Walk the Line

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Walk the Line
A film that should dance to the Oscars
2005-11-23
Article Written by: Sami Jo

If I were a fortuneteller, I would predict that the people from Paramount , Focus Features, Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures are all probably pretty upset that they each passed on the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line . I would also predict that the executives at 20 th Century Fox are feeling rather boastful about this film that is certain to be a hit at the Academy Awards. Between the four years it took to secure the film rights from a family friend of Cash and the four additional years that it took to get the film made, Walk the Line has been a work in progress for eight years, six of which were before Johnny Cash and June Carter passed away.

Walk the Line tells the story of Cash's life from childhood all the way through his marriage to Carter. It covers the death of his brother, his marriage to his first wife Vivian, the road tours, his daughters, his success, the drugs and the love of his life. The film concentrates more on Cash's personal life, focusing on his relationship with June Carter. Despite his rise to fame with Sun Records and his time spent touring alongside Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, the more private and intimate moments portrayed in this film are what make it so irresistible. Although I was previously ignorant of the details of Cash's life, even if the film only slightly depicts the real life love between Cash and Carter, I can now fully understand the theory that Cash died of a broken heart after losing Carter only four months earlier.

The film will likely score Oscar nominations for director James Mangold ( Identity ), Joaquin Phoenix ( Ladder 49 ) and Reese Witherspoon ( Sweet Home Alabama ). Depending on the quality of the films yet to be released this year, Walk the Line may even have a shot at Best Picture. Phoenix makes it hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Johnny Cash. He has a raw intensity that he brings to every production he does. Julia Roberts may have the famous Hollywood smile, and Cameron Diaz has the laugh, but Reese Witherspoon has a sparkle of innocence in her eyes. Whether she's playing a love-sick kid in Man on the Moon , and outrageous Harvard law student in Legally Blonde , a poor girl struggling to climb the social ladder in Vanity Fair , or even portraying the life of another, Witherspoon brings believability to every character she plays. Up and coming stars Ginnifer Goodwin ( Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! ) and Dallas Roberts ( A Home at the End of the World ) are sure to get positive recognition for their portrayals of Vivian Cash and recording studio owner Sam Phillips. Waylon Jennings is briefly played by his son, Shooter Jennings, and Waylon Jennings' godson Waylon Payne plays Jerry Lee Lewis.

The film's cameos and other startling facts bring up the topic of Hollywood biopics. Ray Charles coached Jamie Foxx to prepare him for his part in Ray , and then he didn't live to see the film's success. Similarly, Johnny Cash and June Carter handpicked Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for this film, and, tragically, they never got to see the finished product either. The involvement of the real-life celebrities being portrayed adds to the film's overall credibility, but it also puts added pressure on the actors. Just as Kevin Spacey did in the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea , Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon sang all of their own songs. Additionally, Phoenix learned to play the guitar from scratch and Witherspoon learned to play the auto harp for their roles in this film. Actors like this add an indefinable sort of credibility and reality to the movie experience.

Final Thought: Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of Johnny Cash, this is definitely a film worth seeing this Thanksgiving weekend.

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