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Ray (2004)

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Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 196
Fresh: 159 | Rotten: 37

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.

Average Rating: 7.7/10
Critic Reviews: 41
Fresh: 35 | Rotten: 6

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.

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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 193,978

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Movie Info

Directed by Taylor Hackford, this biopic profiles the life of legendary musician Ray Charles. Despite humble beginnings and the loss of his eyesight due to glaucoma at the age of six, Charles, depicted by Jamie Foxx, would nonetheless become an icon in both the music industry and the civil rights era. While the film delves into his problems with drugs and women, the bulk of the story details his career; among the highlights of that career are 12 Grammy awards and 11 R&B chart-toppers, such as

PG-13, 2 hr. 28 min.

Drama

Directed By: Taylor Hackford

Written By: James White, Taylor Hackford

In Theaters: Oct 29, 2004 Wide

On DVD: Feb 1, 2005

Box Office:$75.2M

Universal Pictures

Ray Trailer & Photos

More Photos (8)

Cast

Jamie Foxx
Ray Charles
Kerry Washington
Della Charles
Regina King
Margie Hendrix
Clifton Powell
Jeff Brown
Aunjanue Ellis
Mary Ann Fisher
Harry J. Lennix
Joe Adams
Terrence Howard
Gossie McKee
Larenz Tate
Quincy Jones
Bokeem Woodbine
Fathead Newman
Sharen Warren
Aretha Robinson
Curtis Armstrong
Ahmet Ertegun
Richard Schiff
Jerry Wexler
C.J. Sanders
Young Ray
Wendell Pierce
Wilbur Brassfield
Chris Thomas King
Lowell Fulsom
David Krumholtz
Milt Shaw
Warwick Davis
Oberon
Patrick Bauchau
Dr. Hacker
Robert Wisdom
Jack Lauderdale
Denise Dowse
Marlene
Thomas Jefferson Byrd
Jimmy
Rick Gomez
Tom Dowd
Kurt Fuller
Sam Clark
Julian Bond
Julian Bond
Kimberly Ardison
Ethel McRae
Renee Wilson
Pat Lyle
Willlie Metcalf
Mr. Pitt
Mike Pniewski
Bus Driver
Michael Pniewski
Bus Driver
Terrone Bell
Young George Robinson
Richard A. Smith
Til
Gary Grubbs
Billy Ray
Carol Sutton
Eula
Bill Breaux
Cop #1
Alex Van
Cop #2
Roland "Bob" Harris
Jesse Stone
Tom Clark
Alan Freed
Afemo Omilami
Angry Husband
Elizabeth Omilami
Angry Wife
Vernel Bagneris
Dancin' Al
Fahnlohnee R. Harris
Trudy Daniels
Michael Travis Stone
Robert
Eric O'Neal Jr.
Ray Charles Jr. (5-6 Yr...
Tequan Richmond
Ray Charles Jr. (9-10 Y...
Matthew Benjamin
Musician In Billy Ray's
John Swasey
Customs Agent #1
James Huston
Customs Agent #2
Marc Lynn
Downbeat Reporter
Kyle-Scott Jackson
King Bee
Todd J. Smith
Student Reporter
Rutherford Cravens
White Promoter
Darnell Williams
Fast Girl
Jedda Jones
Mercedes
Jeffrey Galpin
Cop #3
Michael Arata
Cop #4
Estella Denson
Lady In Rain
Jeffrey Glapin
Stunt Coordinator
Derrick Simmons
Stunt Double "Ray Charl...
David Hash
Stunt Double "Wilbur Br...
Ralph E. Tresvant
Sam Cooke
Sharon Warren

Critic Reviews for Ray

All Critics (205) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (165) | Rotten (38) | DVD (42)

Jamie Foxx's all-encompassing performance in the title role more than justifies the early Oscar gossip it has generated.

November 4, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Observer

| Comment

Rex Reed

New York Observer

Top Critic

Eminently worth seeing.

November 4, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Observer

| Comment

Andrew Sarris

New York Observer

Top Critic

Vibrantly intelligent and tough-minded.

November 2, 2004 Comment

David Denby

New Yorker

Top Critic

Sure, it's the Jamie Foxx breakout role. But the movie around it is so systematically 'inspirational' that it comes perilously close to sabotaging the breakout.

October 31, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Magazine

| Comment

Peter Rainer

New York Magazine

Top Critic

Foxx does what he's supposed to. He steals his own show.

October 29, 2004 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

To describe Foxx's performance here is to gush, and so gush we will.

October 29, 2004 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Teresa Wiltz

Washington Post

Top Critic

A powerhouse performance piece for Jamie Foxx and a rock solid biopic.

February 5, 2011 Full Review Source: IGN DVD

| Comment

R. L. Shaffer

IGN DVD

Excellent portrayal of extraordinary musician.

December 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Jamie Foxx is excellent, and sturdily supported by [James L.] White's script all the way.

August 25, 2010 Full Review Source: Cinema Writer

| Comment

Jay Antani

Cinema Writer

Potent and vibrant as far as the music goes, but reticent, self-conscious and pretty much stuck on unexplored surfaces when it comes to this creative giant's complex life and times.

June 16, 2007 Full Review | Comment

Prairie Miller

Long Island Press

Potent and vibrant as far as the music goes, but reticent, self-conscious and pretty much stuck on unexplored surfaces when it comes to this creative giant's complex life and times.

May 16, 2007 Full Review | Comment

Prairie Miller

Long Island Press

The directing is sure-handed, the script intelligent, and the acting strong, especially the amazing performance from Foxx.

October 2, 2006 Comment

Russ Breimeier

Christianity Today Source: Christianity Today

click to read full review [Greek]

September 10, 2006 Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses

| Comment

Joseph Proimakis

Movies for the Masses

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Ray

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Taylor Hackford has crafted one of the best biopics of a musician since Clint Eastwood's Bird. Jamie Foxx gives the performance of his career in the lead role of Ray Charles. This is a well crafted biopic and there are some very strong performances alongside that of Jamie Foxx. Ray is a superb film that has a near

December 13, 2011

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

Occasionally slushy, perhaps a shade on the long side, but very well acted and solidly entertaining nevertheless. Certainly a better portrait of Ray Charles than one would've expected.

October 5, 2011

Stephen M

Super Reviewer

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