Episode 46: Walk the Line, Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash

It’s the movie that, along with Ray, spawned a hundred other movies that follow this precise template, Walk the Line. James Mangold’s film about the addict-y and self-destructive parts of Johnny Cash’s life has earned some mockery over the years for its one-way ticket to Clichéistan, but is that criticism warranted? Well…sometimes. 

We discuss the unbelievable charm of Reese Witherspoon, how James Mangold engages in the most stunning act of self-plagiarism since 1985’s Fogarty vs. Fantasy, Inc., Johnny Cash’s hobgobblin-ishness as compared to annoying addict-rock star Jim Morrison, what happens to you when you become Waylon Jennings’s roommate, the misery of being the first wife of a self-destructive artist, hot goss from the set of this film, and the brilliant Dallas Roberts’s one-and-done scene as producer Sam Phillips.

Important questions: Is it metaphysically possible to take a member of the Jennings family emotionally hostage? Should one take medical advice from Elvis? (No. Duh.) Does Sara qualify as an “expert” on the dangers of table saws?  How on earth did Crash win Best Picture? 

Walk the Line is directed by James Mangold, written by Mangold and Gil Dennis, and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash, Ginnifer Goodwin as Vivian Cash, Robert Patrick as Ray Cash, Dallas Roberts as Sam Phillips, and Shooter Jennings as Waylon Jennings. 

Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.

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