After Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray, any attempt to play a famous musician was going to be tough.  But Joaquin Phoenix does a very credible job.  And although Reese Witherspoon doesn't look as much like June Cater Cash, she does catch June's great spunk and humour.  Roger Ebert says this: "What adds boundless energy to Walk the Line is the performance by Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash." I often wonder how you stack half a life [much less a whole one] into a 2 hour movie.  This one captures the rougher years of Johnny Cash's life.  Whether you like country music, or not, this movie should move you.  My daughter Jamie who doesn't like even today's country music, said she really enjoyed the movie.  It may not interest really young children, but other than that, it's recommended.

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Storyline From Yahoo:  In 1955, a tough, skinny guitar-slinger who called himself J.R. Cash walked into the soon-to-be-famous Sun Studios in Memphis. It was a moment that would have an indelible effect on American culture. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as deep and black as night, Cash sang blistering songs of heartache and survival that were gutsy, full of real life and unlike anything heard before. That day kicked off the electrifying early career of Johnny Cash. As he pioneered a fiercely original sound that blazed a trail for rock, country, punk, folk and rap stars to come, Cash began a rough-and-tumble journey of personal transformation. In the most volatile period of his life, he evolved from a self-destructive pop star into the iconic “Man in Black” – facing down his demons, fighting for the love that would raise him up, and learning how to walk the razor-thin line between destruction and redemption. Ratings: Critics  B+    Users B+