Walk the Line

[mccole79]

I was able to see Walk the Line tonight, and I would definitely recommend you go see it. If not for anything else, you need to go for the music. Joaquin Phoenix does a superb job as Cash, and at times you forget that it's an actor. Reese Witherspoon gave a stellar performance as usual. All of her vocals were beautiful!

[wusmmik]

Walk The Line Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon dir and cowr. James Mangold

Simply put, this is one of the best films of 2005. You probably will not see a better acting duo than Phoenix and Witherspoon. They go far beyond acting in their roles as Johnny and June. Their chemistry is immediate and may leave you awestruck, even if you have been saturated with promos, behind the scenes, interviews and more. Phoenix is Johnny Cash. OK, he may not look like Cash-but he personifies him completely. This role takes him to some dark places and while watching I felt like Phoenix was chasing his own demons especially about the relationship with his older brother. He sings everything and performs to the edge of exhaustion. There is not one wasted minute for him in this role, he is easily the frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar now.

I have always been a fan of Reese Witherspoon, ever since I saw Cindy Crawford interview her on late night TV a long time ago. She has proved to be our best light comedic actress in the last few years, but she really stretches out for this role. Like June Carter, Reese is from Tennessee, and she immediately establishes that foundation with her marvelous voice and perfectly captures June's effervescence. If Phoenix personifies Johnny, well you may think that June inhabits Reese for this performance. Reese is revelatory, she is charming, witty, genuine, vulnerable, troubled and resolute
in many scenes without any dialogue. Then, top that off with her singing and the simple fact that she nails almost every aspect of June's voice (sorry, she couldn't do that cool growl like June...come to think of it June and Wanda Jackson may be the only women capable of that feat). Performance alone, would merit a Best Actress nomination, add her beautiful singing voice to the mix and she may be duetting with a little golden man come March.

But, wait acting isn't everything. To their credit, Mangold and cowriter Gill Davies have written this story to accommodate Cash's great autobiography..and taken some liberties with it..because, they want the film to stand alone. I'm not spoiling this for anyone, but the death of Johnny's brother is so eloquently written in his book. It's such a beautiful passage and such a touching memory that I read it three times before moving on. But, Ray Charles too lost a brother and that hole in his life led him to drugs..so, the writers wisely avoid the flashback structure of "Ray" and instead tell the story in a linear pattern. Balancing his childhood and that tragedy with a brief portion about his early life, and then moving along to the film's center his relationship with June. While, there are some tiny writing mistakes here and there...they give everyone so much room to perform all is forgiven.

Director James Mangold works hardest of all to rebuild these worlds, Memphis and Sun Studios in the 50's; being on the road with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc; the Mint Hotel in Las Vegas in the mid 60's. All of these set pieces are marvelous, the costumes, sets, every detail is loving resurrected to tell this story. In the middle of this story, Mangold expertly balances scenes so that none run long and every glance, glare or pause between words has a distinct purpose. He and the cinematographer Phedon Papamichael waste no shots. Then editor Michael McCusker knows when to slow down and speed up the action. All of this combines with great supporting performances both large [like Ginnifer Goodwin's glaring and hurting Vivian] and small [Waylon Payne's maniacal Jerry Lee Lewis]...or for that matter blink of an eye brief [Shooter Jennings as his father].

The experience as a whole should not be missed if you are a country or rock music fan, or film buff. If you don't know the story, I venture to say...you may enjoy it even more. In the end, I say whoa to those critics who consider it just another biopic; trust me, there is enough in the book to make another great movie. Oscar nominations definitely for Phoenix and Witherspoon, a possible directing nod for Mangold..or that consolation prize of a writing nom.
Definitely nominations for costumes, and maybe music...

Just go see it.

[mccole79]

Now how did we get this separate thread when there's a poll that states the same thing?

[mccole79]

Too bad Elvis couldn't have found someone like June Carter and her family to straighten him out.

Ain't that the truth!! :)

[mccole79]

Yeah, Kong and I cracked up at that as well! LOL

[lamarrebel]

Greetings from Del Rio, Texas I just finished watching Walk the Line with my mother. The local theater here in the mall, which is 8 screens shows all movies for $2 on Wednesday, and all other days the matinees are $2.50 and evening movies $4.50. The facility is comparable to the former United Artists theatre at Turtle Creek.

Anyway, the movie was great. Joaquin Phoenix was phenomenal as Cash, and I was pleasantly surprised with Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of June Carter. I was skeptical abut this casting until I saw the movie. The music was all excellent, though I wish I'd seen a live rendition of "Folsom Prison" rather than the acoustic rendition at Sun Records. The shotgun seen where the pill pusher was chased away was priceless. I couldn't imagine any movie involving Johnny Cash without shot guns being brought into it, anyway.

I definitely see Oscar nominations coming from this movie.

[mccole79]

I think the general consesus around here, Hubba, is that that was the best scene of the movie!

[wusmmik]

Rumor had it that Carter and Elvis *dated* briefly while both were managed by Col. Parker.


True indeed. The story goes that Elvis Costello was visiting Johnny and June in the 80s when he saw a framed signed 45 of Elvis Presley's "Baby, Let's Play House" above a fireplace there. Elvis was so taken with it, he just had to ask Johnny about it..and Johnny then gave Elvis the 45 from the other Elvis.

Well, June found out after the fact and was raging mad...so mad that she moved out of Tennessee (temporarily) and in with her daughter Carlene in London. There, of course, she was visited by Costello, who then gave her the 45 back and straightened things out.

[fuzzis]

I took the Grand-Sner to see Walk the Line this afternoon. She really enjoyed it. On our way out of the theater, she mentioned that she'd met June Carter, and she was a very lovely woman. Apparently in 1948, June Carter and Chet Atkins were part of a tour that played the Jenkins Schoolhouse in Jenkins, MO.

fuzzis

[jlf45]

i definetly recommend this movie to anyone!