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Ray Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: PG-13 (for depiction of drug addictions, sexuality, and some thematic elements) Theater release: October 29, 2004 by Universal Directed by: Taylor Hackford Runtime: 2 hours 32 minutes Cast: Jamie Foxx (Ray Charles), Kerry Washington (Della Bea Robinson), Clifton Powell (Jeff Brown), Regina King (Margie Hendricks), Aunjanue Ellis (Mary Ann Fisher), Sharon Warren (Aretha Robinson), Harry Lennix (Joe Adams), Curtis Armstrong (Ahmet Ertegun), Richard Schiff (Jerry Wexler) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

In June, the world lost a musical legend with the passing of 73-year-old Ray Charles. But before his death, he was able to give his creative input and seal of approval to the biographical Ray, a film that's been more than 15 years in the making. This is pretty remarkable cinematic timing—his passing is still in the hearts of many, and now we have a fitting testimony to the man's life and 50-year musical legacy.

Charles isn't regarded so much as a songwriter as he was an innovator and a versatile performer. Here's a man who started his career as a jazz crooner, mimicking the likes of Nat King Cole and Charles Brown. He then easily shifted into rhythm & blues, leading into the dawn of rock 'n' roll. Later on, he fused R&B with gospel, and then country after that, eventually embracing middle-of-the-road pop. Referred to as "The Genius of Soul," Charles was more than a cover artist or a mimic. He was a bridge, breaking down musical barriers and making whatever he sang his own.

Jamie Foxx turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as Ray Charles

But Charles' legacy runs deeper than music. His life tells the story of a man who overcame not only racial obstacles in the mid-twentieth century, but also physical obstacles, going blind from glaucoma by the age of seven. Charles was also a shrewd businessman, looking for opportunities to further his career to the next level. A stipulation to his 1959 record contract with ABC-Paramount allowed him to retain his own masters, a deal "better than Sinatra's" that allowed him unprecedented financial control, yet ironically the reason most of his albums remain out of print to this day. And Charles was also the first black artist to refuse to play racially segregated concerts in the South, a stance that led to him being banned from playing in the state of Georgia for many years.

Director Taylor Hackford brings the story to the screen, and while he is probably best known for 1982's An Officer and a Gentleman, he's no stranger to rock history, having previously directed the documentary Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll and produced the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba. 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 movie begins in 1948 with a 17-year-old Ray Charles Robinson taking a bus to Seattle for a jazz club gig that would lead to joining the Gossie McKee jazz trio. From there it chronicles his record deal with Swingtime Records, touring with R&B guitarist Lowell Fulson, his discovery by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records, and his meteoric rise to the top in the '50s and '60s. Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to Charles' poverty stricken childhood in Florida, showing the traumatic experiences that would have ramifications on his life as an adult.

Kerry Washington plays Ray's wife, Della Bea

The camera work and visuals are excellent, as is the music, to which Charles contributed newly recorded vocals for the onscreen performances. And the attention to detail is wonderful; I love how Ray initially sings into the wrong end of the microphone for his first improvised performance of "What'd I Say"—the live recording captured on his Anthology album has the same muffled opening lyric.

A movie like this requires the perfect actor in the lead role. Jamie Foxx got his start as a comedic actor in 1991 with In Living Color, slowly gravitating to meatier dramatic roles over the last five years, most recently with an impressive turn in the thriller Collateral with Tom Cruise. Still, when buzz of the casting initially hit, many questioned whether Jamie Foxx was truly the man for the job—Ugly Wanda as Ray Charles?

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. Between Collateral and Ray, Foxx now finds himself on the path to A-list stardom.

Some may argue that Foxx disappears into the character because he's able to hide behind Charles' trademark sunglasses and mannerisms, along with that familiar grin and quirky Southern drawl. All of these are spot on, but the portrayal is much more than a mere impersonation. It was a revelation to nearly everyone involved that Foxx grew up playing the piano, leading the band at his gospel church while growing up and attending university on a piano scholarship. Hackford sold Charles on the idea of Foxx by having him audition alongside the legend at the ivories. Additionally, Foxx dove into method acting by wearing a facial prosthetic that effectively blinded him during the shoot.

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