Reese Witherspoon is cute. Just when I had discounted her as being fluffy and not as edgy as she should be, she blew me away in "Walk the Line" as June Carter. This is the performance to take note of here. Sure, Jaoquin Phoenix provides the best damn Johnny Cash this side of the man himself, but he is stuck in the typical rock'n'roll, crash and burn and emerge from the fire story (perhaps a role prophesied by his last name) that we have seen a million times and this leaves him little to do as an actor. Witherspoon, on the other hand, brings a fresh, delightful yet complex charm to her role as the object of Cash's undying affection.

Watching Cash's story unfold here holds few surprises yet Phoenix is capable of holding out interest regardless of the familiarity. Certainly knowing that the actor sang all of the songs in the film emulating his honoree's voice makes the performance even more amazing. If Jaime Foxx won an Oscar for Xeroxing Ray Charles to a tee in "Ray" last year, I see no reason why Phoenix shouldn't be afforded the same accolade this.

But the story here really isn't just about Cash. In fact, this film might as well be called "The Johnny and June Carter Cash Love Story" because that is exactly what we get here. And, in this arena, Witherspoon makes all the difference. Her June is fierce yet demure, honest yet polite, a wallflower yet a force to be reckoned with. The perfect example of the beauty of Carter, Witherspoon and the best moments of the script here comes when a woman confronts Carter in a drug store about having a broken marriage. "Divorce is an abomination," the woman chides at Carter. Rather than cry and run away or getting angry and defending herself, Witherspoon as Carter simply and earnestly replies, "I'm sorry to let you down, ma'am." It is a defining moment in her character's story as presented in "Walk the Line." Witherspoon takes this and many other moments and builds one of the most loveable and yet complicated female roles to be seen on the screen this year.

Director James Mangold, whose films of late have been quite hackneyed ("Identity," "Kate and Leopold"), does a wonderful job of recreating the era of the late 50's and early 60's where Cash and a consortium of other odd musicians and singers became very popular in America. No less than Sam Phillips (of Sun Records), Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison are depicted on screen here. Later Waylon Jennings is played by his son Shooter. And since the Carter and Cash families boast a variety of other well known entertainers, fans of Mother Maybelle and children Roseanne Cash and Carlene Carter may be delighted to find depictions of their idols presented here (albeit as mothers and children, not as performers). Mangold brings forth all the excitement in this groundbreaking and musically historical time with the ease of a true auteur. It's fun to see historical cultural icons presented in the movie but this is secondary to the excitement that their places in the story generates.

"Walk the Line," like "Ray," may bring forth fans from a new generation who don't know much about a musical icon of the recent past. Most youngsters probably only know Cash for his amazing cover of Trent Reznor's "Hurt." This exposure of an American musical legend is more than enough to herald it as a great film. Luckily, there's some great performances, an adequate script, and well-defined direction to make it even more noteworthy.

Note:

Also with Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts (as Sam Phillips), Shelby Lynne, Tyler Hilton (of "One Tree Hill," as Elvis), Waylon Payne (who is named after Waylon Jennings and is his godchild, as Jerry Lee Lewis), James Keach (who is Cash's friend and who owned the rights to the story, as the Warden at Folsom), John Carter Cash (John and June's son) among others.

Script by Mangold and Gill Dennis based on Cash's autobiographies "The Man in Black" and "Cash: An Autobiography," the latter written with rock journalist Patrick Carr.

Score was provided by T-Bone Burnett, who also played on the music accompanying the stars here (all of whom sang for the film's soundtrack). Burnett also worked with Phoenix and Witherspoon extensively on getting their voices right to emulate the people they played in the film. Phoenix also took guitar lessons.

Austin is mentioned in the film and several of the fan letter Cash receives in the film have return addresses in Austin.

Warner Brothers cartoon characters Bugs Bunny and Foghorn Leghorn are mentioned.

The film was passed on by several studios before Fox greenlit the project.

Viewed in Austin in November of 2005 in a theater which shall remain nameless which had one of the very worst sound systems I have ever heard. The bass through-line, a staple of most of Cash's songs, was distorted and rattled through an obviously blown woofer throughout the entire film.

Report Card

Script: B+

Acting: A+

Cinematography\Lighting: B+

Special Effects\Make Up: A+

Music: A+

Final Grade: A-