Showcase for a new generation of black actors

Rating: 8/10 (7 April 2005)

It's no secret that this is a very good movie and I'm not sure if I have anything new or interesting to say about it (but I'll try anyway). Some of Ray Charles' songs were part of the soundtrack of my youth, but I didn't really consider myself a fan of his. So this movie was quite a revelation. It's a commercial film and it does have some biopic clichés. But it's well-crafted and to see and listen to it is a riveting experience. From the perspective of the present time, one of its many pleasures is that we get to see the emergence of a new generation of black actors (a term I use to include women also). Jamie Foxx is wonderful but so too are the supporting actors. We will be seeing and hearing a lot more from the talent in this one film. It holds out a clear promise of more filmic excitement to come.