Walk the Line (2005) * * * 1/2

Directed by:   James Mangold

Starring:  Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dallas Roberts

The Plot:  A biopic focuses on Johnny Cash and his rise to stardom, his battles with drug addiction, and his long courtship of June Carter.

Johnny Cash started from a humble Arkansas upbringing in which his father blamed him for his brother's death.    His father Ray would make pointed comments like "The wrong brother died", which would fuel Johnny's desire to become a famous singer.     It also may have driven him to such despair that he would turn to pills and alcohol to relieve the pain.     Consuming drugs and alcohol usually only adds to life's pressures, but an addict doesn't see that.    Cash's life soon became unmanageable, rescued by June Carter and her strong, close family.     June is a strong, sensible woman with a knack of hooking up with the wrong guys.     She doesn't want to rescue Johnny from his demons, saying, "I don't want to be down there with him."    Her mother replies, "You are already down there with him."

The relationship between Johnny and June, who eventually married in 1968 after a long courtship, is at the heart of Walk the Line and makes it an above-average biopic.    They remained married until her death in May 2003, which was followed by Johnny's death four months later.    It's at its heart a romance, but plenty of Cash's songs are highlighted, with Phoenix singing vocals and sounding eerily like Cash.    (Witherspoon also sang her own vocals).     Like many stars, Cash can never learn to fully appreciate his life until he kicks drugs and buries his demons.     He hits bottom over a Thanksgiving weekend in Nashville when he tries to move a tractor stuck in the mud.   

Phoenix, as Cash, is the soul of the film, but Witherspoon is the heart.    She clearly loves him, but because she is smart and in control, she avoids having an affair with him.    Despite her love, she's not in the habit of enabling.    "You don't walk no line," she tells Johnny after he shows up drunk at a rehearsal.     She walks out on their tour and only returns after Johnny begs her to come back.    He clearly loves her also, but can't get out of his own way or his marriage to his childhood sweetheart Viv (Goodwin).

Like many biopics, some scenes in Walk the Line are fictional or play fast and loose with the facts, but it doesn't make it any less entertaining.     The performances are top-notch, with Phoenix and Witherspoon playing convincing real-life people.    They also sing very well, which allows for an appreciation of the legendary music they created.     Since some of the scenes were fictional anyway, I would've liked a more definitive resolution to Cash's ongoing conflict with his disapproving father.     There is a buildup to a big fight that never takes place.    At the end, things seem to be okay between them, but we don't really know why.    That's a minor quibble in a mostly enjoyable film.