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ByDEBORAH NICOL
Every great musician must
have a great story. Rarely is it told that Genius
Musician X grew up in an upper-middle class home
with a healthy, well-adjusted family, and came
across a recording contract during a free weekend
(present-day bubblegum pop musicians aside). The
tale of Ray Charles Robinson is no exception,
growing from his tough southern roots and blind
misfortune to become one of R&B's favorite sons.
Director Taylor Hackford ("The Devil's Advocate,"
"An Officer and a Gentleman") has gathered an
impressive cast to portray the life of this
recently departed legend. Kerry Washington ("She
Hate Me") portrays the much put-upon Mrs. Robinson
with great strength and life -- she leaves no room
for pity towards her character. Regina King
("Jerry Maguire") plays one of the more consistent
love affairs in Charles' life, as fiery and fierce
backup singer Margie Hendricks. Why King has never
been given a fantastic lead in a movie or has not
received awards for her powerful supporting roles
is anyone's guess, since she has always proven
herself capable of a raw and intense range.
Clifton Powell and Curtis Armstrong round out a
strong male ensemble; all do their best to imbue
the importance of this period in musical progress.
Jamie Foxx has come quite far in his acting career
to portray the film's namesake, and depicts the
piano man very convincingly and with much poise.
However, he faces the same scrutiny as his "In
Living Color" alum Jim Carrey, who in his
portrayal of comedian Andy Kaufman struggled
between a convincing portrayal and an emotional
character. Foxx is certainly solid in this role,
but without considering the challenge of imitating
this celebrity, would the bar be raised to the
same height solely based on emotional depth?
Though Charles did make great strides in combining
different pieces of the musical spectrum -- such
as gospel, R&B, and country -- the facts are often
presented much as bullet points in a book report.
Statements such as, "But Ray, no musician or
studio has ever done that before" belittle the
audience's intelligence and their deductive
abilities towards such conclusions. Names of
prominent musical figures are presented in a
similar manner, with attempts to slip in each
person through a grand gesture, rather than allow
their entrance to happen naturally.
Aside from these detractions, the difficulty of
presenting a well-known musician's entire
biography is recognized. Focusing on a drug
addiction supposedly spurred by a traumatizing
childhood, the film attempts to flesh out the
human being behind the excess and stage persona.
With fantastic cast in tow, this film proves an
impressive accomplishment.
DVD extras on the first disc include director's
commentary and extended scenes, available when
prompted throughout the film. A bit of an
interruption to the flow at initial viewing, but
interesting nonetheless. Plentiful second disc
extras include numerous featurettes, a trailer,
and musical performances. Also included in the
package is a booklet. |
