Certificate:

Director: James Mangold

Release Date: 3 February 2006

Tagline: Love is a burning thing.

Main Cast:

Joaquin Phoenix … John R. Cash

Reese Witherspoon … June Carter

Ginnifer Goodwin … Vivian Cash

I’m going to start by saying that I’m not a Johnny Cash fan. Sure, I can listen to his music and appreciate his very unique style and even hum along sometimes. However, I’d heard a lot of rave reviews about Walk the Line and as I am a fan of both Phoenix and Witherspoon I thought that was three very good reasons to watch it. And I’m sure glad I did!

The acting and vocals (both sang and did not lip-sync) are astounding, as is the chemistry between the two. Even if you are unfamiliar with the life of Johnny Cash, it’s still a great love story (best of all though, it’s not remotely schmaltzy – I don’t think Cash was capable of it!)

It really felt like you were watching Cash himself – Phoenix is that good. At the time of writing, he has declared that he is retiring from acting. I sincerely hope he reconsiders as it will be our loss.

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