Great for Fans...not so great cinema

Rating: 6/10 (26 January 2005)

Ray is a competent and, in places, beautiful film to watch. Without doubt James Foxx's performance is convincing and worthy of awards. The direction and cinematography is workman like and fine. That said... it is also way too long! If you are not a fan of the development of the kind of music that Ray Charles is famous for, then this is not a film for you.
I didn't learn anything about the man that I didn't already know. In personal terms the man was a walking cliché, humble beginnings, to emergent genius, to unwise marriage, adultery, drug addiction... how many times has this rock n roll odyssey been trotted out. Think 'Lady Sings the Blues' minus the tragedy. After that Charles' life is dull... so dull that the film makers reduce it to four line of text, one for each decade of Charles' remaining life.
It just wasn't fun to watch... I was bored and couldn't stop looking at my watch as the film entered its second hour! This is a film for fans of the man. If you like him, you'll like this... if not, well you'll be ambivalent at best.