Since my son refused to go to the theater to see “8 Below” yesterday (instead choosing a sleepover at his grandmother’s house), Chrissy half-dragged me to see “Walk the Line”. The Johnny Cash biopic has been enjoying a strong run based on several awards season nominations (and Globe vistories for its stars, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon), and I didn’t figure I had anything better to do.

Now, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect. I’m no Cash fan, and I detest country music. So I wasn’t exactly quivering in anticipation for the film, even though I admire Phoenix and Witherspoon’s talent. I settled in expecting, honestly, to be bored.

Fortunately, this was one time I was outrageously mistaken.

The movie itself seems formulaic for the genre; music star has rough childhood, music star finds his sound. Music star becomes famous, music star battles drug and/or alcohol addiction. Music star overcomes his personal demons, music star rides off into the sunset with fame and fortune. If you want to dumb down “Walk the Line” to it’s most basic elements, I’ve wrapped it all up nicely for you already. You’ll be doing yourself a disservice for using that excuse to pass on the movie, though; it rises above it’s own conventions to achieve true celluloid beauty.

Love is at the center of this film: Not only the love between Johnny Cash and June Carter, but the love with which the writer, director and actors invested in the crafting of the film. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Cash himself was such a remarkable figure in life, either. Consider this quote from an interview with Phoenix:

“They sang – I’ll probably f**k up the title – ‘On the Banks of the River Jordan,’ I think it’s called. And it was beautiful. It was an amazing experience. Something I will never, ever, ever forget. It was so powerful and I referred to that meeting. I don’t know how that happened. How it is that I… It had such a profound impact on the way that I saw John and June and their relationship and that affected the film. Had I not met him, I wouldn’t have had that experience and it’s pretty extraordinary to me that by whether it’s chance or divinity – I don’t know what it is that I got to meet him and experience that. To see them looking into each other’s eyes while they sang the song was magical. It was just absolutely magical. I referred to that moment many times throughout shooting.

It’s hard not to be cynical about love, particularly when it comes to celebrities or iconic figures, you know? You see it all the time. Most marriages and love affairs don’t last and so it was nice to witness that first-hand and know that it wasn’t something that was just fictionalized and created by Mangold to kind of paint this perfect love story. That it really was that perfect which I still, even having witnessed it, find it hard to believe. And I don’t know if that says something about my cynicism or what, but that was an amazing experience.”

Normally, I give that kind of celebrity fluff short shrift - primarily because I’m ready to believe the worst about any celebrity at any time. However, having seen the film, I’d be willing to take all of that at face value, and suggest to you that Phoenix did, indeed, channel that experience directly into his performance.

As to his performance, what can be said? It’s stupendous. Brilliant. To be sure, Witherspoon is wonderful as the charming, down-to-earth June, but she’s simply overpowered here. This would be the case even if Phoenix hadn’t performed all of the Cash vocals in the film. He nailed it so close to perfect that my wife was sure there was overdubbing involved. Even Roger Ebert had this to say:

“It is by now well known that Phoenix and Witherspoon perform their own vocals in the movie. It was not well known when the movie previewed — at least not by me. Knowing Cash’s albums more or less by heart, I closed my eyes to focus on the soundtrack and decided that, yes, that was the voice of Johnny Cash I was listening to. The closing credits make it clear it’s Joaquin Phoenix doing the singing, and I was gob-smacked. Phoenix and Mangold can talk all they want about how it was as much a matter of getting in character, of delivering the songs, as it was a matter of voice technique, but whatever it was, it worked. Cash’s voice was “steady like a train, sharp like a razor,” said June.”

June was right.

Johnny Cash just might have one more fan after seeing this film.

So, all in all, a wonderful film, brilliantly acted and lovingly portrayed. In the end, the only sad thing to recall is that the Academy will likely reward a mediocre film about gay cowboys instead of a movie truly deserving to be among “the best of the best”.