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Ray (2004)

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Reviews Counted:40

Fresh:34

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.7/10

Consensus: 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.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for depiction of drug addiction, sexuality and some thematic elements

Runtime: 2 hrs 33 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 29, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $75,236,415

Synopsis: Ray is the never-before-told, musical biographical drama of American legend Ray Charles. Featuring a remarkable performance from Jamie Foxx in the central role, Ray follows the inspiring story of a... Ray is the never-before-told, musical biographical drama of American legend Ray Charles. Featuring a remarkable performance from Jamie Foxx in the central role, Ray follows the inspiring story of a one-of-a-kind genius. Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered incorporating gospel, country, jazz and orchestral influences into his inimitable style. As he revolutionized the way people appreciated music, he simultaneously fought segregation in the very clubs that launched him and championed artists' rights within the corporate music business. Ray provides an unflinching portrait of Charles' musical genius as he overcomes drug addiction while transforming into one of this country's most beloved performers. Ray is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman); screenplay by James L. White, from a story by Hackford and White; and produced by Hackford, Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin and Karen Baldwin. [More]

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Curtis Armstrong

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Curtis Armstrong, Warwick Davis, Clifton Powell, Harry J. Lennix, Terrence DaShon Howard, Larenz Tate, Aunjanue Ellis

Director: Taylor Hackford

Director: Taylor Hackford
Screenwriter: James White, Taylor Hackford
Producer: Howard L. Baldwin, Karen Baldwin
Composer: Craig Armstrong
Producer: Stuart Benjamin
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Release:

Aug 16, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

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Reviews for Ray

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Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
11/04/04
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Eminently worth seeing.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
11/04/04
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
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Vibrantly intelligent and tough-minded.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
11/02/04
David Denby
David Denby
New Yorker
Top Critic Icon 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.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
10/31/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/29/04
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/29/04
Teresa Wiltz
Teresa Wiltz
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sometimes wobbly blend of the ordinary and the amazing, Ray is nevertheless entirely engaging because of a remarkable central performance and a smartly lived-up-to promise.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
10/29/04
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jamie Foxx is incredible as musical giant Ray Charles.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
10/29/04
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It takes all of five seconds, tops, to believe that Jamie Foxx is the young Ray Charles.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
10/29/04
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Any viewers who look at Ray and see only clichés are declaring themselves hopelessly lost to the real achievement of this picture, which is nothing less than a statement of faith in the inclusiveness of American culture.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
10/29/04
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Foxx's performance is an absolute career-maker, and he's surrounded by fine actors. By amazing music, too.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
10/29/04
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jamie Foxx should start clearing some space on his mantle -- his extraordinary, transcendent performance as music legend Ray Charles in the exuberant Ray is the one to beat for Best Actor come Oscar night.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
10/29/04
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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It is in Ray's many music sequences that Hackford's direction is most confident.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
10/29/04
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What can Ray tell us about such a familiar figure? A Lot.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
10/29/04
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The music is inspired and the cast terrifically committed, but Ray is still a long way from being a good movie.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
10/29/04
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The music numbers are lively, the supporting cast solid, and the direction by Taylor Hackford is fully efficient.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
10/29/04
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's the kind of movie in which every song or musical breakthrough has a dramatic inspiration drawn from a real-life experience, designed to make us believe a life can be analyzed through its creative expressions and successes.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
10/29/04
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Foxx gives one of the year's best performances, and early talk about an Oscar nomination is entirely justified.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
10/29/04
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hackford has made a film that -- like Charles' music itself -- breaks your heart, makes it brim with joy and ultimately fills it with a deep belief in beauty and salvation.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
10/29/04
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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Latest News for Ray

October 07, 2009: Jamie Foxx Plans Mike Tyson Biopic Opens in new window
Does one good biopic deserve another? "Ray" star Jamie Foxx wants to reunite with director Taylor Hackford for a look at the life and times of Mike Tyson. More...

October 15, 2007: Mirren and Pesci Saddling Up at Hackford's Love Ranch
Helen Mirren, Joe Pesci, and Taylor Hackford are headed to the Love Ranch. More...

December 29, 2006: Kasdan, Apatow & John C. Reilly to Introduce "Dewey Cox"
How many musician-centric biopics do you have to sit through before you start clamoring for a nice juicy parody of the sub-genre? Well, one's on it's way, courtesy of director... More...

December 08, 2006: The Weekly Ketchup: "Spider-Man 3" Teasers, "Pirates 3" Pics And Rumors, "Transformers" Images, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, we just can't get enough of those tidbits from the upcoming third installments of "Spider-Man" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the... More...

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