Addictions, Love, Tragedy . . . Walk The Line is a Film of Unparalleled Intensity

I guess the main reason why I've never been a big movie-goer is the simple fact that, for the most part, movies don't GET to me as much as music does. Music has a strange way of tapping into my emotions and my moods . . . that's something that movies usually aren't able to do for me.

There are always [drastic] exceptions to such rules.

Walk The Line is a Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Man In Black himself and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter. It is one of those gleaming exceptions to the rules. I will instantly declare, without the slightest glimpse of hesitation, that this is the most incredible film I've had the pleasure of seeing all year. More accurately, this is one of the most amazing movies I've ever watched -- period.

Every emotion hangs heavy in the air...

There's never a dull moment in Walk The Line. This is mostly in part to the pure emotional intensity of it all. I must applaud the actors -- they didn't settle for doing any scenes halfway here. Even words that go unspoken, even the simplest gestures in this movie have a tendency to create so much tension and drama. Johnny Cash's childhood, his rise to fame, his superstardom . . . none of it was easy.

The viewer is given glimpses of Johnny's life from 1944 to 1968. When he is a young boy, his fierce passion for music is so evident -- he seems to truly come alive when he's listening to the radio (especially when he's listening to a certain young girl . . .). No doubt about it -- the gift of song runs through his veins. It becomes obvious rather quickly that his cold, calculated father, Ray Cash [played by Robert Patrick], looks down on music and all things associated with it. He deems the radio as useless, and shows an obvious preference to Johnny's older brother, Jack.

Young Johnny's relationship with Jack is a touching one. They seem opposite as day and night -- Jack struck me more as a free-spirited, outdoorsy type; on the contrary, Johnny's most recognizable features were his soft-spoken ways and his attachment to music. One of the most memorable scenes featuring the two young boys includes Jack expressing how difficult it is for him to learn songs, and to truly get into them. Young Johnny seems astounded by this - "But songs are EASY," he responds. His inborn fascination with melody is his foundation. Even then, it's clear that in one way or another, his life will follow a musical path.

One day, the Cash family experiences a tragedy that will scar Johnny for the rest of his life: Jack's untimely demise. This is a scene I will surely never be able to erase from my memory: As Jack is lying down, taking his final breaths, Johnny's plaintive, urgent cries of "DO somethin'!" are coated with such pain, such an unbelievable amount of grief. Ray Cash makes the mistake of insisting that God took the wrong son -- in front of Johnny. Ouch. That'll leave a mark, wouldn't you say?

Fast-Forward Time: Johnny has grown up. We find him as an attractive young man, heading off to the Air Force. While he's there, he proposes (through the phone) to his then-girlfriend, Vivian. The viewer isn't really given any background information on how Johnny and Vivian got together, but it later becomes quite clear that they simply weren't meant to be. Whatever the case, she accepts his marriage proposal after only a few moments of hesitation. Then it's time to fast-forward once again -- Johnny and Vivian have an adorable young daughter, and life seems to be good . . . sort of.

You see, Johnny's love for music still runs heavily throughout his bloodstream. His passion for it is so evident. After checking out a local recording studio with a couple of his friends (who are slightly less musically-inclined, but they play their roles well enough), one thing leads to another and Johnny has completed his first record.

After this point, Johnny's career is an absolute whirlwind. Vivian finds herself home alone more and more, and sooner or later, it becomes unacceptable for her. Johnny returns from a brief tour, and Vivian curtly sets a ground rule: There will be no discussion of touring or music while he's home. As anyone could probably predict, that's going to lead to all kinds of marital problems.

Adding fuel to the marital-woes-fire is June Carter (excellently portrayed by Reese Witherspoon), a spunky young talent on tour with Johnny. From the first time he sets eyes on her, he is enamored. His mind is preoccupied with his fascination with June -- everytime they conversate, everytime they perform a duet together onstage, their chemistry grows exponentially. It seems like June is the only person who truly understands Johnny. Often, she's content just listening to him pour his heart out. He even confides in here about the passing of his brother Jack, and he softly chuckles afterwards, commenting that it had been ages since he was able to really open up to somebody about his tragic loss.

Uno problemo -- neither Johnny nor June is single, which obviously puts up an invisible boundary. As Johnny watches his marriage self-destruct, he only becomes more fixated with his charming touring partner. After a spontaneous night together in a hotel room (!), June realizes that ultimately, their feelings won't get them anywhere. "You have a wife, remember?" she sighs. Yeah, I suppose that just may be a tiny hindrance.

