When I first heard that Jamie Foxx was going to be playing the role of Ray Charles, I thought to myself that it would be interesting to see if he could pull it off. As time went by, and I learned how much work he was putting into the film, I began to suspect that he was going to do a great job at it. That is putting it mildly though, because when you are watching this film, you actually forget that it is Foxx and not Ray actually on the screen. Foxx deserves all the credit in the world for putting in a performance as in-depth as his portrayal of the great Ray Charles Robinson. What he has done here, is bring a musical talent forward into a new generation of fans, and has shown just how successful Ray was at overcoming all odds.

The movie Ray is a biographical film about the life that Ray Charles Robinson lived from his days as a young boy, up until the mid 1960's. It starts out with some sequences about what it was like for him to grow up in the South, and indeed how much passion that he developed for music at a very young age. The movie does a great job of depicting the young Ray, letting the audience know how he felt, but at the same time, leaving a lot for us to figure out in our own minds. I was very happy that the movie wasn't dumbed down to the audience, and instead we were required to figure out the emotions of each scene for ourselves. It then becomes the type of movie where each viewer can take away something different.

Being blind brought along many hardships that others would take for granted, and when it comes to things as easy as counting money, it shocked me that it could actually be a problem for anyone who couldn't read the bills. This is just one example of many things which Ray had to adjust to in his life. The movie also takes the time to show how he had to relearn walking, and how he needed to use his other senses more often, to compensate for his lack of sight. But, don't get bogged down by the fact that he has lost his vision, because there were a lot of things Ray was able to see, that we aren't as capable of. When Ray is struggling with the thought that he is surrounded by water at times in the film, it did a great job of showing what was going through his mind. He felt trapped, almost like he was drowning in a memory, and that there really was no escaping his past. It is astounding that he was able to get past this point, and the film depicted it perfectly.

Ray didn't pull any punches in regards to his life either. It shows just how much he loved being with women, his drug addictions, and the problems that he had relating with his children. It shows that he tried many things to avoid being "alone in the dark", and all of the work that it took him to deal with his afflictions. Many of the things that he dealt with were a mystery to me, until I had seen this film, and after seeing it, I feel I know a lot more about Ray Charles than I did originally. I cannot say that my opinion of him was clarified, or that I respect him more though, because there are some things he did in his life that I would never do. However, I don't think I have the right to judge him, and instead I recognize how great he was to the musical movement for the last half of the 20th century.

Rounding out the film, is a vast supporting cast that does a good job conveying the stories taking place around Ray. In particular, Regina King does a great job as one of Ray's back-up singers, with a relationship that goes beyond co-workers or friends. The best supporting character for the film was actually the music though, as we are shown how Ray came upon some of his all-time classics, and just how much work it took to have people hear his music. My favorite scene in the movie, actually involves Ray and his band performing a set in a club, and having to adjust the length of their presentation to full-fill a contract. What resulted, was a masterpiece in music, that revolutionized just how singles can be released to the public. In addition to that, the film helped to show just how well-rounded the style of Ray Charles actually was. Originally someone who modeled himself after musical greats, he was able to break out on his own, and thus became one of our all time musical geniuses.

Ray was directed by Taylor Hackford whose most recent films were Proof of Life and The Devil's Advocate. He also helped write the film, and deserved the credit he was given for making this picture a reality. Through the first half of the film, Hackford did a great job of fluctuating between scenes of Ray's childhood, and what was taking place during the present (in movie time of course). By giving the audience only momentary glimpses of Ray's childhood, he left a lot open to the interpretation of the audience, and it becomes clear that Ray was struggling with a lot of internal issues throughout his entire life because of certain events. The flashback scenes also deserve a lot of credit, because they were only emotional to the extent of the events taking place, and then the audience was given the chance to fill in the rest. A key thing that I noticed about Ray's memories, were that everything seemed brighter in the past. His loss of vision seems to have caused him to remember the sunlight, the greens of the pastures, and even glass bottles as being very vivid in color. This is where the cinematography of the Director was at its best, because he accentuated everything that Ray thought about.

You cannot give Jamie Foxx enough credit for his portrayal of Ray Charles, and it could not have been done better by any other actor. He truly earned his Oscar with the studying, the work, and indeed the patience that he put into doing this role. He even went through processes to make him blind during filming, which helped him to grasp the mannerisms and movements of the great Ray Charles. With all of that being said though, I felt that the film was still missing something. Though it was a very informative film about Ray Charles, and it was acted very well, I felt that it didn't portray the emotions surrounding him as well as it could have. The film didn't seem like an Oscar-caliber film in the end, but rather a great biography of a famous singer. Don't get me wrong, I felt that the film was well-done, and worth seeing, but I don't think that it stands out as a film that will be remembered for the story, as much as the acting job of Foxx. I recommend seeing this film, but unless you are a big-time Ray Charles fan going in, you may find it lacking as well.






Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD