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Ray (2004)
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Reviews Counted:190
Fresh:155
Rotten:35
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Critics can't stop loving Jamie Foxx's performance in Ray, which is being hailed as an engrossing and energetic take on Charles' achievements and demons.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for depiction of drug addiction, sexuality and some thematic elements
Runtime: 2 hrs 33 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:21-01-2005
Synopsis: Ray is the never-before-told, musical biographical drama of American legend Ray Charles. Featuring a remarkable performance from Jamie Foxx in the central role, Ray follows the inspiring story of a... Ray is the never-before-told, musical biographical drama of American legend Ray Charles. Featuring a remarkable performance from Jamie Foxx in the central role, Ray follows the inspiring story of a one-of-a-kind genius. Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered incorporating gospel, country, jazz and orchestral influences into his inimitable style. As he revolutionized the way people appreciated music, he simultaneously fought segregation in the very clubs that launched him and championed artists' rights within the corporate music business. Ray provides an unflinching portrait of Charles' musical genius as he overcomes drug addiction while transforming into one of this country's most beloved performers. Ray is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman); screenplay by James L. White, from a story by Hackford and White; and produced by Hackford, Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin and Karen Baldwin. [More]
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Curtis Armstrong
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Curtis Armstrong, Warwick Davis, Clifton Powell, Harry J. Lennix, Terrence DaShon Howard, Larenz Tate, Aunjanue Ellis
Director: Taylor Hackford
Director: Taylor Hackford
Screenwriter: James White, Taylor Hackford
Producer: Howard L. Baldwin, Karen Baldwin
Composer: Craig Armstrong
Producer: Stuart Benjamin
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Ray
Anchored by Foxx's astonishingly powerful performance, this moving and engaging biographical film ... is also director Hackford's finest film.
Director Taylor Hackford hits most of the right notes in exposing both Charles' enormous talents and foibles.
Taylor Hackford's biography of Ray Charles is a potent and invigorating portrait of genius, thanks to Jamie Foxx's performance and to the music of Ray Charles himself.
Some of the performances of Ray Charles's greatest hits send you right over the void at the center of the movie.
takes facts and mixes them with a healthy dose of poetic license to splendid effect [resulting in] a kaleidoscopic view of Charles’ rise from unimaginable poverty to fame
In Taylor Hackford's "Ray," Jamie Foxx delivers the season's most mesmerizing performance as late singer Ray Charles.
Making a movie about anyone's life requires a director to make choices, and Hackford wasn't trying for a painstaking re-creation. Instead, he chose to focus -- like Charles himself -- on the soul.
But the movie belongs to Foxx, who should garner a best actor Academy Award nomination, if not the statue itself, for his astounding performance.
Ray does provide a sweet reminder of the power of Charles’s music, and if that’s all the film can really offer, that isn’t such a bad deal after all.
A very good film, regardless of whether or not you love Ray Charles’ music. And even if it was a lesser film, Jamie Foxx’s performance would have made it worth watching.
Ray is a sprawling, and mostly triumphant, tribute to a man whose appetites often were as big as his voice.
Latest News for Ray
October 07, 2009:
Jamie Foxx Plans Mike Tyson Biopic ![]()
Does one good biopic deserve another? "Ray" star Jamie Foxx wants to reunite with director Taylor Hackford for a look at the life and times of Mike Tyson. More...
October 15, 2007:
Mirren and Pesci Saddling Up at Hackford's Love Ranch
Helen Mirren, Joe Pesci, and Taylor Hackford are headed to the Love Ranch. More...
December 29, 2006:
Kasdan, Apatow & John C. Reilly to Introduce "Dewey Cox"
How many musician-centric biopics do you have to sit through before you start clamoring for a nice juicy parody of the sub-genre? Well, one's on it's way, courtesy of director... More...
December 08, 2006:
The Weekly Ketchup: "Spider-Man 3" Teasers, "Pirates 3" Pics And Rumors, "Transformers" Images, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, we just can't get enough of those tidbits from the upcoming third installments of "Spider-Man" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the... More...
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