For some reason, I generally have a hard time getting into movies that are meant to be purely biographical. Ray is the only movie I own that can be categorized as a biography. Sure, I've got several movies that follow the lives of men and women based on a true story, but these are fictionalized to the point where it's practically something else. But, maybe that's what makes Ray such a good movie. The story of his life is so amazing, so unbelievably incredible that I realized that this isn't a pure biography, it's a celebration of the mans life, from the very high points to the very low points.
Ray Charles Robinson (played sensationally by Jamie Foxx) was born in 1930 to an economically depressed (and segregated) town in Northern Florida, where he lived with his hard-working mother and younger brother. The movie flashes forward a bit, to show a grown up Ray traveling to Seattle for his first gig. From here on out, the movie flashes back and forth between his rising stardom and his childhood. Something clearly haunts him, and we won't find out what until about halfway through. Ray is determined to make sure no one takes advantage of the fact that he is blind, and as more record companies recognize his piano-playing talent, he is able to shake off many of the agents you were trying to hold him back.
Jamie Foxx transcends acting in this film. The audience will literally forget that they're watching an actor, and that it's really not Ray Charles. No matter how little you know about the real man, I'm sure you know the body movements and the big smiles, and his general characteristics of Charles. Foxx captures them all perfectly. Perfectly. The rest of the cast is fairly unknown when compared to Foxx's star power, but they all do excellent jobs in supporting Ray. Kerry Washington is fantastic as Ray's hard, but compassionate mother, and Aunjanue Ellis is great as one of Ray's mistress. The best scene in the film features her and Ray, as Ray is getting frustrated working on one of his best songs. He just can't seem to get it done, and Mary Ann isn't helping him. Moments later, after a bombshell is dropped, their playing 'Hit the Road Jack' like they've been doing it their whole life.
Ray is truly a celebration of one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. Be warned, it does not skimp on the bad details of Ray's life. So if you're looking for all the glamour and nothing else, this is not your movie. This is an honest look at his life, and doing so, creates a hero that anyone can truly admire. He time after time turned tragedy into a triumph, and did so until the day he died. I'm not sure if it deserves the Oscar for Best Picture over Million Dollar Baby, but Jamie Foxx should win Best Actor by a mile.