Ray (2004)

Tolerably mediocre biopic of the legendary singer, at least until the heroin-addiction subplot takes over completely and the film transforms into a distaff Requiem for a Dream. Pretty standard-issue for this type of thing, and thus without much interest; the only reason to see this is Jamie Foxx's justly celebrated lead performance. In a sea of by-the-numbers work, he's the only person willing to take this to the next level -- he doesn't impersonate Ray Charles so much as seemingly climb into his skin and become him. So there's that... but then, there's also the fact that this is 150 minutes you can't get back. The choice is yours, really.

Grade: C