"Man, you told me if I think pennies, I get pennies. I'm thinking dollars, man."

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2007)

On June 10 2004, America lost one of its most beloved music performers, a pioneering pianist and soul musician who thrilled the world with his own original style of rhythm and blues, country and pop. Frank Sinatra once called him "the only true genius in the business." He passed away just days after the first rough screening of Taylor Hackford's new biopic about his extraordinary life. This man's name was Raymond Charles Robinson, but you know him best as the incomparable Ray Charles.
Raised by his poor but determined single mother, Ray suffered the unimaginable trauma of watching his younger brother drown in a washtub, an incident for which he blames himself. If this wasn't debilitating enough, Ray contracted glaucoma at the age of seven, eventually losing his sight. Both his mother and father (who had three separate families) passed away in his teenage years, and he also suffered the prejudices of Jim Crow racism. However, despite being blind, Ray develops a love for music, and dedicates himself towards becoming the biggest musical talent in the country. However, the road to stardom is not an easy one  and, at times, his weakness for heroin and women threatened to ruin his career and his life.
First and foremost, the casting of Jamie Foxx ("Collateral," 2004) was a stroke of sheer genius. Of course, this is to be expected, since it was Ray Charles himself who approved of the decision. In a role that very deservedly earned him a Best Actor Oscar, Foxx is a near-splitting image of the famed performer, mimicking his appearance and mannerisms to the letter. Foxx is also extremely convincing as a blind character (apparently, for up to 14 hours a day during shooting, he was forced to wear eye prosthetics that really did make him blind). And, to top it all off, Foxx is brilliant pianist  a quality that Charles demanded of the actor who would portray him.
'Ray' is the story of one determined man's meteoric rise to international stardom, and of the successful defeat of his own personal demons. And, of course, the popular Ray Charles hits played throughout the film are terrific fun to listen to!