Movie Review of "Ray"
Rated PG-13
By CK Movie Kid Jonathan Lack

Ray Charles was a legendary singer. He was the man who invented soul, while struggling with the challenge of drug addiction and blindness. The incredible life story of Ray Charles Robinson from 1948 to 1966 is told in this wonderful and inspiring film.

This movie started with Ray at a bus stop with a ticket to Seattle. From this first scene you can see that Ray was shaped by his childhood. The entire movie has scenes woven into the movie flawlessly. From the first 5 minutes these small scenes help you understand his life.

Early on in the film, Ray gets addicted to the drug heroin. This drug causes many problems for him, and the story of him overcoming the addiction is a big part of the film. I thought that this story really showed us why drugs are a bad thing, and that's always a good message, no matter how many times you hear it.
One thing I thought was unbelievable was the acting. Jamie Foxx did a great job in the role of Ray. There were scenes when I thought they really had a blind guy playing Ray. Also, it was very believable that he was a drug addict.

I also liked all the facts. One fact I thought was cool was that "Charles" wasn't Ray's last name. "Robinson" was, and "Charles" was his middle name. They used it because when they decided to make records, the name "Robinson" was already big.

My favorite part of this movie was the music. It was really good! I've never heard any of his music before, but I thought there were some real "toe-tappers." I heard that Jamie Foxx actually played the piano pieces. His voice sounded different when he was singing though, so I bet he was lip-sinking and the real Ray Charles (who recently died in June) actually sung the songs.

I would recommend this movie for ages 10 and up. It had LOTS of drug-use in it, and some language. (A word here and there, nothing strong.)
So hear some great music and learn lots of facts with "Ray." (November, 2004)