James Mangold's "Walk the Line" tells the life story of country music
legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), focusing primarily on the long courtship
he had with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). The film is structured as an
extended flashback opening with Cash readying to take the stage at his historic
Folsom Prison Concert. The film touches on his childhood, relating a horrific
early incident from his life and establishing the troubled relationship he would
have with his father (Robert Patrick). Cash joins the military and leaves home.
During his time in the armed services he begins writing songs and romances a
hometown girl (Ginnifer Goodwin). After the end of his duty he settles down and
attempts to begin a music career, but his wife has trouble adjusting to his
dreams. Cash auditions for Sam Phillips (Dallas Roberts), signs to Sun Records,
and soon finds himself on tour with a roster of young soon to be legends that
includes Elvis Presley (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne).
On this tour he meets June Carter, the daughter of the famous Carter family, and
they take a liking to each other although she refuses any serious advances from
him. Cash gains world wide fame thanks in part to the inspiration he gets from
June, but eventually his marriage crumbles and he develops a serious drug
addiction. The film is based on Cash's autobiographies. Phoenix and Witherspoon
performed all of their own singing in the movie, just as Sissy Spacek and
Beverly D'Angelo did in Coal Miner's Daughter a quarter-century before. ~ Perry
Seibert, All Movie Guide
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