Movie Review

Ray ( 2004 ) is a biographical film focusing on 30 years in the life of rhythm and

Blues musician Ray Charles. The independent produced film was written, produced and directed by Taylor Hackford, and stars Jamie Foxx in the title role. Foxx received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. In the late 1940s. Young Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx), the blind son of a Sharec Ropper, boards a bus in Florida. He travels to Seattle Washington where he uses his unexpected talent for the piano to get a job playing for a nightclub band. The club’s owner soon begins to exploit Ray, demanding sexual favors and controlling his money and career. After discovering that he is being lied to and stolen from Ray leaves the band in disgust. In 1950 Ray joins a white country band who make him wear sunglasses to hide his damaged eyes from audiences. They go on tour and Ray is introduced to heroin. He also suffers from traumatic flashbacks relating to his childhood. The elder of two brothers Ray is raised by a fiercely independent single mother, Aretha Robinson (Sharon Warren).The family is poor but young Ray finds solace in music. He learns to play the piano from the man at a local store. By age seven, he is completely blind. As Ray travels on the road he is becoming to be more and more popular with his music. Ray ends up meeting Della Bea, a preacher’s daughter. He falls in love with her, but Ray goes out on the road and meets up with Mary Anne a singer who teams up with Ray. Della Bea finds Ray’s drugs in his shaving bag and demands he stop using. Ray refuses and walks out on a pregnant Della Bea. Ray begins an affair with Mary Anne. And then he falls for Margie’s and the two begin an affair. Mary Anne leaves Ray and his band but not before throwing a brick through the windshield of his car out of jealousy over Ray and Margie. During the 1960s Ray is becoming more and more popular. While sleeping in a hotel room Ray’s sleep is interrupted by the police who burst in and arrest him. They tell him that they are acting on an anonymous tip that he has drugs in the room and are there to arrest him. Although heroin is found and Ray is charged for possession, he gets off on a legal technicality because the police didn’t have a search warrant. The film shows Ray having a party in L.A when he is informed that Margie had died of a drug overdose and he is devastated by the tragedy. In reality her death from an alleged drug overdose did reportedly upset Charles but it did not occur until 1973.In the year 1979 the state of Georgia officially apologizes to Ray and makes ‘ Georgia On My Mind ‘the officially state song.

Ray Charles, the piano man was just like his mom say to him “blind but not stupid”, actually Ray was really talented guy. Thought blind since childhood, he was a remarkable pianist. But the blind it wasn’t the only obstacle that he has, he manage his blindest really good but he used to have more problems with using drugs and sleep with too many women’s even after being married. This movie would be worth seeing for the sound of the music and the sight of Jamie Foxx performing that it looks deeper and give us a sense of the man himself is what makes it special. Yes there are moments when an incident in Ray’s life instantly inspires a song ( ‘I doubt’, ’What’d I Say’). Ray Charles was quiet man this movie not only knows it, but for my opinion understand it. But just because Ray was quiet it doesn’t mean that people can’t learn from him. For my opinion Ray’s life is an inspiration for people who have problems in life or obstacles that they must overcome.