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Ray

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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

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Ray

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Eminently worth seeing.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
11/04/04
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

Ray boasts a great smorgasbord of music and a fine performance by Jamie Foxx but is hobbled by a mediocre screenplay and its long playing time.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
11/04/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

'Overlong, but what makes the film's length more endurable is the impeccable acting of its cast.'

Full Review Source: Catholic Sun | comment Comment
11/04/04
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Catholic Sun

Worth your attention for the performances and Charles' music, but not for its shapeless, simplistic script or Hackford's flaccid filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
11/03/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Vibrantly intelligent and tough-minded.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
11/02/04
David Denby
David Denby
New Yorker

About as loyal a portrait as its subject could have wanted, although for our sake, Hackford might have given us more of the man and less of the legend.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
11/02/04
Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Premiere Magazine

Foxx is essentially critic-proof ... Yet he's embroiled in an editing nightmare.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
11/02/04
Mark Collette
Mark Collette
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

The film leaves us with an impression that Ray Charles was one of the artists who mattered most in the history of recorded music.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
11/02/04
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

In Taylor Hackford's "Ray," Jamie Foxx delivers the season's most mesmerizing performance as late singer Ray Charles.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
11/02/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Foxx so admirably immerses himself in the role that (with all due respect) Charles himself could not have done a better job.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
11/02/04
Tyler Hanley
Tyler Hanley
Palo Alto Weekly

Jamie Fox is electrifying as Ray Charles in Ray that has Oscar written all over it. I gained a new appreciation for Jamie Fox and Ray Charles wonderful music.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
11/02/04
Vince Koehler
Vince Koehler
Entertainment Spectrum

The film doesn’t make Ray Charles’ lifetime events into necessary, cumulative movie events.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
11/02/04
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

This bio-pic isn’t about Ray Charles’ moral highlights. It was about his revolutionary development of his own music, and how he took control of his own destiny.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
11/02/04
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Jamie Foxx's impersonation of Ray Charles completely fails to live up to the hype.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
11/02/04
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

Ray Charles will be missed, but there will always be his music, and now this film.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
11/01/04
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

The 2004 Oscar season kicks off with a great performance by Jamie Foxx and great music -- wrapped in a not-so-great movie.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/01/04
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

Suffers from over-emphasis on personal demons, too many flashbacks and a tacked-on ending -- but Jamie Foxx is incredible.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/01/04
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

A film that delivers on all cylinders and is truly a fitting legacy to the great man himself.

Full Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review | comment Comment
11/01/04
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

The genius of Ray Charles' music is matched by the brilliance of Jamie Foxx's performance.

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
11/01/04
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

...a tribute movie, really, rather than a rousing or revealing biography.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
11/01/04
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for Ray

October 07, 2009: Jamie Foxx Plans Mike Tyson Biopic Opens in new window
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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