Seven Spanish Angels Took Another Angel Home

Rating: Null/10 (1 November 2004)

The second fulfilling movie of the 2004 season is upon us. Coincidently, 'De-Lovely' allowed a superb actor (Kevin Kline) to show us his finest work, portraying an American musical icon (Cole Porter). No less can be said of the work of Jamie Foxx in 'Ray' - his portrayal of musical pioneer ('The Genius') Ray Charles is right on the money. That Americans love their music is borne out by the loving touches with which two musical legends are treated. Let there be no doubt, Jamie Foxx will battle it out with Kline for his portrayal of Ray Charles.
'Ray' is what we would want it to be; a powerfully low-key study of a smolderingly smooth man. Director (Taylor Hackford) could not have found a more striking contemporary celebrity to illustrate how adversity might be overcome. Throughout the film one considers how really incredible it is that a blind black man from the South was able to fashion any success at all; that Charles wasn't just a passing fad but instead actually influenced several generations of Americans!
The physical resemblance of Foxx to Ray Charles has been noted in pre-release trailers. What is less well known is how hard Jamie strove to accomplish this feat. According to Foxx he lost 30 lbs to play the role. (http://www.bet.com/Entertainment/jamiefoxxvideointerview.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished).
But the effect is most striking onstage; watch him make all those same small gestures we knew for some forty years.
Ray Charles' life  poor boy to successful performer  is well documented elsewhere. But nowhere is the extraordinary triumph his life came to be so well conveyed but this film. The exact accuracy of small historical points fall by the wayside; we choose instead to step a pace back and watch the struggle of a man working by an invisible compass.
Director Hackford notes that 'So from '35 to '65 is the focus of the film. To me, that's the best part of the story, it's where there's struggle, where there's conflict, where you don't know the outcome.' (http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/561/561191p2.html)
And he certainly succeeds in immersing us in that era, one of the most singularly progressive periods in history.
Ray Charles was part of that, and more, he was a player. Any critical sniping of the film comes off a bit 'sour grapes'. Why do we not celebrate a real American success story with a standing ovation? Because America is also the home of the second-guesser, the critic and the never-did. Ray Charles was the real deal.
Rating: Four Stars.