Johnny Cash is a jackass and an arsehole towards his first wife. But doggone it, Phoenix really nailed it down well, even to Cash’s mannerisms, and Witherspoon was pretty captivating at times.
Did you know that Phoenix and Witherspoon performed all of the songs themselves? They also played the auto harp and guitar themselves, too. That’s impressive.
Since the story focused heavily on Cash’s rough side, I can see how this will be unlikeable to certain viewers. If you can get past its character flaws and focus on its strong central performance, you’ll find it entertaining.
This is a solid music biopic and because of the music genre (country) the appeal and connection will certainly vary from person to person. I love both I Walk the Line and Ring of Fire songs.