Even though Foxx easily dominates the film, there are several key supporting performances that strengthen Ray. Charles' mother Aretha is portrayed by Sharon Warren. She gives the most underrated performance in the film, teaching the young Charles how to deal with his disability. Kerry Washington plays Della Bea, the long-suffering wife of Charles. She has some heartbreaking moments as she tries to balance raising her children while accepting her husband's barely-hid adultery. As Charles' mistress (and back-up singer) Margie Hendricks, Regina King is also excellent in a role that earned her numerous award nominations.
Ray looks outstanding on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition. From the clouds of smoke swirling throughout the music clubs to the flashbacks of young Charles with his mother, the clarity is very impressive. The movie is vibrantly colorful during the flashbacks, with the ground looking like red clay. There is plenty of definition even in the jam-packed audiences during performance scenes. The clubs and theatres are often full of shadows, but there is a richness to the shades of greys and deep black levels. I've seen Ray on standard DVD, and the Blu-ray is a strong upgrade in all departments.
For a movie that features so much classic music, the audio side of things needs to be as close to perfect as possible. Ray really nails it with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that makes the viewer feel like they are right in the middle of the audience. From the rasp of Charles' voice, to the deep bass, to the crack of the drums, the live performances are realistic sounding. The performance venue scenes make good use of all speakers, with audience noise and applause coming from all directions. All the dialogue is clear, with no trouble understanding lines even during the noisiest scenes.
Carrying over from the standard definition DVD release are numerous bonus features. If you're upgrading from that format, prepare to be disappointed if you were hoping for anything new. But for those who skipped the previous release, there is much to like in the commentary, deleted scenes, various featurettes, and extended musical sequences.
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