the year 2004 be the year of the biopic with no less than four picture tackle real event and real people and with vary degree of critical praise . of the four picture to make it to the race to the oscar in early 2005 ( kinsey and the aviator and hotel rwanda and and and ray ) and ray become the big winner of the night a the act award go to jamie foxx for his portrayal of r and b genius ray charles . and it be well deserve despite that leonardo dicaprio come close and liam neeson wasn not even nominate . what make foxx the winner be that the other two be play relatively obscure eccentric and ray charles be still make music right up until his death in 2004 and by then there wasn not a soul who do not know at least one song that charles have pen . it do help that jamie foxx rise well above the movie itself a a whole somewhat weak and often look like it wouldn not be out of place a a tv biopic and his portrayal be detail a it ferocious . he have the delicate assignment which be to embody a person down to nuance and and once the crisis of ray addiction to heroin hit a head and foxx pull out all the stop and it isn not hard to imagine the real ray actually go through such a painful ordeal . the low point of the film be how it spend a little too much time in detail ray relationship with woman . like the aviator and taylor hackford wish to establish that ray have this turbulent life and a product of his own demon and his entry into success at a time when be black and successful bring a huge amount of baggage . of the woman and the only one to succeed bring real life be sharen warren a ray mother . hers be a difficult role since she be alone on screen with the child actor play young ray but her facial and body language be gut wrench and especially at the moment she must relinquish her maternity to have ray find his way around the house . such intensity of emotion and to stand there and watch your blind son crawl across a room and have to force him to have this rude awaken into independence . a beautiful performance and and one which should have be acknowledge . a fantastic counterpoint to ray be the featured music . anyone who know r and b will enjoy the early recording of ray radio hit as much a his later one which would bring him to the forefront of popular music and and jamie foxx virtually steal the show a he perform the song a ray . that alone will live on even when the movie in itself be little more than a stiff biopic . i would have and though and love it if they would have use his last adult contemporary hit from 1993 and sing my song for you in the closing credit . after all and it be ray charles and a performer who have a fierce dedication to his art .