Review of Walk the Line (2005) by John S — 15 Jan 2013
It's not you, it's me. Johnny Cash fans who already know his story will thrill as it springs to life on the big screen. Compelling portrayals by all the players, some good musical performances, nice sets, costuming and the like. And yet...
***SPOILER ALERT***.
I really had very little knowledge about Johnny Cash beyond a few of his hits, but I assumed that he had led an interesting and eventful life. It turns out that he was a drug-addicted rock star who cheated on his wife. While this was possibly revolutionary in the '40s and '50s it is unfortunately utterly typical by contemporary standards. Maybe JC did have an interesting and eventful life, but this film did not convey much of it. Instead the narrative takes us briefly through his early childhood and his time in the Air Force. Then at a very leisurely pace, the film chronicles his musical rising star and settles with heavy focus on his romantic relationship with June Carter, to the exclusion of all else except occasional references to his worsening drug addiction. The film concludes abruptly when he proposes to Reese Witherspoon onstage. That's the whole movie. It's not bad, it's a perfectly adequate film. I just expected a lot more in the way of narrative.
This review of Walk the Line (2005) was written by John S on 15 Jan 2013.
Walk the Line has generally received very positive reviews.
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