WALK THE LINE

[Moviefan02000]

http://www.cinema.com/image_lib/9279_poster.jpg

Starring - Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Tyler Hilton, Ginnifer Goodwin

MPAA Rating - Rated PG-13 for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug dependency.

Running Time - 2 hours and 16 minutes

Plot - A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Directed By - James Mangold

Studio - Fox 2000 Pictures

http://www.cinema.com/image_lib/9279_poster2.jpg

[Tyler_Durden_208]

I have a STRONG feeling this will be just like Ray. Not that great of a movie, but worth watching for the performance. Although I'm still trying to wrap my head around Phoenix as Cash.

[War Movie Mania]

Pheonix looks so good as Cash that I'm definately going to see this movie.

[NightStalkerGtx]

while it look decent and has the potentail of being great im going to wait for dvd.

[electriclite]

I'm REALLY anxious to see this flick, and from all the behind the scnes stuff I'm seeing, I think Joaquin really fit himself intot eh role of Johnny Cash, and his voice work alone looks amazing.

I have to see this, as a fan of Cash and just insane curiiousity.

[Danger^Cart]

pheonix does indeed look the part, and he is one of the best young actors in the game right now IMO. I also think it will be like Ray in that its a mediokar movie with an excellent portrayal of a timeless icon. Can't wait for this movie.

[Lazy Boy]

I've heard more advance buzz about Witherspoon's performance than Phoenix's.

[walktheline]

I've heard more advance buzz about Witherspoon's performance than Phoenix's.

Same here. There seems to be a focus on her performance in the reviews I've read. I think she's deserving of the attention though, her performance was amazing.

[ilovemovies]

Nothing I've seen seems to indicate that this will be a great movie to me. Just a solid one. I actually don't think this will be as good as Ray, primarily because of his blindless made for a more interesting story. This movie will probably end up being a lot of the traditional from rags to riches type story and the love story between Cash and his wife. Solid entertainment I'm sure, but I don't think it will be a great movie.

[Mentiroso]

This movie comes out Friday and this is all the buzz we can start? This movie is going to be great. I am taking off half a day of work to go watch it on Monday (and the new HP too). No one will be there. A great time to go see this movie.

I just figured more people would be talking about this one.

[Rated R]

I just don't think a movie about Johnny Cash should be PG-13. He swore, drank and was a badass and PG-13 can not do it justice I don't think. I will reserve final judgment until I see it, but that will not be until DVD...

[Skellington]

I just got back from the movei theatre and I got to say that I'm surprised, I didn't think I'd love this movie so much since I didn't like Ray that much.

The movie's begening made me think of Ray, my first thought was «Not another tv movie on a big screen» but then, it actually gets good and interesting, Pheonix and Witherspoon are solid here, certainly Oscar-Contender (Jamie Foxx deserved it so does Joaquin) The direction is better than Ray but still not «great», good but not great (I still don't understand why Taylor Hackford was nominated) and the writing is better also. Big Thumbs up for me. It's my favorite biopic about an artist since Man On the Moon (1999), and I wasn't a fan of Johnny Cash.

8/10

[Lazy Boy]

Walk the Line - 7/10

As biopics go, this is pretty standard stuff, but golly-gee, the performances really are Oscar worthy. A great internally tormented performance by Phoenix, a plucky, headstrong performance by Witherspoon, backed up by solid work from Robert Patrick and Ginnifer Goodwin. Alas, the musical numbers grow weary after a while; with the exception of Walk the Line and Ring of Fire, none of them stood out as particularly iconic of Cash and his legend status.

I still think Ray is a better overall film.

[JohnTheHenchman]

I don't get why anyone is comparing this to Ray.

Joaquin's performance was fantastic.

[electriclite]

9/10


I just came back from seeing the movie tonight and I just have to say I thought it was great. JOAQUIN was solid. I totally followed him and am completely amazed at how close he came to singing like Cash. Reese was also on par and didn't annoy me one bit. I think the writers really got close to who June was and Reese made it come alive. She was truly a woman who suffered no fool.

My only complaint was the one-note portrayal of Cash's first wife, Vivian. It seemed the only thing that came out of her mouth was a complaint or critique. I understand the reasoning, it just seemed weak

I think I actually heard someone weeping in the theatre during the movie, although it wasn't during a particularly sad part. Maybe they had some sort of flashback.

Anyway, I expect good things for Joaquin after this. Lots of good things!

[Lazy Boy]

Originally posted by JohnTheHenchman
I don't get why anyone is comparing this to Ray.

Maybe because it had certain similar thematic and structural elements (guilt over the loss of a brother, rise to success, personal problems with drugs, etc.).

