Walk the Line

Play trailer

1:49

Walk the Line

PG-13

Released Nov 18, 2005

2h 16m

Biography

History

Drama

Music

Romance

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

208 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

The rise of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) begins with his days as a boy growing up on the family farm, where he struggles under the scorn of his father (Robert Patrick). As the years pass, Cash ends up in Memphis, Tenn., with his wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and breaks into the music scene after finding his trademark sound. While on tour, Cash meets the love of his life, singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), but Cash's volatile lifestyle threatens to keep them apart.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Superior acting and authentic crooning capture the emotional subtleties of the legend of Johnny Cash with a freshness that is a pleasure to watch.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Johnny Cash gets the biopic treatment in this superior portrait of the man, his music, the demons he battled and the love that saved him.

Jul 28, 2022

Full Review

Namrata Joshi

Outlook

The film boasts of extremely competent performances, particularly the extraordinary Phoenix. As for Witherspoon, with her nasal twang and perky persona, she is sweet and sassy...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 10, 2019

Full Review

Zadie Smith

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Walk the Line -- although conspicuously well acted -- is really no different from previous efforts, and that's a good thing. It shares the charm of the (musical biopic) genre.

Jan 16, 2018

Full Review

Nadia Dalimonte

Next Best Picture

“Walk the Line” may not be reinventing the wheel, but the film holds up incredibly well in the unique talents of remarkable performers who maintain Mangold’s vision.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 13, 2024

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

This is not a malicious or embarrassing work; the viewer simply feels that Mangold has not genuinely tackled a single one of the complex and potentially rich problems bound up with the lives of Cash and Carter.

Jul 9, 2020

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

I love this movie so much.

Rated: 9/10

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Gi S

Although I was a country music fan back in the 70's I was never a big fan of johnny cash. That changed after I saw this movie and also became a big fan of joaquin phoenix and reese.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e o drama melhora um pouco o filme.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

Full Review

Matt B

The singing was pretty weak. Phoenix kind of overdid the junkie-wildman scene. Almost a parody. One thing I found really objectionable was the mix of volume from scene to scene. 200db for the songs and almost whispering for the talking parts. I wound up watching with sub titles.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/14/25

Full Review

Braden M.

I love this movie and as a Johnny cash fan it great.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

Riley V

Joaquin Phoenix and the music was amazing. It should've played ring of fire though

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/09/25

Full Review

Jon G

A great movie on Johnny Cash, superb acting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/09/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

James Mangold

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Johnny Cash

Reese Witherspoon

June Carter

Ginnifer Goodwin

Vivian Cash

Robert Patrick

Ray Cash

Dallas Roberts

Sam Phillips

Ray

79%

87%

Ray

Watchlist

Drumline

82%

70%

Drumline

Watchlist

The Aviator

86%

79%

The Aviator

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Aviator

Anna and the King

52%

64%

Anna and the King

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Anna and the King

Fever Pitch

66%

60%

Fever Pitch

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fever Pitch

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Three Country Music Movies That Are Better Than Forever My Girl

Reese Witherspoon’s 10 Best Movies

10 Rockin’ Music Biopics

Walk the Line: Trailer 1

1:49

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The rise of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) begins with his days as a boy growing up on the family farm, where he struggles under the scorn of his father (Robert Patrick). As the years pass, Cash ends up in Memphis, Tenn., with his wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and breaks into the music scene after finding his trademark sound. While on tour, Cash meets the love of his life, singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), but Cash's volatile lifestyle threatens to keep them apart.

Director: James Mangold
Producer: Cathy Konrad, James Keach
Screenwriter: James Mangold, Gill Dennis
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Konrad Pictures, Catfish Productions, Fox 2000 Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Language|Depiction of Drug Dependency|Thematic Material)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Music, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $119.5M
Runtime: 2h 16m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now