Ray 2-Disc Limited Edition

While Million Dollar Baby's award-winning sucker punch threatens to unseat virtually all contenders from their respective thrones, Universal has carefully timed the DVD release of Ray to maximize star Jamie Foxx's Oscar chances. However, as this two-disc DVD reveals, Foxx's daring performance and a perfunctory film may have been mistaken for one another when Academy members selected their nominees.

Ultimately, the film works mostly because of Foxx, though the DVD's deleted scenes, commentaries, and featurettes suggest there were plenty of other key behind-the-scenes players who brought Ray to life. Wanting to judge the film (and Foxx's performance) on the strength of the theatrical release, I first watched that cut then the 25 minutes of bonus footage. As usual, extra scenes are great for die-hard fans but here they merely highlight why they should have been cut (yes, that umpteenth disparaging look at Ray from his wife needed to go). That said, it's still worth watching the extended concert sequences after you've run the movie.

The best of the featurettes is "Walking in His Shoes" which captures a jam session between Foxx and the late Charles, himself. Foxx seems a little bit cooler about their collaboration than perhaps he should -- after all, he's sparring musically with one of the century's most talented performers -- but he proves that his dedication to Charles and the role was absolute. Foxx wasn't creating a portrayal of Ray Charles, he was channeling him outright.

Whichever actor, director or film wins at this year's Academy Awards, Ray will remain an enormous success for Jamie Foxx. Not only did he prove his mettle as a dramatic actor, but he also convinced the rest of Hollywood that a slightly above average biopic was worth consideration for their most valued accolades. In fact, this DVD has enough compelling content to almost convince you that the film's importance is equal to the man it was based on. -- Todd Gilchrist