Released 2004
Stars Jaime Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry J. Lennis, Bokeem Woodbine, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders, Curtis Armstrong, Richard Schiff, Larenz Tate
Directed by Taylor Hackford

Biographical pictures can frustrate because chasing after a person's entire life too often produces epic-length films that feel scattershot and rushed. The scope of their tales defies reasonable dramatic rhythms, so biopics all too often achieve the dubious and counter-intuitive effect of being simultaneously too long and too brief. The best entries in the genre trade breadth for depth by limiting the story to a particularly dramatic period or event in the subject's life. One of the best examples of this approach is Milos Forman's Amadeus, which is less concerned with Mozart's life than it is with the nature of his talent and its implications for his peer Salieri. Perhaps Taylor Hackford thought he was taking a similar approach by limiting Ray to only three decades in Ray Charles's life and career, but the film still bites off more story than it can chew. A movie about Charles's musical innovations might have proven vibrant and exhilarating. One about the soulful yearning at the center of his marriage, sexual affairs, and drug addiction might have been emotionally dynamic. A picture about the poverty, deprivation, and tragedy of his childhood could have been gut-wrenching. But Ray traipses through each of these plotlines and, in so doing, fails to get to the heart of any one of them. Our trips back to his childhood feel particularly out of place, a distraction from the more interesting events throughout the rest of the film. Charles's relationship with his resilient mother (well played by newcomer Sharon Warren) is dynamic and fascinating, but Hackford never finds smooth transitions into the flashbacks. Their psychological connection to the behavior of the adult Ray is trite, and their resolution at the end of the film is hackneyed and incomplete. These periodic sojourns backward in time fatally dilute the picture's narrative power.

Truth be told, Ray is only a mediocre biopic. It tries to tell too much story, and ends up feeling piecemeal and incomplete as a result. In addition, the thin supplements and poorly executed extended cut of the film, leave Universal's Special Edition DVD feeling less than special. Having said all that, Jamie Foxx's performance is so remarkable, it's not to be missed. If you didn't catch Ray in the theater, it's worth a rental.

Summary by www.dvdverdict.com

This is not a great movie, because it's too long and shallow. After a point, I felt like it started to repeat itself--he was a junkie and a womanizer. Ok, I got that point, but I also got the point he was a brilliant musician. Between Jamie Foxx's performance and the wonderful music, this movie a must-see. --Bill Alward, March 28, 2005