Three things struck me about this movie.

One is that I knew very little about Ray Charles, and I found this story about his life to be interesting.

Two is that I was really impressed with Jamie Foxx. He did a great job.

Three is that, at two-and-a-half hours, the movie felt like it was at least twice that long. I thought it would never end. Perhaps it was the pace, I’m not sure. Even though the content was interesting and Foxx did a great job, it was all we could to to not fall asleep and it took forever to get through.

With all that in mind, it’s an interesting tale of Ray Charles’ life. I had no idea. It’s a sad story, to be sure, and he’s done an impressive job of pulling himself up from where he came to get where he is now. I just wish it had been either a whole lot shorter or something.

Starting as a young child and losing his sight, to his younger days as a struggling musician and into his older years as a struggling musician and seeing the difficulty he had with his home life – both as a younger man and an older one, when he caused some of the issues, was a good story worth telling. It may not have been able to have been told in a shorter way. But it was a really long movie to sit through.

Rated PG-13 for depiction of drug addiction, sexuality and some thematic elements.

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Actor: Afemo Omilami, Actor: Alex Van, Actor: Alonzo Bowens, Actor: Aunjanue Ellis, Actor: Ben Pronsky, Actor: Bill Breaux, Actor: Bob Harris, Actor: Bokeem Woodbine, Actor: C.J. Sanders, Actor: Carol Sutton, Actor: Chris Thomas King, Actor: Clarence Johnson, Actor: Clifton Powell, Actor: Curt Sobel, Actor: Curtis Armstrong, Actor: Darlene Moore, Actor: Darnell Williams, Actor: David Krumholtz, Actor: Denise Dowse, Actor: Edward Anderson, Actor: Edwin Livingston, Actor: Elizabeth Omilami, Actor: Eric O'Neal Jr., Actor: Estella Denson, Actor: Fahnlohnee R. Harris, Actor: Gary Grubbs, Actor: Harry J. Lennix, Actor: Hassan James, Actor: Herman LeBeaux, Actor: J. Todd Smith, Actor: James Huston, Actor: Jamie Foxx, Actor: Jamil Sharif, Actor: Jedda Jones, Actor: Jeff Galpin, Actor: John Swasey, Actor: Johnny Oneal, Actor: Julian Bond, Actor: Justin Groetsch, Actor: Kerry Washington, Actor: Kimberly Ardison, Actor: Kurt Fuller, Actor: Kyle Scott Jackson, Actor: Larenz Tate, Actor: Larry Gamell Jr., Actor: Lee Boquet, Actor: Marc Lynn, Actor: Matthew Benjamin, Actor: Michael Arata, Actor: Michael Travis Stone, Actor: Mike Pniewski, Actor: Murphy Martin, Actor: Patrick Bauchau, Actor: Regina King, Actor: Renee Wilson, Actor: Richard A. Smith, Actor: Richard Schiff, Actor: Rick Gomez, Actor: Robert Wisdom, Actor: Ross Durocher, Actor: Rutherford Cravens, Actor: Sharon Warren, Actor: Sonny Shroyer, Actor: Summer LeAnn, Actor: Tequan Richmond, Actor: Terrence Howard, Actor: Terrone Bell, Actor: Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Actor: Tobi Gadison, Actor: Tom Clark, Actor: Tommy Sobel, Actor: Trae Ireland, Actor: Travis Willingham, Actor: Vernel Bagneris, Actor: Warwick Davis, Actor: Wendell Pierce, Actor: Willie Metcalf, Director: Taylor Hackford, Oscar: Best Actor, Oscar: Best Sound Mixing, Rated: PG-13, Year: 2004