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New Charles movie- Sex, Drugs, R&B


"Ray," called one of the greatest films of the year by many reviewers, falls short. Based on the life of R&B/gospel/-country singer Ray Charles, this rather dull portrayal is long and drawn out. The first two-and-a-half hours of this film focuses on Ray's life up to about the age 35. It's at this time you are shown Ray's early years and introduced to his addiction to drugs and sex -- a healthy balance of both, I might add. The last 40 years or so are a quick overview. I guess nothing interesting happened after he stopped all the drugs and sex with multiple partners.

Jamie Foxx stars in this dramatic look at the life of Ray Charles. Because of countless hours of observation of Charles on Foxx's part, his performance as the blind musician is one of his best. The film's main focus was on his early years, during which some of his most memorable music was written.

The film starts around the middle of Charles' life. The film uses key moments, such as a heroin trip or the birth of his son, to depict earlier years of his life in the South. During one of these many time warps, we see the death of his brother and the reason for his blindness. Although these are just brief clips of his childhood, they play crucial parts in the film.

There is a strong emphasis on the crazier times of Charles' life. Foxx re-enacts the singer's many sexual encounters as well as his drug encounters, which for the most part went hand in hand. Some of the scenes went into great description. After seeing the movie, even though I have not been around heroin, I am pretty sure that I could shoot up with the best of them.

Even though "Ray" often went off on the different avenues of Charles' life, the focus was always mainly on his music. Many of his most famous songs and the inspiration for them are brought to life through this long, yet fascinating portrayal of one of the best musicians of his time. Besides the length, Ray is full of award-winning performances and great description.

Three pitchforks out of five.


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