Ray of Light

Rating: Null/10 (3 November 2004)

"Ray" takes all the standard elements of the "rise and fall and recovery" brand of biopic, and makes them work. In lesser hands, this study of the first half of Ray Charles' lengthy and productive music career could have come off as just more movie-of-the-week formula. But a good cast and strong direction by Taylor Hackford turn it into an effective and worthwhile movie.
Even if there were nothing else, the career-making performance by Jamie Foxx in the title role would be worth the price of admission. Stepping into Charles' trademark shades is no small thing; he was a man of such distinct voice, mannerisms, and personality that any attempt to imitate him could have easily descended into caricature. Foxx avoids this trap, evoking the late legend's style to perfection. More than that, he makes Ray live on screen as a human being instead of simply a cultural icon. Charles was a deeply gifted man, but a deeply flawed one as well--a drug addict, a womanizer, and a ruthless businessman--and Foxx takes on these less admirable qualities without losing the audience's sympathy. He understands, for example, that a man who loved as many women as Ray Charles did must have been appealing to them, even in his less attractive moments. When Ray tells his wife Della Bea (Kerry Washington) that he loves her and her alone, one is very tempted to believe him, in spite of the evidence to the contrary.
The rest of the cast is very good--I especially liked Washington as Ray's long-suffering wife and Sharon Warren as his tough-loving mother. And Hackford's filming style brings some punch to scenes that could have wound up feeling formulaic--though his treatment of Charles' heroin addiction wraps up a bit too quickly to be completely effective. But this movie belongs to Jamie Foxx, and he has earned it. If he's not on the short list for the best actor Oscar in February, then the Academy has lost all claim to integrity.