It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar!

Walk the Line

Every now and again, I'm hoping that Oscar winners of the past year will be discussed in this group, at least to tide us all over until next year.  To start the trend, and in light of the fact that I've been playing with lists devoted to the best actors and actresses, and in light of the fact that I watched it last night, I wanted to discuss Walk the Line.

First off, I really liked this movie.  Like Ray (2004), a biopic about another legendary musician that also won an Oscar for an acting performance, it follows a sort of flashback storyline, beginning with Johnny Cash's childhood and following his early years through the period of his drug addiction and utmost popularity.  While the movie is about Johnny Cash, its primary focus is about his courtship with June Carter.  And really, it's just one of those American love stories that's so timeless, both in real life and on the silver screen.

As you should know by now, Reese Witherspoon won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of June Carter.  She deserved accolades for sure; it was easy to suspend my disbelief.  Her performance had a lot of heart and a lot of guts to it, and that's just what June Carter was all about.  I think she shined through in this performance.

Similarly, Joaquin Phoenix did an excellent job.  While his singing voice was not a dead ringer, his mannerisms and affectations were.  I really felt like he was the younger Man in Black.

So, the million dollar questions for this conversation in this group about this movie:

1. Reese actually won the Oscar, though she faced her stiffest competition from Felicity Huffman for Transamerica.  I've not seen the latter movie.  Is there anyone who has seen both and can compare their performances?  Does the filmgoer at large agree that Reese was the more deserving of the two? 

2. Joaquin was nominated but did not win.  In fact, he wasn't even in the running.  Philip Seymour Hoffman won for Capote, and his toughest competition was most likely Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain, though Hoffman was a practical shoo-in.  Has anyone seen both this movie and Capote and want to compare their performances?  Or all three movies?  Does the filmgoer at large agree that Philip deserved it most?

3. What did you think of this movie and these performances?