I must admit that Joaquin Phoenix makes a great Johnny Cash. Many times in Walk the Line he channels the singer so effectively that it gave me chills. It’s a captivating performance that is let down by a so-so script. We’re told the story of Cash’s many troubles and heartbreaks, which fueled his lyrics and singing. But too often the film portrays him as a Forest Gump character, someone who simply stumbles into his fate and sleepily goes along with it. Johnny Cash just seems to happen upon his signature black wardrobe, his plaintive vocal style, his overwhelming drug habit. He’s shown to be true to himself and his art by contrast of the flashy Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, but the depiction comes across as more naive than passionate. Perhaps it’s meant to soften up Cash’s “killer” persona and make him appear more sympathetic than an audience might rightfully feel for a pill-popping adulterer. The effect only distances us from the figure, giving us a soft-focus view of the man we already know from his rough-edged songs.

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