My Father And The Man In Black (2013)

Best movie of this year hands down!

The Age of Commercialism

hyped garbage

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I knew this film was a "tell all" about the relationship between Johnny Cash and his only manager, Saul. Headlines suggest it revealed behind the scenes details like Cash's proposal to June on stage in London, Ontario. Salacious details about Johnny Cash's remarkable career are as good as this film gets............ Two aspects did not sit well with me. Jonathon Holiff's discovery of his absent father leaves out more than it tells. We learn where Saul was when Jonathon was born (on tour) but what was Saul's relationship with his mother? (who is only mentioned in passing, never interviewed on screen). His brother? Did he provide financial support for his family? (At one point we learn that Saul earned $300,000 per year and preferred to fly 1st class, which suggests he was more self absorbed than protective of his family). Towards the end of the film, Jonathon suggests that Saul's difficult relationship with Johnny was because Johnny was antisemitic. Excuse me? The director throws this speculation out based on the fact that Johnny cast Saul as a Jew in his self-made film in Israel. That's pretty thin gruel, and Holiff never interviews the Cash family. Time to wrap up. Saul was not the "Supermensch" Shep Gordon, & Jonathon is definitely not Mike Myers.

A great documentary! The director is really brave to publicly expose his painful past, then take that and turn it into a positive. I work below-the-line in the entertainment industry and am very familiar with demanding stars! This is a really interesting study of a crazy working relationship between artist and manager, and good example of how managers (or publicists and personal assistants etc.) have to clean up very messy situations. And all of it thanklessly! It also shows some of the far-reaching negative effects on many lives – artists, their teams, the families alike – that can result from being or dealing with someone famous. It is really touching and well done, and I recommend everyone on the backside of Hollywood see this film.

Is this a film about Cash or about a father son relationship? Because it misses the boat on either themes. If this is a film about Cash, it's narrow in scope. If this is a film about an estranged father-son relationship, the film-maker lacks "heart". He lacks emotional depth. Where are any unscripted interviews with his mother or family members or with himself? Would have been more emotional to hear about his feelings. Seems the film-maker could have made this a much more emotionally touching film. Instead it appears he tried to capitalize on his dad's past as Cash's manager (who cares). Film has a couple interesting moments but quickly becomes a bore. It's also hard to feel any sort of compassion for the story as it's not really unique. Considering today's family, most of us grew up with absent parents in some way. Hard to feel bad for an upper-middle class son of a successful entertainment manager - boo hoo. Maybe the film-maker should volunteer his time and help the homeless.

I think anybody who can write a film about his father, that was non- communicative at times, deserves a 10. To live through the pain of the process and to find healing speaks greatly for the man who was a hurting boy. Yes it was enjoyable when telling the story of Johnny Cash and his relationship with his Manager Saul. But to see a troubled manager who struggled not only with his client Johnny Cash, but also with his own children, brought tears to my eyes. How can people not find empathy for those that lost the most. It wasn't so much his client, as it was his own sons who deserved more than they got. I think this film will help others to identify their own past hurts with family and how the cycle whatever it may be, can be broken. Its about finding peace, love and healing through much hurt and misunderstanding. Good for Jonathan to bring it out to the open, talk about it and for sharing this remarkable story.