[therealjohng]

I can see the comparisons to Ray, which in my opinion is a MUCH weaker film. I'd give Ray a 4/10. Phoenix's performance is better than Foxx's. The thing that I loved about the movie was that it's focus really wasn't on Cash's career and more on how his relationship with June Carter affected him.

8/10.

[Lazy Boy]

I loved Foxx's performance, but Phoenix is in more ways outstanding. His best scene is the dressing room breakdown where he destroys furniture and other items, all done in one take.

[Scorsese]

My girlfriend and I went to see "Walk the Line" last night. We're in our early 20's, and we've been together for seven years, since the beginning of high school. I've been a Johnny Cash fan since I was a kid, thanks to my dad's record player, and I knew the basic story of John and June. With that said, I still had no clue how beautiful and complex the story was, and how much my girlfriend and I would relate to it. Needless to say, we enjoyed the film immensely. I am a musician myself, and I found myself incredibly engulfed in the story of Johnny Cash and June Carter.

Reese was brilliant as June Carter, and my boy Joaquin (I love every tole this guy has pleyed) played the role of Johnny Cash better than I could have ever imagined. From his voice, to his swagger, to his stage presence, you get the sense he defied all expectations with this role. It was possibly the best job of BECOMING a character I've ever seen. Jamie Foxx did a great job as Ray, but in my opinion that portrayal couldn't even compare to the acting in this film. The supporting actors were also great. The guy that played Jerry Lee did a great job. As well as Elvis, Waylon, Carl Perkins, Phillips, and several other big names that show up in the movie.

Overall I loved every part of the film, and it will become an instant favorite of mine. A timeless tale of two music legends executed perfectly.

P.S. The Folsom Prison performance was done with perfection. That scene alone brought tears to my eyes. Not to mention all of the intimate scenes between John and June.

[Scorsese]

this pic pretty much sums it up...

[zombievictim]

I was really disapointed when I saw this movie. The entire movie is about Cash trying to get June. It had no story what so ever and was just a complete waste of film. I went with a few people, half of them are huge Cash fans and the others didn't care for him, and after the movie they all said it sucked. This was a huge disapointment and Reese Witherspoon should not be getting so much praise for her one sided performance.

5/10

[MadsenOMC]

SPOILERS!!

It's definitely very formulaic, utlizing the typical bio-pic method of telling a life story in chronological order. There's not a lot of dramatic momentum either. You're essentially waiting for the moment June finally breaks down and agrees to marry him. We know it's coming and is just a matter of time. It's difficult to tell a complete, satisfying story that spans such a lengthy time period. I think all of those elements prevent the movie from achieving greatness. However, there's still a lot to like and overall it's a very good movie. Phoenix and Witherspoon are spectacular. He I expected it from, but she really blew me away. I know she's pretty much universally adored, but I've never been much of a fan. She really knocked it out of the park this time. I enjoyed just watching those two act their asses off. The music, Cash's and T. Bone Burnett's, is excellent. The supporting cast is solid. And the man led an interesting life. I wasn't disappointed, but I don't think it's worthy of a Best Picture nomination either.

7/10

[ilovemovies]

The movie was even better than I was anticipating. I thought the movie would be good but it was actually great. Phoenix and Witherspoon positively live up the hype they have generated. Especially Witherspoon. It's good to see her making good movies again and not that Legally Blonde crap. I wouldn't say this is Phoenix's best performance though. I think he was slightly better in Gladiator and Ladder 49 (an underrated performance in an underrated movie). Best love story of the year and one of the best movies of the year.

[TylerDurden182]

9/10

Joaquin Phoenix owns.

[Digifruitella]

Wow! this was a GREAT movie! I was so surprised. Man, I loved every minute of it. Joaquin Phoenix is just the man, he became Johnny Cash in this movie. I think he's going to win this year's Best Actor Academy Award. He is going to win. And Reese Witherspoon was so good as well.

gets an A from me. I would love to see this again.

[Lazy Boy]

I don't think Phoenix is going to win -- he's definitely going to be nominated, but they awarded Jamie Foxx for playing a music icon, will they want to award Phoenix so soon? I could be wrong, of course.

[inglourious basterd]

I honestly know nothing about Johnny Cash. Would I be able to appreciate this film as much as some of you who intimately know about his career? .

[Digifruitella]

Originally posted by psudoazn
I honestly know nothing about Johnny Cash. Would I be able to appreciate this film as much as some of you who intimately know about his career? .

I didn't have a clue about Johnny Cash when I went into the movie, all I knew about him beforehand was that he was "The Man In Black"

You gonna love it.

[inglourious basterd]

Man in black. Check. ;)

Sounds awesome. I definitely will check it out in the upcoming weeks.

