, I went and added several Johnny Cash songs to my iPod. I was unfamiliar with his music previously.

 

I also caught it this weekend. I liked it and my only criticisms would be the same as the ones I hold for most biopics...2 hours is too short of a time frame to tell a man's life from childhood to his late thirties. It requires the scenes to often feel rushed for editing reasons. One of the reasons I like Backbeat about The Beatles was because it just focused on a year or so of their lives.

Biopics work well as entertaining life stories but not as films.

 

I hereby publicly apologize to Reese Witherspoon for doubting her ability to be able to handle the role of JCC.

Very impressed with their singing.

funniest line of the movie was non-Cash related:

"That boy Elvis sure talks a lot about poon."

 

And Val Kilmer.