Ray
2004 · Movie · PG-13 · 152 min · ★ 7.5 · 77% critics
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, a young musician loses his sight at seven but finds his calling at the piano. Backed by a fiercely independent mother, he tours the Southern musical circuit, builds a reputation, and eventually reaches worldwide fame by blending gospel and country.
Also known as Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story
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Streaming on Netflix and YouTube TV — or rent from $3.99.
3 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2004
- Release date
- 2004-10-29
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 152 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 77/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (2,222 votes)
About
You’ll like Ray if you enjoy music-driven life stories with emotional highs and tough personal struggles, especially if you’re a fan of Walk the Line or Sound of Metal; Not for you if you want a strictly upbeat biopic or minimal focus on addiction and infidelity.
Pros: powerful biopic; outstanding lead performance; engaging music | Cons: overlong runtime; familiar biopic beats; some pacing issues
Themes
- blindness and impaired vision
- country music
- jazz
- loss of loved one
- overdose
- bus ride
- georgia
- melancholy
- record producer
- biography
- rags to riches
- childhood trauma
- +7 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 2005
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2005
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2005 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 2005 · nominated
Show all 9 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Director · 2005 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 2005 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 2005 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 2005 · nominated
Cast & crew
Jamie Foxx
as Ray Charles
Kerry Washington
as Della Bea Robinson
Regina King
as Margie Hendricks
Harry Lennix
as Joe Adams
Clifton Powell
as Jeff Brown
Bokeem Woodbine
as Fathead Newman
- SW
Sharon Warren
as Aretha Robinson
- CS
C.J. Sanders
as Young Ray Robinson
Curtis Armstrong
as Ahmet Ertegun
Richard Schiff
as Jerry Wexler
Directed by Taylor Hackford