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Ray (2004)

Ray

Ray is arguably one of the best biopics ever made. Although, like every other Hollywood biography, there is sentimentality, simplicity, obvious bias, a happy ending, and the ultimate goal is to herald the subject as an innovator or genius; Ray does everything it can to present an entertaining look at the life of a great entertainer while staying just shy of the pandering typical of the genre.

The film defines Ray Charles’ (Jamie Foxx) life through traumas experienced in childhood: the drowning death of his younger brother and going blind from glaucoma. These incidents begin the story and serve as running themes throughout the picture. The filmmakers set this up as the primary reason for Ray’s later drug additions and general bad behavior (like repeated infidelity). Any life cannot be fully explained by one or two incidents, but it serves the narrative structure of the movie even if it may not portray a fully-accurate portrait of the man. Pushed to independence by his mother, music becomes an outlet for the young boy.

The biggest fault of the film is the lack of any sequences of Charles’ education at The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine. His incredible experience at the school was the foundation for his musical talent; he received a formal education in classical piano (Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven) and learned how to read braille. He honed his “boogie woogie” skills at school dances and gigs around town. Devastated by the loss of his mother, Charles eventually left and traveled around Florida looking for work as a musician. His desire for more work led him to Seattle, which set him on the path to becoming the musical genius we all know today. The film stops with Charles’ defeat of heroin addiction in 1966, which is a wise move on the part of the filmmakers. Any attempt to tell the rest of his story in such a short amount of time would have lessened the impact of the movie.

Ray is still the best expression of Jamie Foxx’s talent and range as an actor. He wholeheartedly deserved the Oscar for this role. Charles’ movements are so unique and erratic that mimicking them could have come off as comedic or worse, offensive. This is the one element that could have ruined the whole film, since it was integral to Ray’s onstage persona. His body movements were an essential part of his character, and it takes a physically gifted actor to pull it off. Foxx was a comedian who originally worked in satire and slapstick on In Living Color, and it’s this fact, combined with his background in music, what I think enabled him to accurately bring Charles’ gestures to the screen. The same lessons learned from being a physical comedian translated into the skills needed to strut and sway just the right way. The supporting actors are just as effective in their various roles, especially Regina King as Margie Hendricks and Sharon Warren as Ray’s mom.

In the end, although lacking some of the complexities of the real-life man, Ray is an incredibly enjoyable film that captures the spirit and energy — and cements the legacy — of a great musician and entertainer.

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