what a movie. i put this on at 2 in the morning, expecting to fall asleep within an hour and to finish it off the next day. it is 2 1/2 hours long. the next thing i knew it was 4:30 and the movie was over. i really enjoyed this movie; it's very well done. i'll say that again: it's very well done. of course the music is excellent and the sets and locations and costumes and all that are very good. and it feels way shorter than it is and entertains tremendously. and then there is the acting. everyone delivers excellent performances here but jamie foxx is a revelation. there are times when you think you are watching ray charles himself. he captures the look, the attitude, the feel of charles himself. it's uncanny, it's unbelievable, it's well deserved oscar worthy. what brings this film down a little, what wasn't as good as the rest of the film was the story. i know it's a biopic but focusing on his drug addict years is something that has been done so many times before with other artists. although well done technically and well written, the structure and choice of life elements to portray on the screen seemed very traditional and somewhat unoriginal. still, it doesn't ruin the movie at all and it's one that comes highly recommended. production design: 9 out of 10 cinematography: 8 out of 10 re-playability: 8 out of 10 originality: 8 out of 10 costumes: 10 out of 10 directing: 10 out of 10 editing: 8 out of 10 acting: 10 out of 10 music: 10 out of 10 script: 8 out of 10 89/100