Ray

[MacGuffin]

Trailer here.

Release Date: October 29th, 2004 (wide)

Cast: Jamie Foxx (Ray Charles), Regina King (Margie Hendrix), Kerry Washington (Della Charles), Curtis Armstrong (Ahmet Ertegun), Patrick Bauchau (Dr. Hacker), Warwick Davis (Oberon), Aunjanue Ellis (Ruth Brown), Rick Gomez (Tom Dowd), Terrence Howard (Guitar Slim), David Krumholtz (Milt), Harry J. Lennix, Usher Raymond (Jackie Wilson), C.J. Sanders (Young Ray), Richard Schiff (Gerald "Jerry" Wexler), Larenz Tate (Quincy Jones), Ralph E. Tresvant (Sam Cooke), Robert Wisdom (Jack Lauderdale), Denise Y. Dowse (Marlene Andres), Chris Thomas King (Lowell Fulsom), Afemo Omilami (Mr. Johnson), Elizabeth Omilami (Mrs. Johnson)

Director: Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Proof of Life, The Devil's Advocate, Dolores Claiborne, Everybody's All-American)

Premise: This is a story of how a young man, Ray Charles (Foxx), from a poor family in Albany, Georgia, who went from glaucoma at the age of 6, overcame the obstacles life placed in his way and became a famous pianist and rock and roll performer. Getting out of Albany was just the start, however, as Charles had to deal with racism, romantic letdowns, and his own heroin abuse. The two loves of his life that this film will most focus on are his wife, Della (Washington), who stood by his side even as Charles cheated on her with his long-time mistress, Margie Hendrix (King), who had a child by him before eventually dying of a drug overdose. (Krumholtz and Wisdom plays Charles' managers; Schiff plays his record company boss; Armstrong plays famed producer Ahmet Ertegun)

[dufresne]

i think Jamie Foxx does a fantastic impression of Ray Charles.

Unfortunately, biopics shouldn't be about impressions.

[pete]

so soon?!
I wonder when the marlon brando one's coming out?  next week?

[cine]

i think Jamie Foxx does a fantastic impression of Ray Charles.

Unfortunately, biopics shouldn't be about impressions.

Uh huh..

Hey, uh.. you know what's funny? Making ridiculous judgements before seeing a biopic.

[meatball]

i think Jamie Foxx does a fantastic impression of Ray Charles.

Unfortunately, biopics shouldn't be about impressions.

Uh huh..

Hey, uh.. you know what's funny? Making ridiculous judgements before seeing a biopic.

Ridiculous judgements makes the world go 'round.

[cine]

[dufresne]

i think Jamie Foxx does a fantastic impression of Ray Charles.

Unfortunately, biopics shouldn't be about impressions.

Uh huh..

Hey, uh.. you know what's funny? Making ridiculous judgements before seeing a biopic.

i uh, saw it.

[cine]

i think Jamie Foxx does a fantastic impression of Ray Charles.

Unfortunately, biopics shouldn't be about impressions.

Uh huh..

Hey, uh.. you know what's funny? Making ridiculous judgements before seeing a biopic.

i uh, saw it.

Thanks for clearing that up in your first post. Since you know.. you can see that 'fantastic impression' in the damn TRAILER.

[bonanzataz]

i got a free preview pass to see this movie, but i decided not to go. i doubt i'll pay for it either. biopics are so tired. unless it's a biopic about a guy who grew up to destroy aliens or something like that.

[Ghostboy]

I saw it the other night and it falls in the 'really good biopic that's still just a biopic' category. The performances are stellar, of course, and the music rocks. Jamie Foxx is great and will most likely win an Oscar (although there are certainly better male performances this year, including, perhaps, his own in Collateral). There were a few scenes where you could tell it was the real Ray Charles' voice coming out of his mouth, but those musical scenes are so fantastically executed that it doesn't really matter, and he's really playing the piano and that's impressive all by itself. The supporting cast was also really good, and Warwick Davis got a good chance to shine.

So yeah, good biopic, will make lots of money, etc. About what you expect from the trailer.

[Myxo]

Based on a true story!

;)

[hedwig]

I saw it the other night and it falls in the 'really good biopic that's still just a biopic' category. The performances are stellar, of course, and the music rocks. Jamie Foxx is great and will most likely win an Oscar (although there are certainly better male performances this year, including, perhaps, his own in Collateral). There were a few scenes where you could tell it was the real Ray Charles' voice coming out of his mouth, but those musical scenes are so fantastically executed that it doesn't really matter, and he's really playing the piano and that's impressive all by itself. The supporting cast was also really good, and Warwick Davis got a good chance to shine.

So yeah, good biopic, will make lots of money, etc. About what you expect from the trailer.

Just out of curiosity, what would you consider a "Really GREAT biopic that surpasses biopic-ness"?

I choose: Monster.

[matt35mm]

I saw it the other night and it falls in the 'really good biopic that's still just a biopic' category. The performances are stellar, of course, and the music rocks. Jamie Foxx is great and will most likely win an Oscar (although there are certainly better male performances this year, including, perhaps, his own in Collateral). There were a few scenes where you could tell it was the real Ray Charles' voice coming out of his mouth, but those musical scenes are so fantastically executed that it doesn't really matter, and he's really playing the piano and that's impressive all by itself. The supporting cast was also really good, and Warwick Davis got a good chance to shine.

So yeah, good biopic, will make lots of money, etc. About what you expect from the trailer.

What specifically makes you predict that it will make a lot of money and garner an Oscar for Foxx?  Usually bio-pics don't do that well at the box office, and somehow it doesn't strike me as likely that Foxx'll win one.  He might get nominated, but I think the Academy is gonna basically do the same thing they did with Will Smith in Ali and Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon.

Basically, I'm asking if there's anything different about this movie than those other two movies with regards to how the public and the Academy will think of it.

[Ghostboy]

I'd say Ray is as good as Man On The Moon, more complete but not as cinematically interesting as Ali, with a performance by Foxx that is easily on par with Smith and Carrey. I think what will make this a.)more profitable and b.) more Award-friendly than both of those other movies is that Ray Charles just died. I think that will increases the sentimental value of the film quite a bit with theater goers/the academy.

[El Duderino]

a great movie.....jamie foxx becomes ray charles and knocks it out of the park. though the movie has some really sloppily edited transitions, you'll get over it. i reccomend