After this, Johnny obtains a dangerous new habit. Not only does he undergo a tremendous uptake in his alcohol consumption, he turns to the one thing that many lonely people do when there seems to be no way out: pills. Johnny's destructive behavior continues for quite some time -- it is quite chilling to see some of his 'breakdown' scenes, which are usually immediately followed by a simple concert performance scene. If only the audience knew.

And they definitely would find out soon enough. Drug habits will sooner or later make themselves visible. Images are shattered. Perceptions are altered. Marriages . . . well, that should be rather obvious by now. On with the show.

One of the most memorable (and most HEARTBREAKING) scenes shows Johnny upon his return from another successful tour. He is merry as can possibly be, hanging up pictures of himself and June performing, pictures of his band, etc. Vivian enters and demands that he takes the photographs down. Now, remember -- Vivian laid a firm rule that she doesn't want to be reminded of his musical career, but this time, it appears to be jealousy of Johnny's closeness to June that is unleashing her little green monster. After Johnny's blunt refusal to take them down, she begins to attack him.

Push comes to shove. One thing leads to the next, and soon, Johnny is pinning his wife down, shouting in her face. The disoriented couple's children are standing in the doorway, bawling and confused. This actually encouraged a sobbing fit of my own, right there in the theater (possibly just because I hate seeing children upset, but probably simply because it reminded me of some stuff in my own childhood). What does this little tryst lead to? I'm not going to spoil it, but I'm sure that everyone can put 2 and 2 together . . .

As Johnny's drug addictions ebb and flow, the one thing that remains constant is his genuine love for June. She is a compassionate person, who is (sometimes) willing to lend a sympathetic ear to Mr. Cash as he unintentionally gets himself into one sticky situation after another. Their friendship blossoms, but after enduring two failed marriages, June isn't so sure how a relationship with Johnny (or as she lovingly refers to him, John) would affect her public image.

On the topic of June's public image, I must say that the thing I love most about the way that Reese Witherspoon portrays June Carter is this: she can switch personalities faster than an over-caffeinated teenager can channel surf on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Her public persona is a bubbly, perky, humorous girl-next-door -- and while her 'real self' can be equally endearing and friendly, she has a wonderful sense of sophistication and rationality. I feel that is the quality that drew Johnny to her the most; June is clearly the yin to his yang. They both share an unyielding love for music, but June tends to be just as careful as Johnny is impulsive.

The pacing of Walk The Line is perfect. I was a bit worried in the middle of the movie, because it seemed like the pure, relentless DRAMA of it all wouldn't let down even for a second. I figured that enough is enough, and that soon, I'd get tired of all the fights, breakdowns, attempts at overdoses, etc. That certainly wasn't the case. The actors do a superb job of maintaining such a poised demeanor throughout the film's entirety.

It should be noted that both of the lead roles did ALL of their own vocals for the film. That simple fact ranks high on the list of things that impressed me most about Walk The Line. The easiest route they could take, of course, would be to half-heartedly lip-sync. Clearly, nothing in this movie is done halfway. Joaquin Phoenix learned how to play the guitar, and studied Johnny Cash's mannerisms until he had them down to a science. The acting is top-notch . . . quality work if I've ever seen it. It is for this reason that I can easily envision this film winning Oscars galore.

At no point in Walk The Line's rather lengthy duration (2 hours and 15 minutes, for the curious) did I question the leading roles' ability to BECOME their characters. As I observed Joaquin Phoenix's smoldering stare, lopsided grin, and the way he perfectly imitated Johnny Cash's deep, resonating voice, I was convinced that I was watching the Man In Black himself -- it's as simple as that. Reese Witherspoon may be categorized as an actress only capable of cheesy roles in teen-chick-flicks, but she proves the naysayers wrong in this truly beautiful movie. Reese brings the perfect balance of maturity and spunk to her role as June Carter, and I can't picture another actress fitting into the role as comfortably as she did.

Walk The Line is a near-perfect moviegoing experience. My only complaint would be that it focuses a bit too heavily on a certain portion of Johnny Cash's life. It would have undoubtedly been an even more captivating movie if it had focuses at least a bit on the latter half of Johnny's life. I must say, though -- if that's the biggest complaint I have about this brilliant film, it's pretty spectacular just the way it is. I highly recommend this movie to everyone, no matter what genre of movie you're typically into. Walk The Line is a truly enjoyable, emotionally stirring film. I'm looking forward to seeing it get every last drop of recognition that it deserves.