Walk the Line Review
Walk the Line
This is not really the story of Johnny Cash but of his music. It’s not the story of Johnny Cash but the story of a man and his obsessions: his music and June. The fact that he ends up being good at both is irrelevant. It’s his journey that holds our attention.
We start at Folsum County Penitentiary, of course, though it’s listed by its full name. We hear the ruckus going on inside and follow the sound in to find the inmates preparing for the music while the band plays. We go behind the stage to see Mr. Phoenix, dressed in black and with the hair styled almost perfectly. In the best tradition of other bio-pics, he may not look like Johnny Cash but he FEELS like him. And we’re with him as he goes back to trace the steps and choices and mistakes that brought him there.
If you only have a passing knowledge of Cash songs, you may miss some brilliant minor details and touches that are peppered throughout the film. My personal fave is the shoeshine guys (father and son, maybe) and the beat they tap out while shining shoes. Johnny Cash hasn’t even STARTED recording yet but those in the know know where it’s going WELL before we even HEAR the song it inspired. We hold witness to the creation of the songs and then get to hear them born. It’s a real treat. Of course, we have to accept that these all may be dramatizations. This is driven home not only by the legalize at the end but by a line in the movie (and trailers) wherein June tells Johnny that he should take credit for things sometimes. We see fate and chance dictating no legendary aspects of the Man in Black and his music.
But don’t go thinking this is Dragon or Great Balls of Fire (though it DOES make me want to watch the latter again). Cash is not portrayed in any real flattering way BEYOND his musical ability. He is a wounded man who has trouble healing. He is a broken man who never really finds his own way back to… well, back to HIMSELF. That part is played by June. She is the salvation and the damnation of Cash. She drives him to be his own devil and then helps him climb back from hell. It may have been the romanticizing of the relationship (the movie is based on his auto-bios) but the performances make you believe it.
The performances. I wanted more Jerry Lee. I wanted more Elvis. I wanted more Johnny and June and everyone. The movie IS over two hours long. It DOES feel like it. But only because of the wealth of information being passed on. You leave feeling like you know these people. Not just the two mains but their families and their friends. They could’ve made the other artists simple cartoony aspects of their true selves but they manage to show their humanity and I appreciated that.
Except for Roy Orbison but that’s no biggie.
And Elvis fans may take issue with certain parts even though it’s pretty much a given. Even from his OWN biographies.
But Phoenix as Cash and Witherspoon as June really fell like hesitant lovers. Hesitant on HER side, of course. Johnny is smitten with her from childhood. He comes off as a Romeo, really. Not in the common usage of that term (a romantic). Romeo was walking hormone who wanted to screw anything pretty. He saw something he truly thought was pretty and OBSESSED over her. The fact that the movie allows this view of Cash AND his feelings for June was impressive to me. We SEE how he is with his FIRST wife. For some, this merely serves to show what he has to overcome. For me, it showed who he WAS. A man searching for love and acceptance and support. A man driven by his music and whose music erupts from his drives.
The songs are all song by the actors playing the parts. Sometimes it almost hinders the movie when you just REALLY want to hear the REAL version but not enough to make me say it was a bad choice. Sure they sound like imitations… they ARE, after all… but this seems to make it easier on the actors to lip synch.
I can recommend this picture to people who enjoy the music. I can recommend it to folks who just like bio-pics. I can recommend it to folks who like good, strong romantic movies that don’t downplay the true difficulties involved in making love work.
My only real issue is that it plays its strongest scenes too soon. I would see this again JUST for the scene where Cash first plays for Sam Phillips. That whole scene deserves to get Phoenix an oscar nod. Not saying he should win but he SHOULD get noticed.
Oh, and special shout out to Robert Patrick. The man has come a LONG way from playing the T-1000 and henchman number 5. This movie makes me want to forgive him for his part in the ruination of X-Files. Not actually FORGIVE… but I WANT to do that now. Anywho, Friday is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire day!! Anyone want to go?
This is not really the story of Johnny Cash but of his music. It’s not the story of Johnny Cash but the story of a man and his obsessions: his music and June. The fact that he ends up being good at both is irrelevant. It’s his journey that holds our attention.
