DVD: Walk the Line


Quick pre-Oscar review

Disclosure: Not a country music fan. Not a Johnny Cash fan.

And if you would make the same disclosure as I do above, then you'll also likely be glad if you waited for DVD for to see this movie. There are lots of music scenes in the movie. Lots and lots. And the singing is done by the actors. And the actors are so bland at the singing that the song by Elvis doesn't seem much different than the songs by Johnny Cash.

Anyway, you will also deja vu watching this movie if you saw the movie Ray. Flash back to humble beginnings and a dead brother being the most unfortunate of coincidences between their early lives, I guess.

This is what I would call a serviceable movie. A Cliff's Notes look at a limited segment of the lives of Cash and his muse June Carter. If you walk out of this movie really understanding anything about what made them tick...particularly her...beyond the BIG answer for each of them (he, the relationship with his hard-ass father, she...I don't know...being the least talented one in a family of stars?)...then you got me beat.

And I honestly cannot believe that Reese Witherspoon is considered a shoo-in for Best Actress. First of all the role is literally a support act to Cash himself. But more than that, other than exuding her typical charm and likability I didn't see a huge stretch from Witherspoon. Her emotions (beyond her normal spunky adorable ones) seemed to fall into two buckets: wounded adorable puppy-dog eyes and surprising, chin-jutting flashes of "spirit."

Phoenix has more to do and does it well. He's got the tortured soul thing going on pretty well.

Phoenix and Witherspoon are both young and charismatic and talented. But singers to match Cash and Carter Cash they ain't. There was more character and personality to be heard in the song that rolled over the credits (an actual Cash/Carter Cash recording) than in any of the Phoenix/Witherspoon movie renditions. For that reason it was actually a mistake to let us hear the real thing!

Perhaps if I were a fan this movie would mean more to me or hold my interest more. As it was, I pretty unengaged.

If you're a fan, buy Walk the Line on Amazon.com



Posted: Sat - March 4, 2006 at 04:33 PM       EmailFeedback

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