Hello There. I'm Johnny Cash

That signature introduction is what I remembered most about seeing Johnny Cash when I was younger. It gave me chills to hear it after so many years. I had at least one of his albums, and clearly remember the song "Boy Named Sue". I saw Cash on many TV shows and recall thinking it was nice of him to play music in the Prisons. I never read any of his books, though.

As a fan of Joaquin Phoenix, I knew he would deliver an oscar level performance, and I was not disappointed. He is fast becoming a Hollywood icon, and deservedly so.

What surprised me was the exceptional acting job by Reese Witherspoon, who made her name with ditsy (yet intellectual) portrayals in the Legally Blonde series of movies (which were very successful in their own right). I worried that I would be fixated on Witherspoon's type-cast role, but the way she held herself, and changing her hair color to black, made her seem new and unique. I had to remind myself that I was watching Reese Witherspoon, and not June Carter herself. The same could be said for Phoenix, as his character portrayals are sooooo good from movie to movie, he never gets typecast.

I first became a Phoenix fan in his haunting role as the emperor in Gladiator. It was something about his eyes. He seemed gentle, ruthless and psychotic all at the same time. What a talent. There is real on-screen chemistry between Phoenix and Witherspoon, and that is what will make this movie a box office smash. The only thing holding it back will be a younger audience that knows nothing of Johnny Cash, and therefore may not have an interest in attending. That would be a shame.

There are no real spoilers here, since all of us know Johnny Cash, and the movie is about his life (or at least a part of his life). But if you don't want to know anything, don't read the next paragraph.

As a young person in the 60s, I only knew Cash was a country western singer, that he wore black, and that he played for prisoners. Through this movie, I learned many new things that helped put the pieces together. I had not known the details of why he was arrested and knew nothing of his addiction to pills. Like most, I had no idea about his upbringing or that his brother was killed. I knew very little about his first wife or their relationship. I didn't know how he and June Carter met.

There are many great supporting roles in this movie. One particularly good scene was when Cash (Phoenix) tries to get a start-up, storefront record executive to record his band. A few seconds into a lackluster song, the straight-talking guy tells Cash exactly what he is not doing, and what he needs to do. I found this scene compelling, and if accurate, this small time record producer is certainly responsible for Cash becoming a household name rather than a no name.

My wife cried in several spots, and I was a bit choked up too (if you tell anyone, I'll deny it) ;)

Music permeates the movie, and it all fits well. I never once said to myself that a song didn't belong or that there was too much music. Just look at the closing credits and you may, like me, be surprised at the sheer number of songs you heard. Didn't seem like it, which means a good job of integration.

I don't strongly recommend movies often, but this is one of them. I'm glad to see my fellow reviewers agree, and rottentomatoes.com also gives this movie a strong endorsement. I suspect we will see Academy Award nominations in many categories for this one, including best male and female actors.