Some people might view today’s comic as insensitive to those with cleft lips – or harelips, as they are sometimes known. I hope I’m not offending anyone. In fact, I tried to put Tom on the receiving end of his own insensitivity in today’s incentive sketch. It’s my odd way of trying to strike a balance in the universe.

I don’t have a problem with harelips. It just that in Walk the Line, it’s a very noticiable character trait of Jaquin Phoenix’s that is very hard to ignore when he’s supposed to be playing Johnny Cash. That would be like doing a Nirvana biopic and having the actor who played Kurt Cobain have a lazy eye. I’m just saying it was a distraction, is all.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ve linked through to WebMD’s clinical description here. I try to be of help when I can.

And if anyone is still really, REALLY upset… then please forward all your letters to the writers of the "Moley-moley-mole!" joke from Austin Powers in Goldmember because that’s essentially where I stole this from.

The only reason I’m teasing Jaquin at all is because I thought Walk the Line was an exceptional film. One that all of you should see. Cami and I went on Friday and were thoroughly entertained by it. Walking out of the theater, you feel the distinct compulsion to go out and buy every Johnny Cash record you don’t already own.

There’s tons of great music in this film, especially at the begining. It was very interesting to watch Jaquin-as-Cash go out on his first tour with the likes of June Carter, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. Who knew they all shared a car driving from gig to gig in the early days.

That’s where all the good-hearted fun lies early on in the movie. All those great songs… it sucks you in! Eventually the movie settles into a lower speed and becomes more of a love story. Cash becomes infatuated to with Carter and seeks to marry her despite his own burgeoning family and wife at home. Carter is especially wary after two marriages end in divorce and the scornful eye "fans" cast upon her because of it. This painful societal pressure of the era is something the film captures well.

As most people know, Cash was an amphetamine addict . This aspect of his life folds neatly into the middle of the latter two-thirds of the movie, but it’s also where the film begins to paint itself into a corner. Cash takes drugs casually at first, but eventually consumes them as a way to medicate the pain of rejection he suffers at the hands of Carter who spurns his advances over the course of 10 years. The film makes a point out of portraying Carter as a paragon of virtue, but she comes off as totally oblivious to the pain she’s inflicting on Cash. She’s the reason he’s destroying himself as a means to get her attention and care.

Details aside, I think it’s the larger dramatic device of the love story that may divide people on this movie. I personally enjoyed this angle quite a bit because I know something about Cash and Carter’s time together and how utterly devoted they were to each other. It’s very sweet. But the movie doesn’t show us that. Basically, Cash proposes to Carter on stage in Canada, she says "yes" and the movie gives us title cards informing us that essentially they lived "happily ever after for the next 35 years." Maybe it was meant to prompt the audience to explore their life together more on their own time. But it ends up feeling like "Crap! This movie is already 2 hours long! We gotta cap this off!"

I think that’s where people kind of throw their hands up if they aren’t thrilled about the love story. I’ve talked to a few people about it already and some complained of expecting something different. What, exactly, they can’t pinpoint. I think these people were looking for more hell-raisin’ in the picture when that’s not really what it’s about.

That said, each of the performances are top notch. Everyone has made a big deal out of Jaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon singing all the songs in the film and with good cause. While Witherspoons voice is a little high and reedy to synch up perfectly with Carter’s, Phoenix’s portrayal was so spot on in points, if you close your eyes, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Although his performance is not an impersonation like Jamie Foxx’s was of Ray Charles in last year’s Ray, I think his is a more accurate re-creation. Foxx got Charles’ mannerisms down – the swaying of the head, his speaking tone and whatnot. But not being able to do the same vocal tricks Charles could do was a sticking point. If they’re handing out Oscars for what Foxx did, Phoenix should be a lock for sure.

Not much else to say at the moment. I got word from my printer over the weekend that the last batch of t-shirts, baby doll tees and hoodies I ordered have been shipped. So I’m expecting those sometime this week. That means those of you who have been waiting to see your order filled will most likely receive a package either late this week or early next. America’s Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday will probably throw a monkey wrench in things, so be patient. You’ve been so tollerant with me so far. It won’t be long now!

For those who like to keep track, it is exactly one month to my birthday today. I’ll be 28 on December 21st. I don’t know if that’s worth anything to anyone, but I felt like mentioning it. After taking pot-shots at the cleft lip crowd, I’m begining to doubt if anyone will get me any presents this year!