More Movie Reviews

I've had a lot of stuff to study for lately, and this usually means I've also been watching a lot of movies. Why? Because when I watch movies while I outline, I'm able to convince my brain I'm not really studying. So Blockbuster and Netflix have been working in tandem to keep the illusion alive, and here are some reviews of what I've been watching.

Ray - Starring Jamie Foxx. Directed by Taylor Hackford.

First off, I knew very little about Ray Charles coming into this movie. I could rattle off a few of his song titles - "Hit the Road, Jack," "What'd I say," and of course, "Georgia on My Mind," our official state song down here. Interestingly, Charles is Macon's first son, and defeats my theory that this town has contributed nothing to the world it scars. Nevertheless, this movie educates about the musical legend in a most entertaining fashion.

Going into most movies, especially so-called "bio-pics," you have expectations. I was expecting to see a typical such movie, the gist of which would be a blind man overcomes racism and his disability through his incredible musical talent. Now, having seen it, that is the gist of the movie. But fortunately for "Ray" and the memory of it's subject, it is a whole lot deeper and well-rounded. The best thing about this movie is it transcends those gimme themes and is able to talk about Ray Charles in the most personal of ways. Fortunately, this movie was made with Ray's blessing and input before his recent passing, so it has the authenticity it needs (Charles even had a script made in Braille so he could approve it).

Instead of focusing only on his blindness, or his blackness, the movie delves much further. We see Foxx's Charles struggle with opposition to his Gospel-meets-Risque musical style, his womanizing and adultering ways, and his biggest hurdle bar none - a prolonged addiction to heroin. Now, I didn't even know Ray Charles was a heroin addict. I didn't know that the Indianapolis police arrested him at his hotel when he was in town for a show, without a warrant, to put him behind bars more for "corrupting" white youth than narcotics. But this is one of many examples of what the movie reveals about the legendary Charles.

Yet, the movie is still more than a glorified "Behind the Music" episode. Much, if not all, of this is due to Foxx's brillant performance. I can say this guy definitely deserved the Best Actor Oscar he picked up Sunday. He is Ray Charles. I'm a fan of Foxx. His "I Might Need Security" comedy special on HBO is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Still, I was concerned that his performance would only show off one of his most noticeable talents - his imitation skills. Foxx can impersonate anyone, and that's great for stand up. But I didn't want to see him just put on dark glasses and bob around like Ray Charles. We've all seen the "You got the right one, baby" Pepsi commercials of the '90s, and we don't need to see Foxx's version in a movie honoring this man after he has passed. But, as his Oscar reflects, the performance goes far beyond the nuances we all know. Not only do you never notice Foxx is acting like he's blind, but you sometimes don't even notice that you're watching Foxx at all. He's really that good. I liken his performance as Charles to Jim Carrey's Andy Kaufman in "Man in the Moon." It's just so complete and dead-on, and doesn't blur the public persona with the private portrayal - they blend flawlessly.

The movie as a whole, however, is far from flawless. The supporting cast is hit-and-miss, and the flashback imagery employed for the purpose of background is appropriate in some places and inappropriate in others. Also, the ending left a lot to be desired - there's simply not much of an emotional climax after such an emotional film. I watched this movie late at night, but I also had trouble keeping track of all the characters. Too many of the actresses cast as Charles's extra-marital liasons look alike, and you have trouble figuring out if Ray's arguing with his wife or his mistress. There's also a lot of pointless characters. For example, a young Quincy Jones appears sparingly in the movie. True, he and Ray were lifelong friends, but his scenes don't reflect that. Instead, they're more like "hey, it's a young Quincy Jones," but contributes nothing to the plot. And this is a minor critique, but too many storylines are started and not finished. After his transfer from Atlantic to ABC records, there's scenes of Charles' band disgruntled over what they see as their leader's neglect. But virtually nothing further about that, and it comes so late in the movie one might conclude they just remained pissed off at him forever.

All in all, this is a great movie on many levels. It will educate you about the entertainment icon, to be sure. As I said, I was clueless about the heroin addiction, but I also had no idea that at one point the GA Legislature banned him for life from performing in the state, or that he was one of the first artists to demand ownership of his masters. As the movie points out, Charles was very wary to the fact that he could be taken advantage of. As a traveling jazz musician early in his career, he demanded to be paid in $1 bills. He knew his potential to be exploited, and fought it at every turn. He was savvy in every way, and flashbacks into his childhood vividly portray how he learned to be so independent in spite of being a blind black man in the Jim Crow south. The filmmakers and Foxx leave no stone unturned, which makes this a better-than-average biographical film. It goes beyond putting well-known events to celluloid just so you can say "Wow, Will Smith worked out so much he really does look like Muhammed Ali!" Instead, it never loses sight of it's main goal - illustrating the well-known story by showing us what is NOT well-known. And after seeing the movie and learning more about the late great Ray Charles, I'm glad it does him justice.

RATING: 7.5/10
Reminds Noba of/If you like "Ray" you'll love: "What's Love Got to Do With It" (Tina Turner Bio-Pic), "X," "Mr. Holland's Opus"