Foxx Is Rock Solid In ‘Ray’; Oscar Buzz Is Warranted

When a film features stirring renditions of such beloved classics as “Hit the Road Jack,” “What’d I Say,” “I Got a Woman,” “Mess Around,” and more, you’d think the first thing anyone would want to do is run out and buy themselves the movie’s soundtrack. However, once you’ve seen Ray, the new biopic about soul legend Ray Charles, it’s difficult to imagine anyone walking away from this film and not first talking about the sterling performances. It’s only later you’ll say, “Oh yeah, I gotta get me that soundtrack!”

Directed by Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Dolores Claiborne, Proof of Life), this is a rock solid film that traces the steps of a poor, southern African-American boy, growing up in the segregated ‘30s, as he travels from early tragedies to unexpected triumphs.

Ray Charles Robinson, who later became known simply as Ray Charles so as to avoid any confusion with boxing star Sugar Ray Robinson, is portrayed as an indomitable spirit who refused to let anything – including his blindness (which felled him as a young boy at age 7), racist Jim Crow laws, or other people’s pity – keep him from pursuing his dreams of becoming a performer.

Spurred on by the lessons his resolute, single mother taught him as a young boy, Ray (played wonderfully by Jamie Foxx) treks, by himself, from the south to Seattle, and begins a journey that takes him from an intriguing curiosity to an American genius that traversed the genres of blues, jazz, country, gospel and more to create his own inimitable style.

As stirring as the film can be, its courage is also shown by the fact it does little to shy away from some of the ugly realities of Ray’s early career existence: a penchant for frequent womanizing that jeopardized his marriage to a reverend’s daughter (played spiritedly by Kerry Washington) and often fractured his musical partnerships; an addiction to heroin that blinded him from his own unrelenting dependence upon the drug; and a childhood tragedy that subtly haunted him throughout many of his adult years.

Director Hackford does a nice job of setting the tone for the film, but perhaps his best (and most humble) decision is to stay in the background and let the film be carried by the strong performances of his cast, particularly his star, whose work here is almost sure to net him an Oscar nomination. Foxx, who already turned in an outstanding performance this year opposite Tom Cruise in Collateral, outdoes himself here with an uncanny portrayal of Ray, one that goes beyond sheer mimicry.

Much has been written about the work he put in for this movie (he wore prosthetics modeled after Charles’ own eyes so that he would truly be blind during the filming; a classically-trained pianist, he studied with Charles so he could capture the legend’s unique style), but most impressive is that all the actor’s homework amounts not in a carbon copy of the soul giant, but a three-dimensional interpretation that helps audiences plug into some of the elements that motivated the music we’ve come to love and adore.

Lastly, a word of praise should also be given to young actor C.J. Sanders, who wonderfully captures the young Ray without a hint of artifice or over-precociousness. In fact, in one standout scene (with Sharon Warren as Ray’s mother), during which the newly blind Ray begins to depend upon his other senses, he defies you to take your eyes off him... and keep them from tearing up.

Ray, rated PG-13 for some language, and its depiction of drug addition, sexuality and adult themes, is not an exhaustive biography by any means, but by capturing some of the artist’s struggles and shortcomings, it better expresses his ultimate triumphs.