Bob King Movies
James Mangold's Walk the Line tells the life story of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), focusing primarily on the long courtship he had with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). The film is structured as an extended flashback opening with Cash readying to take the stage at his historic Folsom Prison Concert. The film touches on his childhood, relating a horrific early incident from his life and establishing the troubled relationship he would have with his father (Robert Patrick). Cash joins the military and leaves home. During his time in the armed services he begins writing songs and romances a hometown girl (Ginnifer Goodwin). After the end of his duty he settles down and attempts to begin a music career, but his wife has trouble adjusting to his dreams. Cash auditions for Sam Phillips (Dallas Roberts), signs to Sun Records, and soon finds himself on tour with a roster of young soon to be legends that includes Elvis Presley (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne). On this tour he meets June Carter, the daughter of the famous Carter family, and they take a liking to each other although she refuses any serious advances from him. Cash gains world wide fame thanks in part to the inspiration he gets from June, but eventually his marriage crumbles and he develops a serious drug addiction. The film is based on Cash's autobiographies. Phoenix and Witherspoon performed all of their own singing in the movie, just as Sissy Spacek and Beverly D'Angelo did in Coal Miner's Daughter a quarter-century before. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, (more)
- 1994
In this coming-of-age drama follows a 13-year old girl living in Montana during 1946, as she copes with her father's adultery. Sally Mae Parker may be young, but she is not blind. She is quietly aware of the growing tension between her pregnant mother and her father, who recently returned from the war. Her mother is a strict, devout Christian. She is worried that both daughter and father are headed straight for hell. Her father is more worried about finding a decent job. Sally worries about her changing body and her crush upon a local teenage mechanic. Her father begins to have an affair with the widow next door; Sally soon finds out about it. During the rest of the film, she deals with the situation and becomes a young woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Nicholle Tom, (more)
