User reviews

Ok, I almost hit eight stars, but then I decided for seven -which is more realistic, I guess. But how come I considered eight stars first? I mean, movies we can see lately... yes, it has been a while since a saw a good movie and so, no wonder I became a little over excited.

Raymond & Ray is not some epic drama. What makes this movie to stand out, is simple story which doesn't become boring not even for a second. I wouldn't categorize this movie as a comedy, even there are some "weird" situations -to put it mildly.

I'm quite a fan of both main actors, E. Hawk and E. McGregor, and they both deliver classy performance here. The rest of the cast was good too, however they don't stand out that much in this story. But even then, it's impossible not to notice Vondie Curtis-Hall's presence (in role of Reverend West).

Let's say it's just a simple "real life" story.. there's something to think about and there's something to laugh about. I really enjoyed watching it -and that's the whole point of a good movie.

RAYMOND & RAY was actually pretty great, I didn't expect to laugh this much in a movie about grief, Ewan McGregor & Ethan Hawke are so endearing and they really fit as this odd couple of half-brothers. It's a darkly funny look at the process of losing a close one.

They have a down to earth approach that makes this dark comedy relatable, it has a morbid sense of humor at times and they have to dig up a few skeletons in the closet that adds to the family drama. Great actors, good laughs in a pretty grim premise but I ended up enjoying it a lot.

If I can add something I thought the music in the movie was also really good, a jazzy/blues score that also fits in the narrative of the movie with Ethan Hawke's character having a musical background they did a good job incorporating that to the story.

Maybe not for everyone but if you can take some dark humour this could be some good entertainment for you!

7.5/10.

So I've binged just about everything series wise. I'm into thriller mystery, so I decided on this movie for my lazy Sunday afternoon for some change. Admittedly, it's not as much of a comedy as I thought it would be. I'd describe it more as "lighthearted " and has a couple funny moments. Overall, it's a pleasant movie that definitely starts off slow. There's nothing in it that stands out except great acting. It's entertaining "enough". Didn't turn it off. So I guess I'd suggest to give it a try for a good 30 minutes and decide for yourself. If you are looking for a laugh out loud comedy gem, then don't even try. Find something else.

Greetings again from the darkness. Hey, you know that Dad we hated ... the one that ruined our lives? Well, he died and I need you to come with me to the funeral. Writer-director Rodrigo Garcia (ALBERT NOBBS, 2011) starts his film in this manner by having Raymond knock on the door of his half-brother Ray's cabin door in the middle of the night. They haven't seen each other in five years, but their shared bond is an ill will towards the father who stirred such misery during their childhood that neither have made much of their time since.

Raymond (Ewan McGregor) is a persnickety type; a pent-up bundle of anxiety who has gone through a couple of divorces and is currently separated from his third wife. Ray (4-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke) is his opposite - the former addict (7 years sober) puts off the ultra-cool guy vibe with rumpled clothes, tousled hair, and non-stop flirtations. His talent with music was never encouraged by the father and has since been a source of frustration. In other words, these two grown men are messes due to the resentment they've carried for their father and his inexcusably poor parenting.

At first, we assume the two men are going to sit around reminiscing about their horrible memories of dear old dad. Instead, they hop in the car and head out of town to the funeral. It's here where they begin to piece together the last years of their father's life. Bedridden at the end, he had a room in a former (and younger) lover's house. Lucia (an excellent Maribel Verdu, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, 2001) welcomes the men with the surprise disclosure that her young son is their half-brother. At the viewing, they meet dad's nurse Kiera (the always terrific Sophie Okonedo). No, she doesn't have another half-brother for them, but she zeroes in on Ray and his approach to the proceedings.

More surprises await Ray and Raymond, not the least of which is that dad's final wish was for them to dig his grave by hand. At the grave site, they are joined by dad's flamboyant pastor (Vondie Curtis Hall), as well as others with a bond to the man in the pine box. Most of these people are unknown to Ray and Raymond, and they begin to realize the man they've held in contempt went on to live a full life. Veteran actor Tom Bower has limited screen time as the dad, and overall the cast is strong and deserving of a script that could take the topic and these characters much deeper. Hawke is especially good as the brother holding in so many emotions, while McGregor plays off of him quite well. While there is nothing here we haven't seen before, we do wish the cast had more to work with.

The film will have a limited theatrical release on October 14, 2022 prior to screening on AppleTV+ beginning October 21, 2022.

