What film about Johnny Cash starred Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon?

Walk the Line is the film about Johnny Cash starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Released in 2005 and directed by James Mangold, the biographical musical drama follows Cash’s early life, rise in country music, struggles with addiction, and romance with June Carter.

Phoenix plays Cash, while Witherspoon plays Carter, the singer and performer who later became June Carter Cash. The film is based partly on Cash’s autobiographies Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and Cash: The Autobiography. Rather than relying only on studio recordings, Phoenix performed Cash’s songs for the movie and soundtrack.

Witherspoon won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Phoenix was nominated for Best Actor, and the film also received nominations for sound mixing, costume design, and film editing at the 78th Academy Awards.

A common mix-up is identifying the film as a general Johnny Cash concert movie. It is more specifically a dramatized life story centered on Cash’s formative years and relationship with Carter. The title comes from Cash’s signature song “I Walk the Line,” first recorded in 1956.