The acting in this movie makes the movie great. Otherwise, the story is pretty simple.

"Walk the Line" is about folk/country crooner Johnny Cash, played by Joaquin Pheonix (Ladder 49), and his unusal friendhip with June Carter, played by Reese Witherspoon (Just Like Heaven).

I thought both performances from Pheonix and Witherspoon were good while I was watching the movie. Then I later found out they did their own singing and I was amazed. I went back and saw it a second time and will probably see it a third before it's out of cinemas just because of this on screen couple.

Where the movie gets a little weak is Cash's problem with drugs and alcohol. Why is it a problem? Every famous musician from the 1950s and 1960s had a drug and alcohol problem. We've seen it in Elvis movies, "Great Balls of Fire," and most recently "Ray." Somehow, this kind of material in a biopic about a musician from that time has now become cliched and it's unavoidable.

Luckily enough, the movie focuses most on Cash and Carter's professional and private relationship, as well as Cash's neglected home life with wife Viviane, played by Ginnifer Goodwin (Mona Lisa Smile).

The cast, including Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) and a handful of popular country singers of today like Shelby Lynne make this picture a knock out.

Director James Mangold (Girl, Interupted, Copland) has done some amazing work, and some very forgettable pictures; however, "Walk the Line" may be his best work yet.

Lastly, the music is great. Pheonix and Witherspoon's singing voices are awesome. One, they are very talented singers, but what makes their performances better was they still managed to sing in character. They didn't drop who they were, to show their audience how great they can sing. They simply sang like Cash and Carter, and they fooled me completely.

The ending is very strong and moving. A perfect cap on a perfect little story about friendship and loyalty among a rough period in the music industry. I suggest seeing the movie, especially if you love music.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?