To be honest, Ive never been a fan of Johnny Cash's music. I listened to it every now and then when flipping through the presets in my car, stopping to sing along to the few lyrics I knew, but that was about it. Until now... This film, based on the autobiographies "Johnny Cash: The Man in Black" and "Cash: the Autobiography", was actually written and perfected alongside the famous duo Cash and June Carter Cash before their deaths in 2003.

Walk the Line follows the usual musical biopic storyline: hard times, obscurity, success, stardom, too much money, romantic adventures, drugs or booze, and then (if they survive) beating the addiction, finding love and reaching a more lasting stardom. But this movie is a cut above the rest and Phoenix and Witherspoon, who sang every song themselves, completely shine. The film does fudge some facts, but I was surprised to learn that although I thought it only happened in the movies Cash actually did propose marriage to Carter onstage during a concert. That said, this is essentially the story of John and June and a lot of great music.

I will admit to not having been all that excited about seeing Walk the Line before sitting down to watch it, but Mangold, Phoenix, and Witherspoon converted me. So don't suffer from those "Falsom Prison Blues", brave the "Ring of Fire" and "Walk the Line" - you won't regret it.

Everett Stone (Mulroney) is bringing his uptight girlfriend Meredith (Parker) home to meet the family - his mum Sybil (Keaton), dad Kelly (Craig T Nelson), pregnant sister Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser), brother Ben (Luke Wilson), gay and deaf brother Thad (Ty Giordano), and his kid sister Amy (McAdams). Overwhelmed by the hostile reception, Meredith begs her sister Julie (Danes) to join her for emotional support, triggering further complications.

The Stones of this movie behave like a real family getting together in the family home for the holidays. The house is cluttered and too small for the slightly expanded family that comes with partners and children. They all get along, but not so well that its sickening. It's tough to pick the outstanding performance of this film as so many of the cast are fantastic, from Diane Keaton as the mother who can't help but be mean to her oldest son's beloved, to Rachel McAdams with her caustic response to Meredith, to Luke Wilson doing what he does best with his laid back attitude. The Family Stone is a fantastic comedy that balances itself with drama effectively to deliver more than just a romantic comedy. It will be enjoyed by anyone who likes to laugh and has a family, because I'm sure we'll all be able to relate to the Stones - or perhaps Meredith - in some way.