Ray (Widescreen Edition) (2004)

Foxx's Show

Never having been a major Ray Charles fan, I did not really think much about whether I should go see this film. Did I really care about a musical genius who was a musical innovator and later a force against segregation (who also happened to be blind) struggled against inferior treatment (first because of his blindness, second because of his race)? Did I care that he succumbed to the same demons that afflict many entertainers (infidelity/womanizing and heavy drug use/addiction)? On the surface, no, none of this is particularly noteworthy. However, Ray Charles, for all his very human faults, loved, lived and breathed music and changed the face of music and was a pioneer in the music industry (both from the standpoint of being a shrewd, cutthroat businessman and from the standpoint of defying musical barriers and traditional lines between musical genres). He started out from humble beginnings but used his talents to climb from this "station" and used his hard won experience (being cheated, being treated differently because of his handicap and/or his race). He could easily have been defeated, but he had talent and drive and a shrewdness born of bitter experience and of being wronged one too many times. Unfortunately, his shrewdness crossed over into his indiscriminate choices in his personal life, but this does not appear to have affected his professional life in the least. He succeeded and thrived against all odds, making state of the art deals for himself, forging his own way in the business, doing what he wanted to do. Unfortunately, as this biopic, handled expertly in the hands of director Taylor Hackford, his music did come at a price for others. Charles's long-suffering wife and a long string of other jilted lovers suffered a great deal at his hands.

The truly remarkable part of this film is not only that it tells a story of such a gifted man who had a sense of self and a sense of what he wanted to do (that led to great success) but that it was possible to make a film that so exactly captured the essence of this man. Jamie Foxx was a revelation; his astounding likeness to Ray Charles (in appearance, mannerisms) created a deeply authentic feel, which made one forget they were watching someone else playing Charles. This WAS Ray Charles reincarnated in a sense. Personally I did not know Jamie Foxx had it in him; I knew he was talented as an actor but had no idea he possessed this kind of gravity and versatility. Having seen all the films for which actors were Oscar-nominated for their roles this year, Foxx unequivocally was the hands-down winner with very tough competition. His performance, though, was in a league somewhere far above the performances given by the other actors. The supporting cast was excellent too but this was really Foxx's show.

All news on this site are owned and copyrighted to their respective publishers. this is a non commercial website.