It’s hard to recognize the teenage mom from “Save the Last Dance” in Kerry Washington’s (“The Human Stain,” “Against the Ropes”) sweet-natured Della Bea. Her transformation into Ray’s faithful, longsuffering wife is indicative of how talented this actress really is. Equally compelling is Regina King (“A Cinderella Story,” “Jerry McGuire”) as Ray’s discarded mistress and Clifton Powell (“Never Die Alone”) as Ray’s early music partner and road manager.  Sharon Warren, as Ray’s determined single mother who lives to give her children a better life, brought tears to my eyes.

Director Taylor Hackford has had a stellar career, having directed such notable films as “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Against All Odds,” Delores Claiborne,” “The Devil’s Advocate” and “Proof of Life.”  He also directed “La Bamba” and “Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll,” an acclaimed music documentary.  So it is not surprising that Hackford would do such an great job with “Ray,” which will likely land him a coveted “Best Director” Oscar nomination.  After 15 years of working with Charles on the production, it would certainly be well-earned.  The result is a moving film that portrays racism and segregation without the usual caricatures, showing honest whites and dishonest blacks alike, while also giving you a sense of how devastating it was to live in a world divided by segregation.  And, the story behind the creation of Charles’ hit, “What’d I Say” is worth the price of admission alone.

The film isn’t perfect.  It ends in 1965, after Charles’ got free from heroin, with epilogue-like mentions of his 18 GRAMMY Awards, 75 albums and 76 bestselling singles.  The film dwells too long on his heroin addiction and portrays only two of his mistresses, implying that he had a child with only one.  It also ignores Charles’ first marriage, which lasted just a year, giving the false impression that his marriage to Della Bea (who was actually one of his backup singers) was his first – and that it lasted.  Sadly, their marriage also ended in divorce, after 22 years and three children. 

The film also operates from a staunchly humanist worldview.  Despite several scenes in church – and several mentions of God – Charles is portrayed as an unbeliever who doubts that the Lord has ever been on his side.  God is never presented as a solution or help to any of life’s problems, so whether Charles embraced Christ before his death is a matter of speculation.  He’s still presented as a very likeable character who was not immune to noble deeds, however.  For example, in a move that made national headlines, Charles refused to play in Georgia under the Jim Crow segregation laws – a move that fueled the Civil Rights movement and eventually won him a public apology as well as the honor of an official state song, “Georgia On My Mind.”  Charles also donated some $20 million during his lifetime to non-profit organizations for the blind, schools and universities.