Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Joaquin Phoenix | ... | John R. Cash | |
Reese Witherspoon | ... | June Carter | |
Ginnifer Goodwin | ... | Vivian Cash | |
Robert Patrick | ... | Ray Cash | |
Dallas Roberts | ... | Sam Phillips | |
Dan John Miller | ... | Luther Perkins | |
Larry Bagby | ... | Marshall Grant | |
Shelby Lynne | ... | Carrie Cash | |
Tyler Hilton | ... | Elvis Presley | |
Waylon Payne | ... | Jerry Lee Lewis (as Waylon Malloy Payne) | |
Shooter Jennings | ... | Waylon Jennings | |
Sandra Ellis Lafferty | ... | Maybelle Carter | |
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Dan Beene | ... | Ezra Carter |
Clay Steakley | ... | W.S. 'Fluke' Holland | |
Johnny Holiday | ... | Carl Perkins |
While growing up in the Great Depression era, Johnny Cash takes an interest in music and eventually moves out of his Arkansas town to join the air force in Germany. While there, he buys his first guitar and writes his own music, and proposes to Vivian. When they got married, they settled in Tennessee and with a daughter, he supported the family by being a salesman. He discovers a man who can pursue his dreams and ends up getting a record with the boys. Shortly after that, he was on a short tour, promoting his songs, and meets the already famous and beautiful June Carter. Then as they get on the long-term tours with June, the boys, and Jerry Lee Lewis, they have this unspoken relationship that grows. But when June leaves the tour because of his behavior, he was a drug addict. His marriage was also falling apart, and when he sees June years later at an awards show, he forces June to tour with them again, promising June to support her two kids and herself. While the tour goes on, the ... Written by kayleigh
Considering the formula junk coming out of Hollywood these days, I was blown away by how good this movie was. The direction was perfect. Using close ups to get us in under the skin of Johnny Cash. And since it was a period piece, he could have bored us with lots of cgi of Memphis and L.A. to take us back in time. Instead he used the actors and the music to take us there. Biopics naturally have a formula to them, but the director and screenwriter did not take us down the track of overly sentimental scenes. These were real and done with a bit of well placed humor. Just like real life. Afterall you still have to follow the real lives of Johnny and June. You can't make it up, just to be original! The movie was also a movie you can take most of the family to. No nudity and sex to SHOW how in love they are, just real dialog...it's nice to hear REAL dialog and not just another chase scene, or four letter word. Yes, some movies need that to tell the story, this one doesn't. This movie goes onto my short list of great biopics, with "Ray". Not much else comes close to Ray or Walk the Line. The true test of any biopics is: can you still understand the plot even if you never heard of the people the movie is about. This movie is a great love story even if you never heard of Johnny and June Cash. Oscars all around I say! Plus I loved the Rockabilly music through out the movie.