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Directed by: Taylor Hackford

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry J. Lennix

Runtime: 152 mins

I just finished up Moulin Rouge and now I come with Ray another musical that became famous because of the portrayal of its protagonist Ray Charles by the egoistic Jamie Foxx. The film shows the life of Ray through thirty years of his career. Ray Charles whole life is showcased in a very boring linear fashion with some interesting twists in the musical narrative which has become common after the advent of Moulin Rouge.

Some of the strong moments in the movie is when he finds his songs out of situations that might have been extremely scandalous. He used to sing songs with Gospilic tunes shifting genres through time. He was also a lover of women he loved to feel their faces in order to recognize who he is talking with. His love for all women is what got him into trouble and also brought out some of his greatest pieces of music like Georgia, Hit the Road Jack and many others.

The director who took 15 years to come with this film has somewhat lost when it comes to the script which is sort of half baked but gives Jamie enough room to maneuver into his role. One of the strengths of Jamie that comes to form in the movie is that he sings and plays Ray Charles and at times you might miss who is really singing it. Ray played a lot with Jamie giving very good advice one of the more famous ones is when Ray and Jamie played Jamie missed some notes and Ray told him “ Man come on they were right under your fingers. “ I think this is what Jamie brought to this role he looked under fingers and brought out one of his career defining roles.

Jamie had also gone through a lot of pain while shooting the movie using prosthetics to cover his eyes so that he could live in the frustration ray felt when he was blind all the time. But I would like to say there is nothing this film has to offer except for Jamie you can miss it if you want. But it is essential for those who feel cinema is not only about film making alone but also the strength of the performances that can turn a mediocre movie into something worthwhile. There is a lot the director could have explored with the narrative itself but instead succumbing to the strength of the songs that Ray worked so hard to produce. This is a fitting homage to Ray’s music and mannerism but not his life.