Amazing

Rating: 8/10 (14 November 2004)

I have seen a lot of biography films. What's good about them is that they always focus on the title character. Whether it was Muhammad Ali or Malcolm X, the director would never focus on the supporting characters. I guess that is the purpose of a biographical film, but nevertheless it should still focus not just plainly on the title character but also on the lives of the supporting characters as well.
That being said, Ray is an amazing biographical film. Director Taylor Hackford and Jamie Foxx have created a celebration of the life of Ray Charles Robinson and everyone who is a true movie-lover should experience this film. I have never seen such flawless acting and such great storytelling ever on the big screen. That says a lot about the power and the glory of this film.
The story is about the life of Ray Charles Robinson, a black man growing up in the rural areas of South Florida who experiences the tragic death of his brother, George. As a result of that experience, Ray goes blind and must learn to get around by using his memory. Encouraged by his mother, he is able to not be treated as a cripple but rather becomes a smart and witty individual by the time he reaches Seattle. However, the disturbing images of his brother's death still haunt him and as a result, he becomes addicted to heroin. Director Taylor Hackford does a great job at analyzing the dark side of Ray's past and doesn't just focus on the glorious music written by him. Speaking of the music, I think it was an excellent decision to not have Jamie Foxx sing the music because then it would lack originality. I was very proud to hear the voice of Ray Charles sing the music for this film. It was as if he had come down from heaven to give us one final performance. That was an amazing experience.
Now, on to the performances. To start off this paragraph, let me just say that Jamie Foxx gives perhaps the best performance of his career. Not only is he able to capture the extraordinarily complicated mental state of Ray Charles, but he is also able to capture the physical aspect of Charles as well. From shaking around while playing the piano to wearing prosthetics to enhance the blinding effect, Foxx does it all as he goes for Oscar glory with this film. Indeed, Jamie Foxx deserves a Best Actor nomination for his work and, barring any setbacks, should win the Oscar for this film. There are also terrific supporting performances in this film from Kerry Washington as Ray's wife and Regina King as his lover. Clearly, they were two extraordinary women whom Ray loved with a passion and both Washington and King do excellent work in capturing their personalities. In fact, I believe that Washington should garner a Best Supporting Actress nomination for this film because I felt that she and Foxx had great chemistry together and that enhanced the powerful effect of the film itself.
The directing is flawless. The writing is superlative. The musical sequences are absolutely unforgettable. And the acting, well, the acting is a work of art. Accolades to Taylor Hackford, Jamie Foxx and the rest of the cast for creating such a great film. Oh, and thank you Ray Charles Robinson for your great personality and your great music. We miss you and we love you.
Lenny's Grade: A-