Walked It

Saw Walk the Line last night. Going in I had some serious reservations as to whether Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Whiterspoon could pull off their roles. I’ll confess most of this has to do with the fact both seemed too pretty to play the people they portray. I blame this preconception on the other musician biopic Ray. Jaime Foxx simply disappeared into Ray. But my fears proved unfounded. If anything their performances were even more of a feat, because they don’t look much like their characters, yet I had little trouble believing for a couple of hours that they really were Johnny and June.

As a Johnny Cash fan I was delighted at how much music was in the movie. Forgive the comparison again, but where Ray seemed to spend more time on tour buses and in bedrooms, Walk the Line seems to remember why you bought the movie ticket in the first place—the man’s music. And this is where Phoenix gets more kudos. From what I’ve read he did all the singing. He nailed just about every nuance right down to that little tremolo Cash had.

Like most good biopics, the filmmaker chose a recurring thread in Johnny’s life and stuck to it. In this case the thread is June. The way their lives were woven together was not pretty or perfect, but I think because of that it is one of the best love stories I’ve ever seen. Beyond the love story there are other themes. I think any guy will empathize with the struggles Cash apparently had with his father—any male that says he doesn’t have at least one or two “daddy issues” is a liar or a clone. There is also a strong message of redemption. Call me a sap, but dark stories without at least a hint of redemption are worthless to me. Nothing more than emotional or psychological snuff films.

If you haven’t seen it, do so, especially if you’re a fan of the Man’s music. Oh, and all you single guys (essentially Chicken), this is a great first date movie. You have the Uncle Lar guarantee.

*Uncle Lar guarantee good only in ANWR and the Marshall Islands. For guarantee details go to www.uronyourown.com.

Post P.S.: I almost forgot—Robert “Have You Seen This Boy?” Patrick plays Johnny’s dad and gives probably the best supporting performance in the film.