Ray the...

Rating: 9/10 (9 September 2005)

Ray the tragedy. Ray the musical genius. Ray the adulterer. Ray the great performer. Ray the Junkie. All these facets of this great innovator are explored and shown in an honest light. Jamie Foxx pulls off an impersonation that rivals (or even beats) Jim Carrey's "Andy Hoffman". It's not just that with the haircut and glasses he looked so much like Ray, it's the little mannerisms that he had down pat. The story follows two time lines. One time line from 1948 to 1965 and another from when Ray and his little brother were little until Ray leaves home to go to school. These are intermixed well and play off each other (much like the movie "The Last Emperor"). Ray's genius at crafting music is a major part of the movie which I liked a lot. A lot of time biography's of musicians concentrate on how they handle the popularity and don't spend enough time show us the musician at work (e.g. "The Doors"). Here we see how Ray crafts his songs and (as a musician myself) I'm in wonder and awe. The influence his mother had on him was shown is frank and honest manner. The heroin addiction was shown, but the movie did not center on it nor did it belittle it either. Across the board this was a terrific movie. There were a few flaws here and there with some supporting cast being stereotypical, but don't let minor flaws like that stop you from enjoying a great biography. 9/10