Ray Is a Great Movie Brought To Life By Excellent Acting

Rating: 8/10 (5 March 2005)

OK, I never listened to Ray Charles music before. I'll be the first to admit it. However, from the second I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew I wanted to see it and I knew it would be great. After all the hype about Jamie Foxx and the Best Picture nomination and Best Actor win, I knew it was my duty as a movie lover to see it. So does Ray live up? Plot: 23/25: If there was ever a celebrity's story that deserved a biography, I am convinced this is it. This movie deals with the early career of blind jazz pianist Ray Charles Robinson (Foxx), mostly from the late '40s until the early '60s. This encompasses the growth of his popularity, his unique gospel/jazz style, the creation of his greatest classics, his marriage to Della Bea Robinson (Washington), his affairs with his backup singers Mary Ann Fisher (Ellis) and Margie Hendricks (King), and his heroin addiction, the last of which is the main theme of the movie. We are also told, through a series of flashbacks, the story of his childhood and how he coped with his blindness.
Probably the most impressive thing about this movie is that, while it is clearly made by someone who idolizes Ray, is unflinching in portraying just how bad all the things he's done are. It is just as much about his drug addiction and adultery as his music. It never pretends that Ray Charles was a perfect person, and makes him out to be anything but.
There may be a few too many flashbacks and it may deal too much with his brother's death, but it is overall a great representation of the rise of a superstar and his demons.
Music: 25/25: I never listened to Ray Charles before this, but if this isn't the type of music that raises someone to fame, I don't know what is. The music is great, just as anyone would expect.
Acting: 25/25: As you've probably already heard, the acting in this movie is about as good as it gets. Of course, the Best Actor winner Jamie Foxx, who broke out of his Booty Call shell earlier in the year with Collateral, deserves every single accolade he's been getting for his electric performance as Ray Charles. It is probably extremely difficult to convincingly play a very well-known figure, and Foxx is so convincing he could walk into a bar and say "I'm Ray Charles" and, even though you know Ray died (R.I.P.), you just might believe him. However, just because Foxx is brilliant here does not mean that the rest of the cast should go unnoticed. Regina King (Jerry Maguire) is fantastic as Margie Hendricks, the backup singer whose life Ray destroys, and should have had at least an Oscar nomination. The rest of the cast, while not excelling to the heights of the aforementioned two, give their all and are all great.
Entertainment: 21/25: To say this movie is perfect is false. At 150 minutes, it does feel a little long. However, it is worth it all if you stomach sitting down for that long.
Total: 94%: Ray is a wonderful movie. It keeps an electric feeling to it and it's main character, while, at the same time, being an unflinching look at a man and his demons. A truly incredible story is backed up with some great music and some of the best acting we've seen in a long time. I guarantee you that Ray is an experience all should see.