A masterful rendition

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2005)

I found the film to be a truly masterful rendition of a biography, both in terms of style and content. Although not too familiar with Ray Charles, especially in his early years, the film is utterly convincing, well researched and developed and cinematic ally totally consistent. By this I mean that not only does the film tell the story, it also uses the techniques and the relevant emotional context of the time it covers. Thus we have the newspaper headlines summarising events, so reminiscent of the 50's and 60's techniques; we have the emphasis on the family values, the evil of drugs and the rather naive way of portraying a rising fame & wealth by the limited, simple mechanism of bigger and flashier cars and houses. Scenes like the one of the teenagers dancing to Baby it's Alright on the beach under the disapproving eyes of the adults certainly reminded one of those simpler, seemingly uncomplicated times. Sure, some of it is corny, but again, it blends right in rather aptly with the atmosphere sought. The flashing card routine was perhaps over used, but the director carries it off simply because of the superb music and again, I find his choice of song that often follows the moment in the story very thoughtful and made for some of the most emotional scenes of the film - a prime example is the goosebumps version of Hit the Road, Jack, by an enraged Margie. What was perhaps the most unconvincing part were the childhood scenes. All those people milling about doing apparently not much, recalling yes the community spirit, open house lifestyle, rather inconsistently unable to avoid a simple accident. The mother's rather brutal way of upbringing, very effective in the long run, is just about credible, but rather clumsy. Useless scene: the 1979 flash forward. Do we really need to give credit for redressing a gross injustice 20 YEARS LATER?! Maybe it was meant to be ironic. Best scenes: **SPOILER** well, I love the afterlife forgiveness and clarification, which of course is everybody's favorite fantasy and totally ludicrous but it works because we love it to do so. Best technique: the water scenes, which I found a perfect dose of scariness. Finally, there is ONE last consideration which proves that the director got it right: the film actually portrays (presumably rightly) Ray Charles to be a total a****le and sure enough, throughout the film he never gets an ounce of sympathy or pity from anyone. The ONLY ones who do give him that are us, the audience. That can only mean one thing - this film gets it right!!