What the Flick

PRIDE & PREJUDICE, or as I like to call it, P&P, is the evergreen story of headstrong Elizabeth Bennett (Kiera Knightly) and the brooding Mr Darcy (the dreamy Matthew MacFayden) as they meet, instantly dislike one another, and then of course realize they are each other's perfect match. Set in a realistically recreated pre-Princess Diana England, this version of P&P uses a prettier Elizabeth but a grungier Bennett family compound than some. With 5 daughters, Mrs Bennett (Brenda Blethyn) is understandably anxious to marry them off and goes about it in a delightfully neurotic and tipsy way. The patient Mr Bennett (Donald Sutherland, who I just love here and as the smarmy Speaker of the House on ABC's "Commander in Chief") demonstrates the love and bewilderment that fills a father who presides over a houseful of women, and of course encourages Lizzie to follow her heart rather than her mother's best-laid plans. There are no surprise endings here, except for the lovely way that Kiera Knightly has grown up from her early days in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM and last year's KING ARTHUR. She seems born to play the feisty Miss Bennett, and her scenes with Mr Darcy have real life and sparkle. As for Darcy, be still my beating heart. Those of you who remember MacFayden as Tom Quinn on the first few seasons of the BBC series "MI-5" ("Spooks" in the UK) know that he has killer blue eyes and a strangely romantic allure. Here he strides the moors in a way that made me and my movie-going companions swoon. Beautifully filmed, wildly romantic, gently humorous, and an all around pleasure, this P&P is worth a stop on your holiday rounds.

From 19th Century England to 1950s Nashville: WALK THE LINE follows the career and life of Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), from his poor-ass childhood on some depression-era Arkansas farm, to the Air Force (where he sees a newsreel on Folsom Prison that gives birth to one of his signature songs), to what must have been the most fun road show ever to fill a bus and traverse this great land of ours: Johnny, country child star all-grown-up June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. Yes, you read that right. Can you even imagine a night in the town meeting hall with that crew on stage? It looked like enormous fun. But even night after night of such fun did not alleviate Johnny's blues, and for the sake of music, it's a good thing. The film starts as he prepares to go on stage for his groundbreaking Live From Folsom Prison concert, flashes back to his life up to them, and culminates with his triumph. Seems his Daddy was mean to him most of his life, his first wife never bet that her husband would actually be a success in music and didn't have the temperament for a life on the road or to stay home and suffer silently while enjoying the fruits of his success (as Ray Charles' wife seemed to do), and to top it off, from the minute he first heard June Carter on the radio (when both were about 10) Johnny was smitten. When he meets June on tour, there is an instant attraction, but June keeps a lid on it (to turn a phrase) for a good long while. Johnny has to work out his demons with drugs and drink and depression and Daddy before they can really move forward, and he almost loses June in the process. But, as our title today suggests, true love finds its way, and we know they make it because their son produced the movie! Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon light up the screen together in a way that shoots sparks. Joaquin deserves all the praise he's getting for this, but when Reese was off screen, I was kind of wishing she'd hurry on back. She really rocks this role, and perhaps has the more interesting character: what drew her to this talented but often self-destructive man? After this movie, you'll see how chirpy June came to write the heart-wrenching "Ring of Fire" and believe that, as improbable as it seems, some folks just really are meant for each other.