Walk the Line (James Mangold)

My fondest memory of my first car (a 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier RS 3.1 V6) was smoking Nat Sherman Turkish Oval cigarettes while listening to a cassette tape of the best of Johnny Cash that my father gave me. I love Johnny Cash. Any biopic on the man had a lot to answer to. When I heard that Joaquin Phoenix was cast as the man in black I was more than a little suprised. I am not a fan of Joaquin. He underwhelms me. He can work in certain roles (the pornfreak scumbag in 8mm or the fop in Gladiator), but fails to win me over in a majority of his stuff. Talk about big shoes to fill. This was an uphill climb. Physically he began to resemble Cash more and more as the film payed on. As for the voice... it also got a little better as the film wore on... but that's not saying much. It's a tall order to find someone to convey the strength, grace and power of Cash. Asking for them to imitate his strong and soulful voice is an even farther stretch. I wouldn't say that Phoenix failed, but he certainly didn't do much to change my opinion of him. I think the standout performance in this movie is actually from Chinocchio herself, Reece Witherspoon. She plays June Carter (Cash) and has great dignity and charm. Her singing voice was excellent and did not require the same kind of suspension of disbelief you needed to accept Phoenix as the real life Cash.

I mean it's hard to create a traditional three act story out of someones life. The climax and payoff in this film don't feel as rewarding as one would want in dramatic film, but you have to expect some compromises in the story of a man's life, especially one that maintains to keep a thread of the truth.

James Mangold is someone who has always shown huge potential. I always get excited about his projects and am always always let down. Need I say more than Copland? Girl Interrupted has a lot going for it but I think was also a failure. This biopic was very conventional and straight ahead, but what can one expect from a bio authorized by the Cash estate? This movie was purportedly based on Johnny's autobiography and lists members of the Cash family as producers.