Go see Ray! Two Thumbs up!

Saturday evening the spouse and I escaped from the trick-or-treating hordes by going to the movies. We left the boy in charge of handing out the candy and we went on our first movie date in many months. And she wanted to see Ray.

First of all, a warning. Do not buy the upsized for just-a-quarter extra large soda! The movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes long counting the previews so unless you've been blessed with a really big bladder, go for the smaller sized soda.

The movie is terriffic and Jamie Foxx deserves an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ray Charles. It is a gritty story and focuses perhaps a little too much on Ray's many-year heroin addiction but in doing so it doesn't pull any punches or try to paint a glossier picture than what was Ray's life. I thought the scenes and the frequency instead portrayed the overwhelming affect the addiction had on his life. If you are offended by scenes of drug use and sexual activity, the movie might be too graphic.

But if you want a story about an American legend and his music through all its different sounds, go see Ray. The spouse was enthralled with the clothing styles and fabrics and the hairstyles as they progressed because she has older sisters that were growing up and wearing those styles. I liked the automobiles and how they were upscaled as Ray's career progressed upwards. But its really all about the music and I don't think a single one of us has been unaffected by Ray Charles' music so the movie is filled with the music that has crossed so many music borders.

So, if you want a story of an American that refused to be a cripple in spite of his disabilities, its well worth watching. Ray promised his mamma not to let anyone make him a cripple as he headed out into the world on his own and except for the heroin addiction, he was successful at that promise. He beat his addiction, kept his promise to his mamma and became an American icon and legend.