Walk the Line

Walk the Line is a musical biopic in the mold of Ray, but it’s a bit more sincere and concise, without so much Hollywood artifice, which can only be a good thing. Plus the superb duo of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. If only they would start making such movies about directors, which are closer to my heart than musicians, with the same degree of love… (01/18/2006)

Some movies will thoroughly change you, even with a proper distance. I mocked the country music while I was watching it and pretty much ignored Reese Witherspoon, but then everything was suddenly different after I saw it. Although I don't actively listen to Johnny Cash, I took to heart all the life warnings that Walk the Line subtly piles on one after another, and (however pathetic it may sound) I would like to believe that they helped me several times to take the right turn at the most important crossroads. This biographical spectacle is not among my top ten, nor even among my top fifty. And yet there is so much truth in it regarding temptations, difficult decisions, love, and career, that at one point I even put Joaquin Phoenix's portrait from the hand-drawn poster as my profile picture – and I have kept it there until today. A personal film in the most obvious sense of the word. (09/08/2006)

I love biopics, and Walk the Line is a prime representative of this category. The film is about the tumultuous life of Johnny Cash, who spent much of his life battling his personal demons, and it's shot with elegance and feels very believable, thanks largely to the breathtaking performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. I love country music style because it's full of life and rhythm, and the two main protagonists add even more juice. In short, a great job of filmmaking, where I appreciate especially the theme, the acting and the music. (02/21/2011)

I guess I've waited too long, because I've been sucked in a lot by various biographies or other films from the country and early rock and roll scene. I no longer see Walk the Line as above average anymore. I'm more bothered by the fact that the filmmakers only chose the romance with his second wife June from Johnny Cash's biography. It may have been enough for Oscar-winning performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, but it said almost nothing about the breadth of the phenomenon. (08/17/2022)

For me, a film that showed that biopics can be and are interesting, which has been pretty much confirmed in recent years, though of course not with every piece. Remember Behind the Candelabra? Joaquin Phoenix completely incomprehensibly didn't win the Oscar, despite his great performance, which included all the singing. By the way, another reason why the film is great is the songs of Johnny Cash. (12/23/2013)