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Ray
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Ray (2004) -- The life and career of the legendary popular music pianist, Ray Charles.
Ray (2004) -- The life and career of the legendary popular music pianist, Ray Charles.
Ray (2004) -- The life and career of the legendary popular music pianist, Ray Charles.

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   38,157 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Taylor Hackford
Writers (WGA):
Taylor Hackford (story) and
James L. White (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Ray on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 October 2004 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama | Music more
Tagline:
The extraordinary life story of Ray Charles. A man who fought harder and went farther than anyone thought possible. more
Plot:
The life and career of the legendary popular music pianist, Ray Charles. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 38 wins & 37 nominations more
User Comments:
Unexpectedly Brilliant Performance more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story (USA) (working title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for depiction of drug addiction, sexuality and some thematic elements.
Runtime:
152 min | USA:178 min (extended version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS
Company:
Anvil Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
At his request, the screenplay was translated into Braille for Ray Charles to read. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The film shows an exterior shot of Saenger theater in Alabama when Ray is suppose to be performing in Saint Louis, MO. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Aretha Robinson: Always remember your promise to me. Never let nobody or nothing turn you into no cripple.
more
Soundtrack:
Born to Lose more

FAQ

How does it end?
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130 out of 158 people found the following comment useful:-
Unexpectedly Brilliant Performance, 29 October 2004
Author: 8ofem from 8ofem, Ireland

Given that Jamie Fox's former leading credentials not that long ago were limited to the Fox comedy series In Living Color and the atrocity of film, Booty Call, this is a truly pleasant surprise break-out performance. Jamie Fox is Ray Charles in this movie. You never question it or even think of him as Jamie Fox. It truly is uncanny. He physically looks like him, especially with the glasses, but the true magic of the performance is that he acts just like him. He walks around and performs like him, smiles like him, and just does everything like him. This is the best rendering of a real-life character in film since Jim Carrey's depiction of Andy Kaufman in Man On The Moon. However, I'd venture to say that Fox's rendering of Ray is even better. The film itself is good too, though it fails to make a smooth transition in several parts of it and lulls in some parts, while not lingering long enough in others. Of course all films of this nature that are essentially biographies to some extent tend to suffer somewhat from things of this nature. It's hard to pack 70 years into 2 1/2 hrs. Thus, the script mainly traces his early days starting out in music up into the late 60's, with a few flashbacks into his childhood and a brief jump to a single event in 1979. This is the only film I have ever seen in which the entire audience, myself included, stood up and gave a standing ovation after the last scene. It's a celebration of the life of Ray Charles that must be seen by all of his fans. The film doesn't pull any punches though. Two of the main dramatic focuses of the picture are Ray's infidelity on the road and his heroine addiction. All-in-all, a good movie, a great Oscar-worthy performance, and a good way to spend 2 1/2 hrs. This movie held my attention so well throughout its entirety that I really couldn't believe it was nearly as long as a lengthy epic like Titanic. A few quick notes: Jamie Fox spent a lot of time with Ray Charles in preparing for this role. Jamie wore prosthetics during the entire filming of the movie that made him unable to see, so if you wonder why he acts like he's blind so well, it's because he was for the movie. Also, he did all the piano playing himself, as he is practically a professionally trained pianist himself. However, for the singing, Jamie lip syncs perfectly to Charles' vocals. Overall, 8/10 movie...10/10 Jamie Fox performance.

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