One of the best biopics made

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2005)

Biopics can be tough to make and act. One has to avoid mimicking the character and needs to convince us that the subject had another life outside the public eye that we can get absorbed in. "Gandhi" and "Pride of the Yankees" will probably be put at the top of the biopic list. "Ray" is definitely a close second. I was close to never seeing this film, fearing that it would fall in league with the mediocre biopic status, despite reviews and Oscars to propel it. However, upon watching this film, I was very impressed by the tightness of the film. Jamie Foxx definitely does a great job in portraying Ray Charles not only as a performer and a talented blind man, but as a person who has many unresolved issues and problems. It is a latter that makes him so deserved of the Academy Award he won. The rest of the characters do a great job, but the one who stood out for me and never go the attention she deserved was Sharon Warren, who plays Ray's mom. She really reflected the gamut of human emotion in this film and should have been recognized for it. The direction by Taylor Hackford is very tight-knit. The only thing that stops me from giving it a top rating is the relatively fast resolution of all the problems towards the end. Otherwise, a must-see film.