Ray

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Biography
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx) overcomes blindness at an early age to rise to success in the music industry, battling a druge addiction and revolutionizing the music world.

Review:

Tim: Ray Charles is one incredible musician, and I can proudly say that this film does him justice. The big story here (and really the only story) is Jamie Foxx. If you said ten years ago that Jamie Foxx was going to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, I would have laughed in your face and probably slapped you for being so stupid. Today, I feel like slapping anyone who says otherwise. Foxx gives a downright incredible performance as the late Charles. You really feel like you are watching the real thing as Foxx speaks, moves, and acts like him. He has all Charles' mannerisms down to a T. He deserves all the accolades he received.

The movie itself is good, but no where near the best biographical films ever made. The film obviously focuses a great deal on Charles' music. This is all interesting stuff, but for a large portion of the film, particularly late 1950s to early 1960s, it feels like you're just watching the same thing over and over. The film stalls out a bit here.

However, for every bad moment, there are at least two great ones to help you forget it. The highlight of the film is all the flashbacks to Ray's past. It is so interesting to watch as a little boy goes blind, and his mother tries her best to teach him the tools to survive. It is interesting, but heartbreaking.

The film boldly shows the flaws to Ray as well, including his infidelity to his wife and his long addiction to illegal drugs. This tends to tarnish our thoughts of the legend a bit, but his character is redeemed through an incredible series of scenes as he tries to fight his addiction.

You will leave this film feeling like you really knew Ray Charles. That has to be one of the biggest goals of a biopic, and it clearly succeeds here. The biggest downside to the film is that most of Charles' life was pretty similar. Every year, he made brilliant records, coped with substance abuse, and had women all over him (whom weren't always his wife). The film is bit long and is occasionally too repetitive. However, you can't just make up events in the story of a man's life, and Ray tells its story convincingly and in powerful fashion. Far more than the movie, however, is the importance of the performance of Jamie Foxx. It makes the movie worth watching and earns both our admiration and our respect.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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