Let me start by saying that I am just a so-so Johnny Cash fan.

Having said that, I liked this movie a lot, not because of the movie itself so much, but for the entertainment provided by its primary actors, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. As I watched, the Johnny Cash story became somewhat secondary as I began to appreciate how well they were performing and how much fun they seemed to be having doing it. I felt that I could have watched them do a concert for the full two hours with no story at all and I would have gotten more than my money’s worth.

There were some interesting aspects to the story, particularly from Johnny Cash’s childhood. The rough times of his early adulthood were a bit harder to watch, but were depicted well. I did not know much about June Carter Cash so I don’t know how realistically Reese Witherspoon played her part, but I really enjoyed her character. I also wasn’t sure how well Joaquin Phoenix would do as Johnny Cash because he looked so clean cut at the beginning of the movie. By the end of the movie, however, I would have sworn he was Johnny Cash reincarnated.

If they could only write songs as well as Johnny and June did, Phoenix and Reese could start their second careers.