Casual Critic Mini Reviews

Ray (USA) (Universal) (2004) ****Year: 2004iMDB

Director: Taylor Hackford Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Sharon Warren

Taking on the task of presenting the life of an immense legend such as Ray Charles, is obviously no easy feat, and director Taylor Hackford (Devil's Advocate) declared he set his mind on making this movie for 15 years. _Ray succeeds however for 2 main reasons: Ray Charles' music and Jamie Foxx's excellent performance as Ray.

Foxx is completely immersed in his role, effectively becoming Ray Charles with all his antics and gives a performance that deservedly has won virtually every acting award for the year. Alongside Foxx, the female supporting cast of the movie is equally strong: Kerry Washington, Regina King and Sharon Warren as his wife, lover and mother respectively. Ray is not just a straightforward success story. It focuses on Ray's childhood and upbringing through continuous flash-backs, on his heroin addiction and, to a lesser degree, on his role in breaking segregation barriers. The story-telling is the weaker point of the movie. While the impact of his childhood is well portrayed to the point of being slightly overdone, Ray's heroin addiction is both over-dramatized and over-simplified, and parts of his biography are ignored or thinly sketched (eg. his first wife, his more than just one tour lovers, etc.).

However, Ray manages to give strong insight into the life of a legend and, most importantly, it reminds everyone of the power of Ray Charles' music which has become an ubiquitous part of our lives with hits that the younger generation still hums, but may not even know they were created by Charles. 2h30 listening to hits like What'd I Say, Georgia on my Mind, Hit the Road, Unchain my Heart, etc. and learning about the way they were created, is alone worthwhile the admission price and perhaps even repeated viewing. In the year in which Ray Charles passed away, aged 73, Ray is an honoring tribute to one of the greatest American legends.