Reviews

Taylor Hackford wanted to make this movie for 15 years, and finally found Jamie Foxx to play the title role. Foxx is amazing in his portrayal of Ray Charles. From an interview I saw with Foxx, he met Charles several times and the two of them also played piano together (Foxx had piano lessons as a young child and actually played piano in all his scenes). I didn't see Charles live until his later years, so it was great to get a perspective on how his career developed. I hope Foxx gets nominated for the Best Actor Oscar as he certainly deserves it. The music, also, is incredible - it really showcases the breadth of Charles' music, from country to blues, and everything in between. The movie also gives an unblemished account of Ray Charles' life, from the many women he had relationships with to his drug habit and the consequences of that.

This movie was inspired by Stefan Fatsis' book Word Freak. I read the book last year and really liked it, so I was looking forward to seeing the movie, which is peopled by some of the same characters. But even if you haven't read the book, the movie is still quite enjoyable. It begins several months before a National Scrabble tournament, and follows four competitors as they go through their trials and tribulations leading up to it.

The filmmakers had fun with anagramming throughout the movie, and did a very good job with letting the competitors speak for themselves. Like the book, the filmmakers visit the various sites the game is played, from living rooms to a park in New York to various competitions around the country.

If you enjoy playing Scrabble with friends, then you will definitely like this movie, which takes the game to a completely new level.