Ray (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Ray', a musical biography of the late, great Ray Charles (directed by Taylor Hackford) chronicles the life of the singer-songwriter from age 7-36 (1937-1966) when he kicks his drug addiction. We're taken on a journey into his life. We experience his passion for music, his love of women, and his intuitiveness with the music industry. But we also experience his demons. The lack of a father figure, family tragedies; and his addiction to heroin defined Charles' life almost as much as his music career did. This is a fantastic film with an astonishing performance from the multi-talented Jamie Foxx.
In his early years, Ray impresses a smattering of record labels (like 'Atlantic') with his vocals & talent for creating music that transcends country, gospel, and rhythm & blues. Ray also impresses a smattering of females over the years. He won over his eventual wife Della Bea (Kerry Washington) by sweet talking her, & teaching her to 'listen'. There's a great scene where Ray tells 'Bea' to close her eyes so that she can hear a hummingbird flap its' wings across the room; beautiful. Ray learned to use his ears to get by in life. He was blind, but his handicap opened his ears to music & it wound up being more of a blessing to him rather than a detriment. However, unfortunately for Della, there were at least 2 mistresses that Ray kept while they were married. Amazingly, she stood by him. She understood Ray and forgave him time & time again for doing things that he shouldn't. And she also made 'us' forgive Ray because he was a good man at heart, & a tortured musical genius. Hackford makes it obvious that Ray's music was heavily influenced by the women in his life, including his mom, Aretha (Sharon Warren).
There are many layers to this film, and yet, in 2 hours & 33 minutes, they appear seamless on screen. Taylor Hackford weaves flashbacks, reality, & dream sequences wonderfully. I empathized with every flashback to Ray's childhood; memories that would haunt him for the rest of his life. And it appears to be a main reason why he turns to drugs. It's engaging to watch him go from a naïve nobody to a world renowned/respected superstar. Along the way, Ray lets go of vocal resemblances to Nat King Cole, & creates his OWN musical flair. In all, I marvel at Charles' ability to persevere, overcome a multitude of diversities, & survive. Jamie Foxx surprised me. I heard the buzz surrounding him here & hoped it would be true; it was. He's outstanding. His physical & emotional similarities to the actual Ray are really something to behold. And though the entire cast is great, I agree with Kevin that Regina King (as his backup singer, Margie Hendricks) is particularly impressive. She's a riveting character & I love her electric scenes with Foxx when they are learning & performing 'Hit the Road, Jack'.
I learned about a brilliant man, and got to watch & hear him perform some of his masterpieces in, 'What'd I say', 'Mess Around', 'Moonlight Sonata', 'You Don't Know Me', & 'Georgia on My Mind'. The latter had the most significance in that this was the state that he was not allowed to perform in for many years because he refused to perform to a segregated audience. As explained in the film, the State of Georgia officially apologized to Ray Charles in 1979 & finally allowed him to perform there. The 'Jim Crow' laws were dead and buried, so Ray was free to play at his hearts' content to his fans of all races.
In his early years, Ray impresses a smattering of record labels (like 'Atlantic') with his vocals & talent for creating music that transcends country, gospel, and rhythm & blues. Ray also impresses a smattering of females over the years. He won over his eventual wife Della Bea (Kerry Washington) by sweet talking her, & teaching her to 'listen'. There's a great scene where Ray tells 'Bea' to close her eyes so that she can hear a hummingbird flap its' wings across the room; beautiful. Ray learned to use his ears to get by in life. He was blind, but his handicap opened his ears to music & it wound up being more of a blessing to him rather than a detriment. However, unfortunately for Della, there were at least 2 mistresses that Ray kept while they were married. Amazingly, she stood by him. She understood Ray and forgave him time & time again for doing things that he shouldn't. And she also made 'us' forgive Ray because he was a good man at heart, & a tortured musical genius. Hackford makes it obvious that Ray's music was heavily influenced by the women in his life, including his mom, Aretha (Sharon Warren).
There are many layers to this film, and yet, in 2 hours & 33 minutes, they appear seamless on screen. Taylor Hackford weaves flashbacks, reality, & dream sequences wonderfully. I empathized with every flashback to Ray's childhood; memories that would haunt him for the rest of his life. And it appears to be a main reason why he turns to drugs. It's engaging to watch him go from a naïve nobody to a world renowned/respected superstar. Along the way, Ray lets go of vocal resemblances to Nat King Cole, & creates his OWN musical flair. In all, I marvel at Charles' ability to persevere, overcome a multitude of diversities, & survive. Jamie Foxx surprised me. I heard the buzz surrounding him here & hoped it would be true; it was. He's outstanding. His physical & emotional similarities to the actual Ray are really something to behold. And though the entire cast is great, I agree with Kevin that Regina King (as his backup singer, Margie Hendricks) is particularly impressive. She's a riveting character & I love her electric scenes with Foxx when they are learning & performing 'Hit the Road, Jack'.
I learned about a brilliant man, and got to watch & hear him perform some of his masterpieces in, 'What'd I say', 'Mess Around', 'Moonlight Sonata', 'You Don't Know Me', & 'Georgia on My Mind'. The latter had the most significance in that this was the state that he was not allowed to perform in for many years because he refused to perform to a segregated audience. As explained in the film, the State of Georgia officially apologized to Ray Charles in 1979 & finally allowed him to perform there. The 'Jim Crow' laws were dead and buried, so Ray was free to play at his hearts' content to his fans of all races.