'walk the line'

it must be because i saw ‘ray’ just last week; but all through ‘walk the line’ at sterling with bahaar (with awful projection) i could not help being overcome with a sense of déjà vu.

rock star bio-epic clichés abound. a rural boy from a dysfunctional family loses a brother; is racked with guilt all his life; leaves home for the big city where he pursues his dream to make it big; he makes it big; falls in love; gets married; has an unhappy marriage; starts sleeping around and popping pills (or shooting heroin in the case of 'ray'); has a few ups and downs in his career- and is finally saved by the love of a good woman- in rays' case the memory of his dear departed mother; and in johnny cashs' reese witherspoons’ june carter.

unfortunately for me, i have never really liked cashs earlier recordings- i much prefer the dark mangled sounds of his 90s recordings; so the music was also ordinary. to make the romance between the two is a good move - and though jamie foxx’s ray charles impersonation was ridiculously perfect; phoenix and witherspoon are at least likeable looking. it makes you forgive, if not forget the fact that they are “performing”. they sang the songs themselves it seems. not bad.