Raymond & Ray will give you a clue about the darkness of this two-half-brothers drama when you know that their father gave them both the same name. Raymond (Ewan McGregor) and Ray (Ethan Hawke) are attending their father's showing and burial more as a get-to-know-you road trip than honoring the abusive parent whom they barely knew except through their bleak memories of his neglect and meanness.

Raymond is a mediocre businessman on his third divorce; Ray is a secret jazz trumpet player and recovering addict. Although they are estranged, the trip will open up wounds wide enough to last the rest of their lives. They bond, so to speak, through the friendships of their dad's mourning acquaintances and an exercise worthy of prison life, digging his grave at his last request. The friends reveal dad's womanizing life, and the digging provides plenty of figurative interpretations like dad's influence even after life into the after-life.

The upside of this morose journey is their meeting two splendid women, both revealing somethings about dad pleasant and depressing. Father's buoyant ex-lover, Lucia, played by Maribel Verdu, excites Raymond while dad's ex-nurse, Kiera, wryly played by Sophie Okonedo, provides a dose of tough love. These estimable new friends are the only gifts dad has given the boys. However, the ladies exist mostly to heal the boys rather than give us robust characters emerging fully.

Besides these entertaining women, Vondie Curtis Hall gives us a hip pastor with his own acute observations and amusing side-show antics at the internment. If you're scarily happy at this Halloween time, let Raymond & Ray bring you down a notch or two and see lead actors at the top of their game. Apple TV +

This is a slow moving meditation on grief, family dysfunction and letting go of the past. Both Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke give heartfelt and believable performances as two estranged brothers. You have to be in the mood to watch this slice-of-life film as it does plod along. We saw the movie trailer and knew this was one of those offbeat films that probably won't attract a lot of viewers. The supporting cast is decent. Sometimes a storyline is interesting enough that you are willing to immerse yourself in that world for 2 hours. At its best, you can learn from whatever life challenges the characters are experiencing. Then when the credits roll, you are glad you put in the time to explore that world.

"Raymond" (Ewan McGregor) arrives at the home of his step-brother "Ray" (Ethan Hawke) to declare that their rather brutish father has died. The former feels duty bound to go to the funeral - if only to see the man is dead - and after a bit of prevaricating, manages to convince his brother to attend too. Upon arrival, they discover that they are to inherit his (very) modest fortune, but the condition is that they must dig his grave, put his coffin into it, then cover it up afterwards. Despite generally despising this man, they go along with it and as the time for the interment approaches they discover that their late dad had quite a skill for making sons. The youngest being fathered with the younger "Lucia" (Maribel Verdú) with whom he ended up living at his demise and another set of rather acrobatic twins show up too. When it is just the two men on screen, there is a degree of intimacy and chemistry that works well - we get a sense of not just how nasty their father was, but of just how impactful his behaviour had been on his children - and on their own less than successful marital relationships. When the cast broadens out more though, the story loses that potency and we end up with a rather muddled series of character studies all centring around the behaviour of a man who isn't actually here for us to evaluate ourselves. There are some lovely jazz numbers - "Ray" bring skilful with the trumpet, and the production is stylish but somehow the whole thing is just a bit lacklustre.

IN A NUTSHELL: Two brothers share a name and a road trip to their estranged father's funeral. Reunited to carry out their father's last wishes to dig his grave, they dig deep into their past traumas and uncover the history of the man they both hate. Resentments, secrets, and memories flood in, presenting the brothers with a chance to reconcile their past and find forgiveness and a way forward. All the while, the question arises if one ever really knows their parents-and must your upbringing define who you are as an adult?

The film was written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia. It was nominated for "Best Film" at the Rome Film Fest this year.

THINGS I LIKED: I've always been a fan of Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke. They have great chemistry together and are true pros, giving outstanding performances filled with nuances. Ethan Hawke's daughter is now in the movie business. Check out her recent performance in Do Revenge. She looks just like her dad and her mom, Uma Thurman.

The supporting cast members also do a great job.

The story forces us to take an honest look at our own lives, our family relationships, and the legacy we'll leave.

The quirky humor is often very amusing in a subtle way.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: There are moments that feel extremely forced.

Some of the characters make odd choices.

The dialogue missed a few crucial moments, in my opinion.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be extremely bored.

Profanity, including F-bombs There's a lot of talk of a man who was a womanizer.

