Walk the Line
Composite Score: 85.71
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Shelby Lynne, Waylon Payne, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Ridge Canipe, and Lucas Till
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Gill Dennis and James Mangold
Genres: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language, thematic material, and depiction of drug dependency
Box Office: $186.80 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Walk the Line is James Mangold’s film adaptation of Johnny Cash’s autobiographies – Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and Cash: The Autobiography – which follows the prolific country music artist’s rise to fame, struggles with drug addiction, tumultuous first marriage, and romance with fellow musician June Carter. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the “Man in Black” himself across from Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, joined by Ginnifer Goodwin as Cash’s first wife Vivian and Robert Patrick as Cash’s father Ray. Thanks to Cash’s willingness to own up to the mistakes and flaws of his younger days, the film also manages to stay away from the typical pitfalls of such films that make them feel so often like cookie cutter puff pieces or tragedy porn or a mixture of both. The film received a total of five Oscar nominations, including Best Lead Actor for Phoenix and a win for Best Lead Actress for Witherspoon. Their performances combined with Cash’s prolific music and the unique story portrayed of the musician’s life make this one of the best biopics of the 21st century.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The knowledge that Johnny Cash’s marriage to June Carter ended up working out despite their dysfunctionalities gives the film’s story a happy ending, but the number of red flags in their relationship should not make it a model to pattern romances after. Much of their romance leading up to the film’s climactic final scene is based in manipulation, obsession, and infidelity, which don’t typically make for the healthiest of marriages. The fact that they did make it work through all of their issues makes for a happy exception to the norm rather than a prognostic for how such relationships typically turn out. I get that that’s probably also the point of the film, but it makes for a potentially problematic viewing for those who don’t necessarily approach such films within their specific context.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
At the same time, the very existence of the many issues of Johnny Cash and of his relationship with June Carter in this film allows it to stand out among biopics, especially those of famous musicians. James Mangold is the ideal director/writer for such a film because he understands (usually) how to fully display flaws, pain, and hurt in such a way that feels true to the story and true to those who experienced the suffering while also turning it into a celebration of humanity and resilience (see Logan or Ford v. Ferrari for further reference). It makes Walk the Line into this refreshingly raw and unapologetic music biopic that the big budget films of the day can only grasp at. (Yes, I am talking about Bohemian Rhapsody, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and probably also those dropping this year Bob Marley: One Love and Back to Black.) It also helps that Cash himself was very open and honest about his struggles, so their portrayal on screen doesn’t feel like a besmirching of his legacy but rather a recognition of all that he was able to overcome.
Obviously, without strong leads, though, music biopics just don’t work, even when the music is phenomenal (Johnny Cash’s is) and the writing/direction actually commit to telling the artist’s full story. In this case, the leads do exactly what is asked of them and even a bit more because they actually learned their instruments and did the singing (again, I am staring directly at the many cameras shooting one scene of Rami Malek’s voiceless Bohemian Rhapsody). Phoenix inexplicably manages to nail not just the emotional and vocal requirements of his role but also gives one of the most physically impressive performances I’ve seen, moving his body and face to match Cash almost perfectly in every scene. It’s such an impressive performance that probably would have won him an Oscar in most fields, but he had the unfortunate bad luck of being up against an equally excellent performance in Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote. Witherspoon, on the other hand, won in a fairly weak category (her stiffest competition was Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice, which is an equally deserving performance, but that’s for a later discussion), but she did so in such convincing fashion that it’s impossible to talk about the best female performances of the 21st century and not mention this one. She plays one of the most complex and dynamic “love interests” (because honestly reducing her role to just that feels incredibly shallow) that has ever been put to screen. Even without the musical ability that she showcases, the way that she can go from optimistic starlet to spurned lover to struggling single mom to powerful single woman who doesn’t need a man (and especially not one still recovering from amphetamine addiction) seamlessly from the start to the finish of this film speaks to her undeniable talent as an actress.
With Johnny Cash’s music underpinning the whole thing, Walk the Line shines among 21st century biopics thanks to its director’s (and subject’s) willingness to air out all the dirty laundry and thanks to the unforgettable performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in the leading roles, earning this film a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. The romance between Cash and Carter is not without its flaws, as most people probably already knew, but it’s important to remember that the many red flags are not what made their eventual marriage a success, rather the inescapable love they had for each other. You can currently stream this film on Max if you’d like to give it a watch in the near future.
