Went last night with Tom Gibbs, our pastor, to see Walk the Line, the biopic of Johnny Cash's young and foolish years. The movie picks some significant scenes from his childhood before plopping the viewer into 1950's Germany, where as a lonely Air Force recruit, "J.R." wrote some of his early songs. The movie follows as he is signed with Sun Records in Memphis, hits it big, and meets June Carter, the fascinating forbidden fruit. Johnny dove into every impulse he had, including alcohol, drugs, arrogance, extramarital sex, love, anger. He is brought low by his meth addiction, and after being arrested, collapsing on stage, family embarassments, and the departure of his first wife, he is converted. June Carter (after her own failed marriages) and her family "rehabilitate" Johnny, and soon he is clean, sober, and playing concerts in Folsom and San Quentin prisons.

One exchange in the movie caught me. Johnny's agent with Columbia Records complains, "Johnny, your fans are Christian folk. They don't want to hear an album with you trying to cheer up murderers and rapists in Folsom Prison!" "Well, then," Johnny replies, "they ain't Christians." He then proceeded to record his most popular album, "Live at Folsom Prison."

Joaquin Phoenix is a striking Johnny Cash, but I thought Reese Witherspoon stole the show as June Carter. Both are electric in their duet work, most of which seems to be their own vocals. This story about grace is important, not just because Johnny Cash still looms large over American music, but because it is the story of all of us: captive to our impulses, completely human in our failings, but salvageable for much good, to God's glory.