History Film / WalkTheLine

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* RaceLift: In real life, Johnny Cash's first wife was black. She's played by the Jewish Creator/GinniferGoodwin in the movie.

* RaceLift: In real life, Johnny Cash's first wife was black. She's played by a white actress in the movie.

->''"I'm asking you to marry me. I love you, June. Now I know I said and done a lotta things, that I hurt you, but I promise, I'll never do that again. I only want to take care of you. I will not leave you like that dutch boy with your finger in the dam. You're my best friend. Marry me."''
---> '''Johnny Cash''' to June Carter

->''"You look like you're going to a funeral."''
->''"Well maybe I am."''

The film was met with generally positive reviews, praising in particular Phoenix's and Witherspoon's roles, as well as the fact that both actors did all of their own singing and instrument playing. It grossed over $186 million worldwide and won Witherspoon several awards, most notably the Best Actress Oscar. One noted critic of the movie was Rosanne Cash, Johnny's daughter from his first marriage, who said it was "painful"; Rosanne had a very good relationship with her stepmother June, and even spoke at her funeral. Mangold justified the somewhat unflattering portrayal of Roseanne's mother Vivian by saying that as a character, she was being seen from Johnny's perspective as he fell in love with June.

A 2005 {{Biopic}} on the life of CountryMusic singer Music/JohnnyCash (Creator/JoaquinPhoenix), directed by James Mangold. Based somewhat on Cash's real life, it follows him through his formative years as he loses his brother to a sawmill accident, and then joins the Air Force. Later on, he returns to the U.S. and tries to work as a salesman, but ends up signing to Sun Records because his heart is in the music business. Along the way, he marries and then divorces his first wife, Vivian, then meets and befriends June Carter (Creator/ReeseWitherspoon). After some drug-induced tumult, he eventually cleans up and performs his now-legendary concert at Folsom Prison. Johnny and June then perform a concert in Canada, where he interrupts a song to propose to her. She accepts. (No, this wasn't a Hollywood romance ending. That really did happen.)

* BetterByADifferentName: How about that ElvisPresley miniseries with Creator/JonathanRhysMeyers, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Or that Music/RayCharles movie with Creator/JamieFoxx, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Well then came the JohnnyCash movie with Creator/JoaquinPhoenix, about... Interestingly, the success of these stories actually increased with each example.

A 2005 {{Biopic}} on the life of CountryMusic singer Music/JohnnyCash (Creator/JoaquinPhoenix), directed by James Mangold. Based somewhat on Cash's real life, it follows him through his formative years as he loses his brother to a sawmill accident, and then joins the Air Force. Later on, he returns to the U.S. and tries to work as a salesman, but ends up signing to Sun Records because his heart is in the music business. Along the way, he marries and then divorces his first wife, Vivian, then meets and befriends June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). After some drug-induced tumult, he eventually cleans up and performs his now-legendary concert at Folsom Prison. Johnny and June then perform a concert in Canada, where he interrupts a song to propose to her. She accepts. (No, this wasn't a Hollywood romance ending. That really did happen.)

* TheUnFavourite: Johnny never could quite match up to his dutiful dead brother, Jack, in his dad's eyes.

* HappilyEverBefore: The film ends at Cash's performance of his Folsom Prison Album and marriage to June in 1968 at perhaps the height of his career commercially and only the begging of his "superstar" period. He would go on to have a son with June, John Carter, play another prison album, San Quentin, and more big shows like Madison Square Garden but also relapse into addiction and suffer trouble with his marriage and even be dropped by Columbia and essentially be forgotten by his Mercury label before a resurgence under producer Rick Rubin near the end of his life while enduring immense pain, stuck in a wheelchair and nearly blind. Almost enough material for a sequel.

* ArtisticLicenceHistory: The movie makes it look like Jack Cash's death occurred on the same day that he was cut almost in half by a tablesaw. In real life, he suffered for '''''over a week''''' before he died.

* ArtisticLicenceHistory: The movie makes it look like Jack Cash died on the same day that he was almost cut in half by a tablesaw. In real life, he suffered for '''''over a week''''' before he died.

* ArtisticLicenceHistory: The movie makes it look like Jack Cash died on the same day that he was almost cut in half by a tablesaw. In real life, he suffered for ''over a week'' before he died.

The film was met with generally positive reviews, praising in particular Phoenix's and Witherspoon's roles, as well as the fact that both actors did all of their own singing and instrument playing. It grossed over $186 million worldwide and won Witherspoon several awards. One noted critic of the movie was Rosanne Cash, Johnny's daughter from his first marriage, who said it was "painful"; Rosanne had a very good relationship with her stepmother June, and even spoke at her funeral. Mangold justified the somewhat unflattering portrayal of Roseanne's mother Vivian by saying that as a character, she was being seen from Johnny's perspective as he fell in love with June.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In order to make Johnny Cash's character seem more sympathetic, his first wife is shown disapproving of his early attempts to break into the music business, urging him to give it up and focus on getting a better job from her father. According to the real Johnny Cash's autobiography, she was actually extremely supportive of his musical ambitions, and their marriage problems did not start until after his career took off.
** Also applies to Johnny Cash's dad. The real Johnny Cash has mentioned that his dad was rather distant and a man of few words, not a raging dick like he is in this film. Although by the end of the movie, they have clearly reconciled.

* ShownTheirWork: Phoenix and Witherspoon learned to sing and play guitar and autoharp, respectively, for their roles. Witherspoon also looked through June Carter Cash's closet for inspiration. According to music supervisor and legendary producer T-Bone Burnett, Phoenix had trouble getting to Cash's iconic tone that they nearly resigned themselves to dubbing him over before Phoenix's voice dropped to the correct octave a week before shooting.

* BetterByADifferentName: How about that ElvisPresley miniseries with JonathanRhysMeyers, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Or that Music/RayCharles movie with Creator/JamieFoxx, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Well then came the JohnnyCash movie with Creator/JoaquinPhoenix, about... Interestingly, the success of these stories actually increased with each example.

* HistoricalInJoke:

** Also applies to Johnny Cash's dad. The real Johnny Cash has mentioned that his dad was rather distant and a man of few words, not a raging dick like he is in this film.

* ActorAllusion: WaylonJennings is played by Shooter Jennings, Waylon's son.

A 2005 {{Biopic}} on the life of CountryMusic singer JohnnyCash (JoaquinPhoenix), directed by James Mangold. Based somewhat on Cash's real life, it follows him through his formative years as he loses his brother to a sawmill accident, and then joins the Air Force. Later on, he returns to the U.S. and tries to work as a salesman, but ends up signing to Sun Records because his heart is in the music business. Along the way, he marries and then divorces his first wife, Vivian, then meets and befriends June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). After some drug-induced tumult, he eventually cleans up and performs his now-legendary concert at Folsom Prison. Johnny and June then perform a concert in Canada, where he interrupts a song to propose to her. She accepts. (No, this wasn't a Hollywood romance ending. That really did happen.)

* BetterByADifferentName: How about that ElvisPresley miniseries with JonathanRhysMeyers, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Or that Music/RayCharles movie with Creator/JamieFoxx, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Well then came the JohnnyCash movie with JoaquinPhoenix, about... Interestingly, the success of these stories actually increased with each example.

* BetterByADifferentName: How about that ElvisPresley miniseries with JonathanRhysMeyers, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Or that RayCharles movie with JamieFoxx, about a man whose brother dies in childhood, but he becomes famous as a musician, and then falls into substance abuse, but overcomes it with the love of a good woman? Well then came the JohnnyCash movie with JoaquinPhoenix, about... Interestingly, the success of these stories actually increased with each example.