Ray

For anybody whose pre-RAY awareness of Jamie Foxx was limited to his side-splitting appearances as 'Ugly Wanda' on TV's IN LIVING COLOR in the early 90's, his tour-de-force performance as musical legend Ray Charles must have come as something of a shock. Myself, I was less surprised: one look at his work in Oliver Stone's 1999 football epic ANY GIVEN SUNDAY tipped me off right away. Anybody who can hold his own with Al Pacino is worthy of notice. He was equally good in two Michael Mann pictures, ALI and last summer's excellent COLLATERAL (with a third production - a big-screen version of Mann's own MIAMI VICE with Colin Farrell - in the early stages of production). Still, his work in RAY immediately generated the kind of buzz that made him the unequivocal favorite in the Oscar's Best Actor category from the moment of the film's September '04 debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (I happened to be in Toronto that week to take in a handful of films - RAY not being one of them, sadly) and he was indeed the talk of the town.

No doubt about it, Foxx mesmerizes you every second that he's on the screen in RAY. He's got Charles' mannerisms, walk and voice down pat, but it's his uncanny ability to communicate the late singer's joy, temper and perseverance that makes his performance transcend cheap mimicry in much the same way that Cate Blanchett succeeds in bringing Katherine Hepburn to life in her own Oscar-winning turn in THE AVIATOR. Even when the film tends to paint the musician with an overly saintly brush at times, Foxx delivers an honest portrayal of Charles as the complex, flawed man that he was; the singer struggled with heroin addiction and his ongoing womanizing during the height of his success. There's no denying one's admiration for Charles' accomplishments; here was a black, blind performer in the 50's and 60's who demanded respect and earned it through his musical ingenuity and sheer force of will. Charles put his heart and soul into his craft, and it's a fitting tribute to the singer that Foxx invests the same level of commitment in his stunning performance.

Ray is a brilliant film which takes a look at the life of the legendary Ray Charles. Hats off to Jamie Foxx, as performances go, he was a sensation. Utterly convincing and absolutely captivating, Foxx was completely worthy of that Oscar he picked up in February 2005.

I'm no authority on Ray Charles, but I feel like I know the man after watching this film. It starts with him setting off to the big city, dreaming of joining a band and becoming a success. The film then covers all aspects of his life including his womanising, heroine addiction, his brothers tragic death and exploitation which subsequently turned him into a ruthless businessman himself.

An excellent movie, the music alone is a good enough reason to watch this DVD. There are also moments of humour in the movie ranging from Charles's one liners to his Atlantic Records Promoter attempting to sing 'The Mess Around' which alone is reason enough to check this film out.

The film apparently had Ray's blessing before he passed away, which is saying something, as it doesn't portray him in a positive light for much of the film. A super movie overall though and a once in a lifetime turn for Jamie Foxx.