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The United States just elected a president. And in a different contest, it appears that Hollywood has already elected this year's Academy Award-winner for Best Actor, even though the awards are still a few months away.

In director Taylor Hackford's Ray, Jamie Foxx's performance as Ray Charles is so impressive that almost every film critic that has seen it is talking about his Oscar chances. Playing the singer/songwriter from his early gigs in the Seattle jazz club scene and on through his meteoric rise to fame and several impressive reinventions, Foxx captures the charm, mannerisms, stage presence, strengths, and weaknesses of the man. He's supported by an impressive cast, including Kerri Washington (She Hate Me) in an affecting turn as his wife Della Bea; Curtis Armstrong (Better Off Dead) and Richard Schiff (TV's The West Wing) as his managers at Atlantic Records; Clifton Powell (Woman, Thou Art Loosed) as Jeff Brown, who keeps the band in line; and Regina King (Daddy Day Care, Enemy of the State) as Margie Hendricks, with whom Charles' has an extramarital affair.

Ray is worth seeing, not just for Foxx and the cast, but for the musical performances, the cinematography (by The Pianist's Pawel Edelman), and the sensitive portrait of an artist as a conflicted composer. Like Milos Forman's Amadeus, Ray reminds us that talent and genius have little if anything to do with wisdom. We come away from the film dazzled by the show, grateful for Charles' gift, and sobered by the consequences of reckless behavior.

And yet, while Ray reveals the genius of the artist and much about his personality, Hackford also conceals a great deal: including the story of Ray Charles' first wife, Eileen Williams, with whom he had a child, and stories related to other children he fathered. In a film that gives the appearance of telling the whole story (at 152 minutes), I can't help but wonder what Charles' other ten children are thinking, watching this film that fails to mention their existence (until the conclusion of the end credits), or acknowledge that Charles' marriage to Della Bea collapsed in divorce in 1977 after 20 years. The film is so intent on including all of the highlights that, in spite of Foxx's impressive work, we barely scratch the surface of the man's interior life.

My suspicion is that devotees of Charles' music will get much get much closer to the truth of his heart and soul than those who just see the movie and remain casual listeners.

My full review of Ray is at Looking Closer.

Russ Breimeier (Christianity Today Movies) says, "From the very start of Ray, you can tell that this film was a labor of love for Hackford, who also co-wrote the script. The camera work and visuals are excellent, as is the music … and the attention to detail is wonderful."

About Foxx, he says, "Believe the hype. Foxx is guaranteed an Oscar nomination for his portrayal, and it'll take a brilliant performance of gigantic proportions from another actor to keep him from taking home the statuette in February. He's really that good."

He concludes, "Though Ray is not a 'Christian' film, there's plenty familiar about the descent into sinful habits and the way out of it—forgiveness and accepting responsibility for actions. Ray tells the compelling story of an American music legend, putting his historical impact in proper perspective both professionally and personally."

"Rarely have I seen an actor so deserving of the Best Actor Oscar," says Annabelle Robertson (Crosswalk). "[Ray] is a moving film that portrays racism and segregation without the usual caricatures, showing honest whites and dishonest blacks alike, while also giving you a sense of how devastating it was to live in a world divided by segregation."

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November (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48