WALK THE LINE (2005): 3 stars out of 4. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller, Larry Bagby, Shelby Lynne, Tyler Hilton, Waylon Malloy Payne and Shooter Jennings. Written by Gill Dennis & James Mangold. Based on "Man in Black" and "Cash the Autobiography," written by Johnny Cash. Music by T Bone Burnett. Directed by James Mangold. Rated PG-13. Running time: Approx: 130 mins.

       
Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon ignite the screen with their portrayals of Johnny Cash and June Carter in Walk the Line, the story of the early ups and downs in the Man in Black's career.

        Phoenix and Witherspoon's performances are so finely honed that they hurdle the usual show-biz clichés associated with movies of this genre.

        The story traces Cash's life from his poor childhood — marked by the tragic death of his brother — to the late 1960s, when he finally overcame his pill-popping addiction, with the help of Carter and her family.

        While Walk the Line overflows with musical numbers — Phoenix and Witherspoon do their own singing — it is rather tepid on insight.

        The script by Gil Dennis and director James Mangold, based on Cash's two autobiographies, just skims the hows and whys of Cash's drive to sing and write songs.

        Especially in the first few reels, the movie is choppy, as if many scenes had been cut to whittle down the running time. One moment we see a young Cash lying in bed weeping at the loss of his brother, the next he is joining the military.

        His first wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin) is introduced talking to Cash via long distance, with him asking her to marry him. The next scene shows Cash wandering through a music store in Germany, picking up a guitar and teaching himself to play.

        No motivation or explanation for these actions are given. Dennis and Mangold simply rush through events to get to what the audience expects — Johnny Cash, singer, and the beginning of his tumultuous courtship of Carter.

        And that is one of the pitfalls when doing bio-pics of artists in any field. Filmmakers seem hesitant to take the time to examine the early creative process, the forces that inspired or shaped their subjects — be it a singer, painter or any kind of artist — in order to concentrate on that cliched montage of the subject on stage belting out familiar hits or in the studio painting that well-known masterpiece.

        Walk the Line follows that well-worn arc. Cash enjoys success, goes on the road, neglects his family, gets hooked on pills, falls in love with another woman, loses his family and teeters on the brink of self-destruction before being saved, reviving his career and becoming bigger than ever.

        The talents of Phoenix and Witherspoon, though, overcome and compensate the script's shortcomings.

        Phoenix, his voice lowered, captures the essence of Cash without resorting to an outright impersonation. On stage, holding his guitar high in Cash's familiar stance, he exudes the singer's dynamism and charisma.

        Witherspoon hides Carter's her steely personality beneath a bubbly public persona in which she makes her audiences feel at ease and at home.

        While Cash battles his demons externally, Carter faces an internal fight over her feelings for her fellow performer. She is attracted to him, but knows a relationship must have a strong, solid foundation to survive.

        Walk the Line is flawed, but, nevertheless, entertaining and exhilarating. It's more than a biography, it's a love story about two people in the public arena who must overcome obstacles within and without to finally come together.

        The story of Johnny Cash and June Carter is like a country music ballad, and that's the magic that makes Walk the Line so appealing and worthwhile.

        Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site: www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom