An 80s Film in the 00s

Rating: 6/10 (24 February 2007)

Besides the superb portrayal of Ray Charles by Foxx, the film for me lacked a suitable degree of verisimilitude. The only way I can think to say it is that the black/white racial stuff as portrayed -- while of course "true" in the sense that it happened -- usually comes off as stereotyped and self-conscious. Having lived through a lot of those years in big cities during all the racial tensions, I guess I somehow expected a less obvious portrayal of the insidiousness of it all. Many of the encounters seemed too scripted, too pat, too predictable. I therefore must agree that the film seems to me to be more episodic than of a whole piece.