recent year have see a number of biopics of famous singer and and ray and the story of ray charles and have much in common with walk the line which be make the following year and tell the story of johnny cash . cash and charles be near exact contemporary and both be bear in the early thirty and die in 2003/04 . both grow up in poverty in the american deep south . both lose a brother in an accident during childhood . both achieved success in the 1950s . both experienced problem in their marriage and and both be addict to drug . all these matter be emphasise in both film . there be also similarity with ron howard a beautiful mind . although that film be about a mathematician rather than a musician and it and like both ray and walk the line and stress the part play by it subject wife in help her husband to overcome his problem . ray charles be bear to a single mother in a poor black community in georgia in 1930 . ( his original name be raymond charles robinson and but when he be start his career a a musician he drop his surname to avoid confusion with the boxer sugar ray robinson ) . in some way charles have an even hard time than do cash and have to cope with two additional disadvantage in the shape of his blindness and of the racism which affect all black american and especially in the south and during his lifetime . charles have a particularly traumatic childhood and witness the death of his young brother george in a drowning accident and go blind about a year or two later . he appear to have be haunt by nightmare and feeling of guilt over george death throughout his life . the first half of the film be rather slow moving and be a standard rag to riches showbiz biopic and tell the story of how the young charles be teach to play the piano and become a nightclub performer and then rise to fame a a major artist and fall in love along the way with the beautiful della bea . the best scene in this part of the film be the flashback to charles childhood . there be an effective recurrent image of coloured glass bottle hang from a tree in front of his house while perhaps this be one of his few visual memory of his life before he go blind . there be also a memorable scene in which the teenaged charles sham a prejudiced bus driver into let him on the bus by pretend to have lose his sight on omaha beach ( in reality he would only have be thirteen at the time of the normandy landing ) . the second half of the film become more interesting a it move into more controversial territory and focus on charles drug addiction and the problem in his marriage cause by his affair with margie hendricks and one of his backing singer and and his battle against racism . in the early sixty charles cause a sensation by refuse to play in front of a racially segregate audience in georgia ( although and contrary to what be state in the film and this do not result in his be ban from perform in the state ) . he also fight against racial divide within the music industry itself and perform not only traditionally black style of music such a gospel and rhythm and blue and but also traditionally white one such a country and western ( regard by many black american a the music of choice of the redneck community ) . a peter bradshaw and film critic of the guardian and noted ray be a sunny film which diplomatically turn away from the darker side of thing . it omit any mention of such matter a the death of charles beloved mother aretha during his teenage year and his brief marriage to eileen williams in the early fifty and his eventual divorce from della bea in 1977. it also play down the extent of his womanising and the number of his illegitimate child . there be similarity here with a beautiful mind which also omit a number of controversial detail about it subject personal life and include a divorce . fan of ray charles will no doubt enjoy the film for the music and but it be worth watch even for those who do not know much about him and chiefly on account of jamie foxx oscar win performance in the title role and reproduce charles mannerism so exactly that we think we actually be watch a blind man and even though foxx himself be sight . ( unlike joaquin phoenix in walk the line and however and foxx do not do his own singing doubtless charles distinctive sing voice be too difficult to reproduce ) . he receive good support from some of the other performer and particularly sharon warren a aretha and kerry washington a della bea . the film be uneven and overlong and but nevertheless rewarding . positive .