Maybe it’s the hype but I’m not feeling the love.
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10/28/04
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Ray (2004)
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Reviews Counted:190
Fresh:155
Rotten:35
Average Rating:7.3/10
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.
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... [More]
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Curtis Armstrong
Director: Taylor Hackford
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Reviews for Ray
It's a shame about Ray, because Foxx is trapped in a movie that takes the music icon's unique story and turns it into cheesy, sentimental American Dream cliches.
10/28/04
Ray is a sprawling, and mostly triumphant, tribute to a man whose appetites often were as big as his voice.
10/28/04
Top CriticDespite a plodding, mechanical approach to dramatizing his life, Ray occasionally hits peaks of energy and delight worthy of his finest songs.
10/28/04
I can't stop loving Jamie Foxx's performance as the great, blind singer-songwriter. I know it sounds corny, but his gestures, singing style and physical presence are so uncanny.
10/28/04
It's incredibly difficult to play an icon without simply imitating him, but Foxx does it.
10/28/04
Foxx is worth the price of admission.
10/28/04
Top CriticIt's good that Hackford and company have allowed themselves to touch so many bases in Charles's biography.
10/28/04
Taylor Hackford's biography of Ray Charles is a potent and invigorating portrait of genius, thanks to Jamie Foxx's performance and to the music of Ray Charles himself.
10/28/04
Top CriticBoth metaphysically and musically, Foxx reveals the secrets of Charles’ soul. He is the light of Ray.
10/28/04
Ray is a fit tribute to an entertainer who, no matter what hate or hardship threw in his way or how many mistakes he made, we can't stop loving.
10/28/04
Top CriticRay is indeed inspirational (how can such a life not be?), but it only occasionally moves beyond uplift and easy sentimentality.
10/28/04
“Ray” starts out well… and then falls into the entrenched paths of just about every other overwrought, over-long musical biopic ever filmed.
10/28/04
It's not all flattery, far from it. It's true and raw.
10/28/04
A handsome mounting adds punch to what is otherwise a conventional biopic.
10/28/04
The Best Actor Oscar has its first claimant
10/28/04
Jamie Foxx’s inhabitance of Charles is a work of transformation that rockets beyond the weight gain, gender switching or beauty-trapping ugly makeup the Academy holds so dear.
10/28/04
Slick, oversized (at 153 minutes), ostensibly warts-and-all but actually quite reverential, the movie is nonetheless quite enjoyable, thanks [to]...Foxx's galvanizing turn.
10/28/04
Despite its flaws, Ray is a compelling drama chock-full of some of the best performances of 2004.
10/28/04
Amazing isn't a strong enough or descriptive enough word to convey the magnificence and mastery of Foxx's performance, and he even lip-sychs better than Ashlee Simpson.
10/27/04
Latest News for Ray
October 07, 2009:
Jamie Foxx Plans Mike Tyson Biopic 
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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