Raymond & Ray

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.

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

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 +

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.