A biopic is usually made after the central character has passed away. In the case of Ray, depicting the life and music of Ray Charles, Charles himself was closely involved with the production and adjusted the script (reading it in Braille) to fit his own recollection. Although Charles passed away last year, this picture about his life, directed by Taylor Hackford, completely absorbs you, even if you are not that much into soul music and r & b. The reason lies within one man: Jamie Foxx.

Although Ray slavishly follows the contours of a standard biopic, the story itself is ideal for this genre of films. The poor black boy, born as Ray Charles Robinson, fighting the demons in his life (in Charles’ case: his drowned younger brother, blindness and, later in life, heroin) that discovers he has an amazing talent for playing the piano, singing and composing.

What is most admirable about Ray is the fact that the screenplay (and indirectly Charles himself, since he was still alive when it was written) doesn’t try to sweep the dirt under the carpet. Instead, the film is a genuine portrait of Charles’ life, which mainly focuses on the period from 1940 to 1965. It becomes clear that, despite his heroin addiction, Charles has remained popular throughout his extensive career.

Although quite standard as a biopic and at times quite unbalanced (for example: most flashbacks to Charles’ childhood occur in the first half of the film), this film is all about Jamie Foxx. He is so utterly amazing, it makes you forget you are watching a movie about Ray Charles’ life. Foxx did the fingering for all piano parts himself and Ray Charles even recorded new tracks for the soundtrack. His performance is even more splendid when you consider the fact he has to play a blind man throughout the entire film. Foxx will at least get an Oscar nomination, but may well actually go home with an Oscar too.

Besides that, Ray has a very relaxed pace but will not bore you. Even if you don’t specifically fancy the type of music Ray Charles made, you will like the musical vibe as much as I did. It is the ultimate music for a biopic about a musician, such as this one.

In short: This film breathes Jamie Foxx. Absolutely stunningly performed, it is more than likely Foxx will have an Oscar on his mantlepiece at the end of February.

Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King
Runtime: 152’
Release Dates: US: 29 October, UK: 21 January, The Netherlands: 17 February
Official Website

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