Hoo-RAY! Jaime Foxx is excellent in this bio-pic!

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2004)

We previewed the film "Ray" last night in Portland, Oregon, where a packed audience applauded spontaneously at the end.
You will believe that Jaimie Foxx IS Ray Charles in this movie. His performance so astonishes that I forgot this is an actor in the role who is lip-syncing the songs. I found out later that Foxx uses opaque eye prosthetics and actually was "blind" for fourteen hours at a time during the filming. Also, Mr. Foxx revealed today on CNN that he is a classically trained pianist and his hands were seen in all the piano keyboard shots in the movie.
"Ray" primarily covers the highs and lows of the first forty years of Ray's life and his battle with heroin addiction. The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, and the film itself is a true achievement. We're treated to a chronology of the ground-breaking music derived from the courage of this blind, black man.
Ray Charles never forgot his mother's forceful admonition to stand on his own two feet and not let himself become a "cripple" -- because of his blindness. So, he was heroic even as part of him was lost to heroin. Over and over, he demanded to be allowed to do it his way and broke ground where other performers had not succeeded. Live audiences and record fans were treated to his new creations year after year.
The film is an inspirational story of Ray Charles' accomplishments and a celebration of his music. It may be the best film of the year and Jaime Foxx may have nailed the best performance by an actor. Rated A++.