Ray (Widescreen Edition) (2004)
Front Cover Actor
Movie Details
Genre Documentary; Music
Director Taylor Hackford
Language English
Audience Rating PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time 2 hr 33 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. --Jeff Shannon

More on Ray Charles


Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music (CD)

The Genius of Ray Charles (CD)

Ray Charles and Betty Carter--Dedicated to You (CD)

Genius & Soul--The 50th Anniversary Collection (CD)

Ray: A Tribute to the Movie, the Music, and the Man (book)

More Albums by Ray Charles

Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 50
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
UPC 025192594427
Release Date 2/1/2005
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Color Widescreen Dolby