A man flips the bird We see a photo of a nude woman from the back with a side shot Talk of drugs We see the backside of a man

THEMES: Dysfunctional families Brotherhood Grief Forgiveness The power of music Death Legacy Infidelity Marriage

I expected more from this movie to be honest. Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke are both two good actors so I expected something good. It's not a bad movie though, the acting is worth watching, but the story is just a bit bland, not much going on or at least not enough to keep you interested, just a bit too boring at times. When I see it was categorized as a comedy that's me expecting having good laughs but that was rarely the case. Maybe I wasn't in the good mindset to watch Raymond and Ray, but I think it's just not my genre of movies that I like, it's much too slow, luckily Ewan and Ethan saved it a bit.

Raymond and Ray is about two half brothers coming to terms with the death of their father... a bad father when they were young. In the process, the two go through some introspection concerning both their past and their present.

Honestly, I miss these kinds of soulful stories, peppered with a healthy dose of dark comedy and awkward moments. The brothers undergo change and growth through this ordeal, and the father, though dead, comes out as a more balanced human being as flawed as anyone could be.

Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGreggor offer solid performances. It's a good movie when you're in a mood... mellow but slightly dark. A decent solid drama of a movie from Apple+.

This is a brilliant comedy drama for the whole family...

The characters, men and women, are very well drawn, each one with coherent and identifiable aspects, the result of their past.

Ewan and Hawk are great actors, but the other cast, specially the female parts are not always/really up to their level. But it does not spoil the movie.

There are no good no bad people, just what life offers them, and what they make out of it. Some take opportunities, some take excuses, some blame somebody else.

In the end, when time ends a life, its time for everbody to make his point.

The movie has hilarious situations, which could have been from the Coen Brothers. Each scene has its true originality, no stupid gags, no cheap jokes...

A burial with so many true dialogs, about true and false feelings.

I will surely ask my kids to watch this movie after my funeral, and as a condition to claim the inheritance, lol, and hope they will have so much fun as I did.

I force myself through hundreds of boring movies waiting to meet someday a jewel like this.

One of the best intelligent movies of 2022.

Interesting story that portrays the search of two adult brothers for their cathartic closure after the death of their abusive father. This film is a drama to know, recognize and appreciate both life and death and what it can leave us after the family relationships that we have forged in our past years.

The main performances are okay, a little stilted at times, but for the most part, decent. Great use of musical resource, taking advantage of the chaotic but calm jazz sonatas to frame a couple of deep relationships in search of healing. While the story closes on a good note, the movie feels a bit flatter and lighter than it could have been. It is a somewhat monotonous trip which could be a bit boring for those who do not connect with what is proposed.

Recommended to watch on a quiet night before bed.

I've watched some slow and boring movies, this one is not the worst. But it's in the ballpark.

Everything about it is slow. It should have been broken up into 20 min segments and made into a series. Then it wouldn't have been soo bad.

The acting is good. There might be some stories worth paying attention to. But it moves soo slow you have a really hard time focusing on it. I swear if you were pulled over while watching this movie on you phone while driving and presented this movie as evidence to the judge, he'd let you off because there no way you'd be distracted by this movie while doing anything else.

This movie is a captivating journey through the complexities of human existence, anchored by the remarkable performances of Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke. As always, Hawke delivers a tour de force performance, imbuing his character with a raw range of emotions that resonate deeply with audiences. Alongside McGregor, he breathes life into characters grappling with the weight of their pasts and the uncertainties of their futures.

Despite the heavy themes, the movie infuses moments of humor and absurdity, maintaining a close connection to the heart while exploring the intricacies of life's trials and tribulations. Through its poignant storytelling, the film leaves viewers with a feel-good experience and a renewed belief in the resilience of the human spirit.

With its stellar acting and profound themes, the movie is an enjoyable watch, offering a poignant reminder of the beauty and complexity of life. Whether viewed on an early evening or a lazy Sunday afternoon, it's a film that lingers after the credits roll, leaving audiences with a newfound appreciation for the intricacies of the human experience.

