Ray
Jamie Foxx channels Ray Charles in a movie that pays tribute to his genius but also digs down into his flawed humanity.
Directed by Taylor Hackford (in his finest helming), Ray creates a supple storytelling structure, allowing Foxx to uses Ray’s blindness as a fulcrum for the singer’s laser-like ability to read people.
The movie stays more or less true to Charles’ story.
By the time Ray performs “What’d I Say,” he seems to be ascending into his very high–and best.
He becomes successful by controlling everything — his music, his business, his master tapes, the women and drugs. His eccentric genius at once benefits and suffers from his unchecked ego and unbridled appetite.
