Vote on this title

Do these genes fit this title?
Click on a gene to vote or discover related titles.

Does this gene fit Walk the Line?

See more like Walk the Line

See even more

Overview

Watch it:

Find it on:

	Twitter
	IMDb
	Rotten Tomatoes

Walk the Line, 2005

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon

Directed by: James Mangold

Written by: Gill Dennis

Language: English, Russian

Country: USA, Germany

Runtime: 136 min

MPAA Rating: PG_13

Rating:7.9

Watch it

More like it

Wish List

Favorites

Profile of Walk the Line

The mood of Walk the Line is bittersweet, sentimental, and captivating. The plot centers around rising to stardom, following your dreams, and celebrity culture. It is a drama, romance, and music-oriented movie. Stylistically, Walk the Line is a melodrama. In approach, it is serious and realistic. The setting is the USA. Walk the Line happens in the 1950s, in the 1960s, and in the 1980s. The musical score is country. It is drawn from a biography and originally a true story. Walk the Line is known for being an Oscar winner and critically acclaimed. It is especially suggested for a date night. Note that it includes mild violent content.

Summary of Walk the Line

Primarily the story of the love that grew between country stars Johnny Cash and June Carter during the early years of Cash's career, Walk the Line is the result of intense collaboration between director James Mangold, co-writer Gill Dennis, Johnny Cash, and June Carter Cash. Though both Cashes died in 2003, they oversaw the script's development for seven years. Mangold and Cash's insistence that the film's stars would actually sing paid off. Witherspoon's singing (as June) is lovely, and Phoenix's contains the raw energy and soul that defined Cash's sound.

Even as a child on a cotton farm in Depression-era Arkansas, Cash shows a strong interest in music, escaping from his no-frills life and strict father (Robert Patrick) through hymns and listening to the radio. When his brother dies in a freak accident, young Johnny feels responsible, and worries that he will never live up to his brother's goodness. The film follows Cash through his first marriage with Vivian Cash (Ginnifer Goodwin) and into the early stages of his touring career alongside such musicians as Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and most importantly, June Carter. As Cash's success grows, so does his relationship with drugs, alcohol, and Carter, putting a strain upon his family life. From his initial audition with Sam Phillips of Sun Records on through his legendary 1968 concert at Folsom Prison, Cash is transformed from a hesitant singer riddled with demons to a man whose uniquely bold style would make music history. Walk the Line never attempts to paint a full picture of Cash's prolific career, but instead focuses on the passions that drove his music and on the woman who gave him strength. With magical performances by Witherspoon and Phoenix, a haunting and inspiring American romance is brought beautifully to life.