Walk the Line

Daily life is mundane. Even for history's most interesting figures, moments of intrigue are interrupted by routine, and multiple storylines occur simultaneously. A person's life simply does not fit the form of a 90-minute story arc. The biopic presents a generic challenge that even our greatest directors have faced and failed. Films are either arduously long and lacking a unifying theme, like Martin Scorcese's The Aviator, or they follow the Ron Howard-model, presenting a compelling story with no base in reality. In Walk the Line, director James Mangold successfully sidesteps both these problems. His Johnny Cash "biopic" is really not of the genre at all; rather, it is a love story between Cash and long-time love June Carter that sacrifices a complete portrait for a passionate and thoroughly engrossing drama.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as the legendary singer, in a performance so perfect that you soon forget its imitation. As June Carter, Reese Witherspoon may not look the part, but, with Southern roots herself, she nails the mix of sass and spunk. The film chronicles their decade-long friendship and flirtation that survives marriage (not to each other), divorce and severe drug addiction. While the chemistry is real, the only complaint is that the couple never seems to share a happy moment. Cash carries drama wherever he goes and one wonders what June ever saw in him. But, maybe that's a question that was true-to-life, as well.

Music is an essential part of this film-the audience is privy to Johnny's tour, accompanying the musician from school auditoriums to sold-out concert halls and, eventually, to Folsom State Prison. While Cash fans will appreciate hearing their favorites, those who aren't familiar with his song or country music need not fear. The performance that accompanies the piece is enough to engross.

Johnny Cash never did hard time, but he spoke about Folsom so forcefully that legions of fans believed he was there. The same is true of Walk the Line: The dedication of the actors and the filmmaker is so strong that you soon forget you are watching fiction and get swept up in the whirlwind of Cash's life.