We start at Folsum County Penitentiary, of course, though it’s listed by its full name. We hear the ruckus going on inside and follow the sound in to find the inmates preparing for the music while the band plays. We go behind the stage to see Mr. Phoenix, dressed in black and with the hair styled almost perfectly. In the best tradition of other bio-pics, he may not look like Johnny Cash but he FEELS like him. And we’re with him as he goes back to trace the steps and choices and mistakes that brought him there.
If you only have a passing knowledge of Cash songs, you may miss some brilliant minor details and touches that are peppered throughout the film. My personal fave is the shoeshine guys (father and son, maybe) and the beat they tap out while shining shoes. Johnny Cash hasn’t even STARTED recording yet but those in the know know where it’s going WELL before we even HEAR the song it inspired. We hold witness to the creation of the songs and then get to hear them born. It’s a real treat. Of course, we have to accept that these all may be dramatizations. This is driven home not only by the legalize at the end but by a line in the movie (and trailers) wherein June tells Johnny that he should take credit for things sometimes. We see fate and chance dictating no legendary aspects of the Man in Black and his music.
But don’t go thinking this is Dragon or Great Balls of Fire (though it DOES make me want to watch the latter again). Cash is not portrayed in any real flattering way BEYOND his musical ability. He is a wounded man who has trouble healing. He is a broken man who never really finds his own way back to… well, back to HIMSELF. That part is played by June. She is the salvation and the damnation of Cash. She drives him to be his own devil and then helps him climb back from hell. It may have been the romanticizing of the relationship (the movie is based on his auto-bios) but the performances make you believe it.
The performances. I wanted more Jerry Lee. I wanted more Elvis. I wanted more Johnny and June and everyone. The movie IS over two hours long. It DOES feel like it. But only because of the wealth of information being passed on. You leave feeling like you know these people. Not just the two mains but their families and their friends. They could’ve made the other artists simple cartoony aspects of their true selves but they manage to show their humanity and I appreciated that.
Except for Roy Orbison but that’s no biggie.
And Elvis fans may take issue with certain parts even though it’s pretty much a given. Even from his OWN biographies.
But Phoenix as Cash and Witherspoon as June really fell like hesitant lovers. Hesitant on HER side, of course. Johnny is smitten with her from childhood. He comes off as a Romeo, really. Not in the common usage of that term (a romantic). Romeo was walking hormone who wanted to screw anything pretty. He saw something he truly thought was pretty and OBSESSED over her. The fact that the movie allows this view of Cash AND his feelings for June was impressive to me. We SEE how he is with his FIRST wife. For some, this merely serves to show what he has to overcome. For me, it showed who he WAS. A man searching for love and acceptance and support. A man driven by his music and whose music erupts from his drives.
The songs are all song by the actors playing the parts. Sometimes it almost hinders the movie when you just REALLY want to hear the REAL version but not enough to make me say it was a bad choice. Sure they sound like imitations… they ARE, after all… but this seems to make it easier on the actors to lip synch.
I can recommend this picture to people who enjoy the music. I can recommend it to folks who just like bio-pics. I can recommend it to folks who like good, strong romantic movies that don’t downplay the true difficulties involved in making love work.
My only real issue is that it plays its strongest scenes too soon. I would see this again JUST for the scene where Cash first plays for Sam Phillips. That whole scene deserves to get Phoenix an oscar nod. Not saying he should win but he SHOULD get noticed.
Oh, and special shout out to Robert Patrick. The man has come a LONG way from playing the T-1000 and henchman number 5. This movie makes me want to forgive him for his part in the ruination of X-Files. Not actually FORGIVE… but I WANT to do that now. Anywho, Friday is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire day!! Anyone want to go?
posted by wmjwatson at 11:51 PM
4 Comments:
I would like to see Harry Potter.
But can you go on FRIDAY? Cause that is when I had PLANNED to go. Amy, my friend, who was SUPPOSED to go now can't due to work concerns. Grrrrr.
I don't have anything planned for Friday night, as of NOW.
I am going Friday DAY, though. At least, that is my plan. And hey... this line isn't really related to the Walk the Line posting so just email me directly... ttyl.
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