'Raymond & Ray (2022)' is a film about two brothers who travel to their estranged father's funeral in order to finally bury the old man once and for all. As one of them points out, though, it's going to take a lot more than putting him in the ground to get him out of their heads. The film really lives and dies by the strength of its central performances, especially considering how certifiably clumsy the screenplay can be at times. Thankfully, both McGreggor and Hawke are great here, especially Hawke (perhaps primarily because he doesn't have to wrestle with an affected accent). They're essentially the pole-bearers for the picture, admirably carrying it to its final resting place: the 'watch it again' category on Apple TV+ (I'm not sure if the service actually does have that category, but I think the joke still stands). Sadly, the only way it will ever move out of that category is if the service automatically deletes it after a period of inactivity, because it's an incredibly forgettable affair that doesn't have all that much rewatch value. It's not a bad effort, though. In fact, it's a rather enjoyable and well-executed experience that has a lot of good ideas and comes close to being really good on occasion. It's funny at times and emotionally affecting at others, but it's mostly just solid stuff that's never boring but is also never particularly exciting. It's a good effort despite its general air of above-average mediocrity, the kind of oxymoronic overlay that's present on films that are technically sound and generally entertaining but don't quite do enough to elevate themselves above their peers. Still, it's performances are strong across the board and it occasionally inspires a chuckle or a cry (internally, at least). It's enjoyable enough for what it is.

I can't help wondering why these 2 actors allowed this movie to be released or not demanded script rewrites or scenes reshot. Character development should be nuanced, not shoved down the audience's throat in the first 3 minutes. McGregor and Hawke have zero believable connection. Their early interactions are robotic. Nothing seems genuine as to how brothers would react or converse with each other in a strained relationship or not. The script seems to rush the family's backstory so quickly and it makes zero sense. The acting is surprisingly bad. You can't help but wonder what was going on behind the scenes while this film was being shot. It's awful. Just awful.

Either you like movies jammed with quirky factoids about protagonists, living or dead, or you don't. McGregor and Hawke try to infuse this script with... I couldn't tell. Humor? Pain? Painful humor? Scripts overly full of kooky nutty yawn-able stuff are probably best enjoyed by people with great quantities of time to waste.

As a white person, I found this movie so throwback 80s, to the kooky nutty yawn-able movies and stage plays people flocked to about quirky southern women. But this eminently white genre is not renovated by changing the sex of its eccentrics. And one each of a minority--please stop. Please.

This is one of those rare character portrait movies, that are so wacky and witty, yet STILL remain so true to life and humanlike, simultaneously.

The movie "Sideways" by Alexander Payne, often came to mind when watching this, because it had that same kind of mix of melancholy and wit. It had even the same kind of laid back, soothing, cheery soundtrack, which is quite the right music vibe for this story.

This movie has got so many colours. It's not a true drama though, but more of a witty, soothing character portrait of 2 brothers, who have had a VERY bad childhood and who (because of it) were messed up for life by the sadistic mindgames of their sadistic father.

And now when their much hated father is dead, they have to literally dig his grave, because that was one of his last wishes.

What happens next is so endearing and out of wack, yet so humanlike and true to life, that I can only applaud the writing and direction of this wonderful movie.

Bravo!

An interesting premise that far outlives itself, Raymond & Ray, is the tale of two brothers grudgingly brought together by their estranged fathers death. Despite two good performances by both McGregor and Hawke, the writing meanders to the point where what starts as an interesting journey discovering evermore interesting aspects of their eccentric father becomes slows to a crawl and de-volves in to a cheapened version of itself-too self satisfied to really develop. What we end up with is something we should have enjoyed more-something of promise that underperforms to the point of boredom. A miss.

When is the last time you looked up at the moon, noticed the twinkling stars and planets that surround it? Did you see the Milky Way. When is the last time you sat on the edge of the ocean, listening and watching the waves ebb and flow? Did you recognize it's power? When is the last time you sat in an empty forest, listening to its quiet symphony? Were you humbled by it's both simplicity and complexity? If you haven't recently experienced any of the above the film Raymond & Ray provides you the opportunity to feel something similar.

The actors are oh so engaged in their characters. The director and editor are is so sharp with the nuance of this narrative. The score so well balanced with the films emotional objective.

For many reviewers of this film I would expect it's been a very long time since they've done any of this. So they probably just don't get Raymond & Ray. It's their loss. This film should be an Oscar winner, but it's just to not woke enough.

This isn't the movie you're looking for. Slow, not engaging and lacking the charm that the trailer promises. Ethan is great, Ewan didn't match his energy. Really wanted to like this even as a drama (although I was hoping for more moments of humor), but it fell flat.

The message got lost and actually never really delivered a message. It highlights a family full of trauma but doesn't deliver the redemption you'd expect. I wanted to like this and get like there would be more chemistry on screen, but it quickly steered into quirky territory that just felt awkward. Let's bury this one and move on.