Pretty good; I’d expected better reviews after the seemingly endless pre-release hype, but it’s actually quite good despite some lukewarmness in the press.It just suffers from the usual problems biopics have — too much symbolic ground-laying up front; takes too long to get things done because it doesn’t want to leave anything out and get accused of glossing; doesn’t understand in spots that famous figures are in fact people who speak like people and not like William Goldman.It should have been shorter, it should have been tighter in the first hour, but with that said, it’s good fun to watch, and the leads give great performances — and I think Joaquin’s been underrated here, maybe because not as many people know/remember June Carter Cash, so it’s easier for Reese to look really impressive.She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but Joaquin is doing great work, particularly given that he really looks nothing like Johnny Cash.Anyway, it almost holds up its hype, which is rare.(12/12/05)

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