One of the Greatest Biographies for Its Time

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2007)

"Always remember your promise to me. Never let nobody or nothing turn you into no cripple." Your only one line in the movie, Ray, and you're already interested. This biography of the life of Ray Charles makes for a great and very influential film.
Ray is a biopic about the life of Ray Charles Robinson. It tells the story of how Ray Charles rose to be who he is. It also covers the significant events in his life such as the death of his brother, his marriage to Della Bea Robinson, and his heroin addiction. Although it follows the success of Ray Charles, it also seems to fixate on the negative aspects of his life such as his affair with Margie Hendricks. But as the movie progresses Ray turns his life around and redeems himself.
The acting done by Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles is nothing short of excellent. Foxx seems to make you forget you are watching Jamie Foxx and not Ray himself. This is certainly a surprise choice for Jamie Foxx because of his past roles in "In Living Color" and "Booty Call". The other actors in this movie also deliver great performances as well. This goes especially for the three women in Ray's life, his wife played by Kerry Washington, his mistress played by Regina King and his mother played by the very convincing Sharon Warren.
The cinematic effects through out the movie make you feel as if you are right there in the movie. The cinematic effects were especially vivid during Ray's flashbacks. The scenes when Ray felt water around him when he was remembering his brother's drowning helped to make you feel how Ray felt. Another memorable scene is Ray sitting on the porch when he is a child and watching the bottles hanging from a tree becoming blurrier.
Ray is definitely one movie you should not miss. The great acting, interesting storyline and visual effects come together to make a very convincing biography of Ray Charles's life. It keeps even those who are not fans of Ray Charles interested throughout the movie. The only apparent fault in this movie is that it did not go on long enough.