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First of all, I was never a fan of Johnny Cash despite the fact that the movie was made in Memphis, my hometown, and much of the story takes place in Memphis. Since the movie got such great reviews, I decided to see it. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon both deserved the Academy Award. She won, but he did not. Especially Joaquin Phoenix should have won because he literally became Johnny Cash. His voice even sounds like Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash did have a very difficult life. He saw his older brother get killed by a saw, his father was very hard on him, and the booze was not kind to him. June Carter was his savior, his mentor, and his dual vocalist on many of his songs. The only problem is that Johnny already had a wife, who was a good one. The wife put up with all of Johnny's temper tantrums and mood swings. June Carter wouldn't have Johnny while he was married, but she wanted to. Reese Witherspoon played her very well, and she was a delight to watch. This movie doesn't compare to "Coal Miner's Daughter," which held my interest throughout and had a lighter side to it. One interesting thing about the movie is that it also shows how Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis got started. The movie is full of Johnny and June's songs including "Jackson," and "Walk the Line," of course. The movie is a keeper for me, but not a 5 star movie.Read full review
The problem with a movie like this is it should have been about six weeks long to give a honest presentation of the important parts of the lives of these characters. What was actually accomplished was very good in the time allowed. I decided to buy it because I knew I would want to watch it uninterrupted many times. My wife enjoyed it and was thrilled with it which is very unusual as she is very picky about movies. Nobody could have done a adequate job of playing the part of Johnny Cash but Johnny Cash. I haven't the foggiest idea of who could have done it better than Phoenix. When the principal character is more strong than John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart not much can be done with it. Proof of this will be 20 years down the road when nobody has bothered to make a movie about Wayne or Stewart. The role of June Carter was more than adequately played by Reese Witherspoon and was delightful to watch. I doubt that June Carter could have ever played Reese Witherspoon who has always been in your face dynamite and cute enough to get away with it. There are several country singers who could have played the role but Witherspoon carried the movie which leaves what without her.Read full review
I loved this movie, the chemistry between the actors was fantastic, the story was a true portray of what one man had to over come and the women he loved for a very long time. The truth behind the Man in Black, issues and emotions that show the real drama of a truly amazing mans life. From his own thoughts to his first site of his true love. The issues that came between him and finding his place in life and his happiness. I thought they could not have picked a better pair or actors to play these roles, totally outstanding work of art. I have not seen a movie come close to this in years. I will buy this movie and watch it over and over, along with the soundtrack. Just outstanding in my eyes. If you have not watched this movie then I would highly suggest you do so. If you do not then you are missing out on seeing one of a true American Legend be born.Read full review
In WALK THE LINE, Joaquin Phoenix shows that he's come a long way since his role as the crazy Caesar in GLADIATOR. Those going into WALK THE LINE thinking it's a comprehensive film bio of Johnny Cash may perhaps come out slightly disappointed. While there's a relative brief sequence of his early years growing up on an Arkansas cotton farm, an even briefer sequence of his time in the Air Force in the early 50s, the film really begins in 1955 when, failing as a door-to-door salesman and wannabe gospel singer, he cuts a rock 'n' roll record for Sun Studios in Memphis and his career as a CW crooner takes off. The film ends with his marriage to June Carter in 1968. In between, against the backdrop of early hits, it focuses on his failed marriage to first wife Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), his self-destructive abuse of amphetamines, and rocky relationship with singer/actress Carter (Reese Witherspoon), a twice-divorced single mother of two. The real treat of WALK THE LINE is watching Phoenix and Witherspoon amaze with Oscar-caliber dramatic performances. Who would have suspected that the latter was capable of anything other than light comedy? In case you haven't seen the film and you're wondering, Phoenix and Witherspoon themselves sing the Cash/Carter material; they're surprisingly effective. Mind you, I've never been such a Cash fan that I've possessed any of his albums, and I've only previously downloaded one of his songs ("City of New Orleans"). Indeed, when Phoenix and Witherspoon recreate the Cash/Carter duet of "Jackson", my first thought was: Didn't Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood do that? Coming out of the screening, my wife remarked that Phoenix sounded very much like Johnny himself. My response was a non-committal but prudent "Mmmm". Back home at the computer, I downloaded a couple more Cash songs, including his "Jackson" duet with Carter. To my ears, the real Cash had a singing voice that was slightly hoarser, and with a more pronounced slow drawl than Joaquin's version. While that doesn't detract from the actor's performance, it may cause purists to grumble. The film's opening scene is of two guards on a tower at Folsom Prison listening to the bass "thump, thump, thump" washing over the prison yard from the hall in which Cash is about to perform his famous concert before the inmates. My wife and I were sitting in the front row of the studio screening theater and the sound reverberated through our bones. I knew then that WALK THE LINE was going to be an exceptional film.Read full review
JOAQUIN AND REESE REALLY NAILED JUNE AND JOHNNY'S VOICES AS WELL AS OTHER ACTING. REALLY SUPERB ! A REAL CREDIT TO THEIR TALENT AND DIRECTOR'S TALENT. RECOMMEND THIS DVD VERY HIGHLY.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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