This movies was a great idea with great performances poorly executed

Hollywood has been making biopic (biographical) films since the beginning of films. At first, the biographies were overly positive. The Pride of the Yankees, The Charles Lindberg Story, even the post WWII movie The Desert Fox focused more on the positive aspects of Erwin Rommel, a German Field Marshal. Eventually the genre changed to try to provide a deeper understanding of the person. Lawrence of Arabia is the classic example; in that movie the viewer was exposed not to just what T.E. Lawrence did, but who he was.

Eventually these biopic films became much more honest, incorporating both the positive and the negative aspects of individuals. This is fine; I don't want propaganda in biopic films. It's fascinating to see the darker side of important figures. It makes them much more real, and yet makes their accomplishments all the more spectacular. The movie Ray epitomizes this balance.

Ray was one of the best movies of the decade. The story of Ray Charles put to the silver screen. Audiences got a healthy dose of music, an incredible performance by Jamie Foxx, and a fair picture of the life of Ray Charles, including the low points and the high points.

Walk the Line should be the same thing as Ray. It's a biography of a musical figure who had low points in his life. But in execution, Walk the Line comes no where near the quality of Ray. Even in the genre of biographies this movie fails to live up to any standard. Even if it were decided that Walk the Line should not be compared to Ray, it's still my conclusion that this film isn't worth the price of any admission.

Joaquin Phoenix does a good job portraying the enigmatic singer Johnny Cash; Reese Witherspoon shows her abilities playing the part of June Carter. The movie looks good, each scene has good direction. But this movie lacks any kind of spirit. It has an almost flat reception. In fact, a major part of the story, the romance between June Carter and Johnny Cash, is absent. There is no chemistry. It's not a love story at all. Carter and Cash appear only as close friends.