It had been a long time since I had seen two such heartfelt performances as those given by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in this excellent bio of Johnny Cash, which I saw on DVD. It's a bittersweet love story of how a good woman is able to handle the difficult, stormy relationship with a man and redeem him with her love. And around these two, are performances of such high caliber that the result is a deeply satisfying feeling that you've experienced the pain and love along with the characters.

The supporting cast does wonders, each and every one of them is absolute perfection. Mention must be made of Dallas Taylor as the man who auditions the guitar-strumming trio and makes a very important suggestion; Robert Patrick as the callous, indifferent father who creates scenes of enormous tension when he clashes with his son's lifestyle of drugs and opulent living; Waylon Payne as the frenzied Jerry Lee Lewis, doing a remarkable job in his first acting role and showing the kind of charisma that makes him stand out among the supporting cast of musicians.

Admirers of Johnny Cash should enjoy the movie unless they want to quibble with the fact that Phoenix does not have the same deep timber in his singing tones that Cash had, except for certain moments where his lower register does get a chance to show. But Phoenix is an extremely talented actor who rises to the challenge here. His chemistry with Reese Witherspoon is especially powerful in a quieter moment early on when they meet at a coffee shop. And from that moment on, the chemistry is palatable until the final sweet moment when she finally says "yes" to his marriage proposal.

An excellent film, even for those who are not at all familiar with the darker side of Cash's life. Well written and directed with the right kind of atmospheric effects to make it completely believable.