Raymond & Ray

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.

source: Raymond & Ray

I was sceptical because of all the mixed reviews but the movie was very, very enjoyable. Great pace and interesting story :) Loved it. I guess you have to watch it to decide if it's worth or not. It's not that dramatic but it's taken serious enough. Also the actors work perfectly with each other. I even feel like I didn't have enough in their world. I even wish this movie was 2 hours and 30 minutes long. Enjoyed the conversations and the "lessons" that the characters had to take with each encounter. People get broken and hurt by relatives and carry that burden until they realize they didn't have to.

Edited: I was still thinking about this movie the day after I watched it and might watch it again; So I must like it... It's a little surreal for me remembering that these guys were once Todd Anderson in Dead Poets Society and young Renton in Trainspotting back in the day. I'm in the same age group and I don't feel that old lol... This was a much better movie than I thought it would be. I wish it would've been released in the theaters because I would've gone to see it. There is one change I would have made to th ending, that disappointed me at first. That is why I am editing this review. Overall I would definitely recommend the movie.