[bigred760]

My review of Walk the Line:

This is Phoenix's movie. The fact that no dubbing of his voice was done, he did all his own singing and talking, is beyond impressive. Throw in the fact that he has all of Cash's mannerisms, the appearance, the voice, practically everything. While I think he'll be Oscar nominated for his performance, it's still up in the air if he'll walk away with the gold.

There's obviously a lot of similarities to last year's musical legend biopic Ray - tragedy in childhood, drug problems, legal troubles, and such. But Walk the Line focuses more on the on again-off again romance between Johnny Cash and June Carter. I could call it more of a love story than a biopic. And it does work. There is a lot of good chemistry between the two leads, especially when there on stage performing. While the movie does deal with Cash's rise to fame and marriage to a childhood sweetheart, the main focus is the relationship between Cash and Carter. Props should go out to Reese Witherspoon for her performance alongside Phoenix as that I understand she did all of her own singing as well.

And if you're a fan of Johnny Cash, you should have no problem enjoying this movie. The flick has a lot of his music either for montages or during the performances scenes. Either way, it makes for some good times.
Unfortunately it does make for a longer movie. While I enjoyed the movie overall, it did tend to drag after a bit (kinda like Ray) and I started to wonder when the hell this thing ends. But once the finale does come around, it is very satisfying and along with Cash's music, the excellent performances, and the unexpected story following the love story, this is a very good movie.

8/10

[moviegroupie]

8/10 - Top notch acting, and the clichés got killed after it got into it.

[jaw2929]

I went to see this one, when I found out my original choice "Rent" was gettin on an hour later than I had thought... And it was pretty good... Johnny Cash was a MAJOR fuck-up, but I thought Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did really well in their roles....

I wasn't overly familiar with the whole story before-hand, so it was interesting enough... Though it seemed to run on a bit long, with all the musical performances... I could've done without about 4 of em or so, and the movie still would've been as good....

I did grow a bit bored at some parts, and contemplated walking out... I was a bit disappointed that it was more a "love story" between him and June, and less about his career...

Overall I'd say it's worth a rental... Don't go rushin out to the big screen for it... :p

[Mentiroso]

Finally got around to seeing this and it was worth the wait. I fell in love with Reese Witherspoon as June Carter. An amazing performance on her end. Phoenix (I hate trying to spell his first name) hit Cash 100%. I watched a documentary on Cash that showed several interviews with him and watching Phoenix was like watching those Cash interviews again. Stellar movie overall. I wish it had gone on a little longer. It ended so abruptly. They should do a seond movie on the other half of his life, showing how he was fucked over by country radio and the studios and then rising like a Phoenix (hahaha I am funny!) out of the ashes to revive his career in the 90's up until his death. I would like to see that side of him.

I never saw Ray so I can not compare but this movie is a solid 8/10.

[RustyRazor]

10/10

I loved this movie.
Joaquin Phoenix is the real deal.
Any man that can take his acting skills and emulate a man he's probably never met the way he did.
Wow.
AND portraying a role with "demons" that haunted his character the same way his brother River was plagued?! Come on! This guy is good!

Reese Witherspoon? I was on the fence with her whole Legally Blonde thing, but she shined in this movie. I really dig this woman now. Excellent performance.

If this movie doesn't pull in Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Movie this year, Hollywood is out of their f**king minds.

[therealjohng]

Originally posted by RustyRazor
Any man that can take his acting skills and emulate a man he's probably never met the way he did.
Wow.



They met. Johnny Cash told Phoenix that his favorite part of Gladiator was when Phoenix's chracter told Maximus that his wife screamed like a whore.

[sloopyfan]

I just saw this last night and overall I really liked it, much like Ray it was not a sugar coating of his life. I thought the acting was great except for Tyler Hilton as Elvis, that might of been the worst Elvis I've seen. I think that you could almost do another movie About Cash spanning from his childhood through the end of his life. The focus of Walk The Line was the relationship between Johnny and June as opposed to the genius that was Cash. I wouldn't compare this to Ray as mush as I would Sid and Nancy, which are more focused on the relationships than the Career.

[CyclicNightmare]

I thought this movie was a LOT better than Ray, but I will say this regarding the performances of Foxx and Phoenix, which were both great, however...

when I saw Ray, I was watching Ray Charles
when I saw Walk the Line, I was watching Phoenix play Johnny Cash.

[Backstabba]

10/10

.....
....
Favorite movie of 2005....I had no idea this was going to happen. I went into this movie going "Well, it might be ok. Atleast the music will be good."...Well I'll tell you this, the music was great, and so was everything else....everything was done to perfection...

Amazing movie.

[moviegroupie]

I wanna see this again