Title: Raymond & Ray
Describe This Movie In One Parenthood Quote:
TOD: You know, Mrs. Buckman, you need a license to buy a dog, or drive a car. Hell, you need a license to catch a fish! But they’ll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father.
Brief Plot Synopsis: Bros before co(roner)s.
Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: 3 Edgar Allan Poes out of 5.
Tagline: N/A
Better Tagline: “The Brothers Gloom”
Not So Brief Plot Synopsis: Half-brothers Raymond (Ewan McGregor) and Ray (Ethan Hawke) have just found out their estranged father passed away. Raymond has to convince the disgruntled Ray to accompany him to the funeral, where they discover one of Dad’s final wishes was for his sons to dig his grave. Lucky for them, it turns out they aren’t the only ones who fit that bill.
“Critical” Analysis: Raymond & Ray is an odd little film. Written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives, Albert Nobbs), it’s meditative and thoughtful, if occasionally ponderous and too precious for its own good. It also showcases one of the weirdest uses of Chekhov’s gun you’ll ever see.
As the semi-estranged leads, McGregor and Hawke comes across as Felix and Oscar if the roommates in The Odd Couple happened to be related. Ray lives in a ramshackle home and is best described as “between gigs,” while Raymond is more uptight, which of course makes him prone to emotional outbursts.
Raymond is (initially) more inclined to give their father — whom Ray describes as someone who turned everything he touched to shit — the benefit of the doubt. He’s the one who finally convinces Ray to attend the funeral, which he does mostly out of spite. And if we’re being honest, that’s probably as routine a reason as any for subjecting yourself to one.
As is usually the case with your funeral/road trip/unexpected reunion films, secrets are aired out and mildly shocking revelations are made. Raymond’s facade begins to crumble as a result, while Ray finds it in himself to look past … the past.
None of this is a surprise, for in the words of Nathan Arizona, it’s the whole goddam raison d’etre of movies like this. But is a day’s (or half day, really) worth of reconciliation and healing enough to forgive a lifetime of shitbaggery? “Harris,” as they casually refer to their dead father, was a profligate breeder who had little regard for the majority of his offspring. This contrasts with the impression most of those who knew him later in life, which Raymond and Ray attempt to come to terms with.
Short answer: no, an afternoon clearly isn’t sufficient, but there’s only so much soul searching one can do in 90 minutes of run time.
Garcia’s script is elevated by at least one lead performance. Hawke has played a variation of this character so often it’s almost unfair he got paid for it. As a blue collar type lamenting a failed musical career, he could be a middle-aged Troy Dyer from Reality Bites. Raymond’s current situation is a little more murky. We know he’s spent the bulk of his life taking the path of least resistance, at the expense of multiple marriages.
But if Hawke is mostly coasting, it’s McGregor that seems ill at ease. His Raymond is only intermittently convincing in his frustration, but his interactions with Hawke and the good-natured meandering are enough to buoy and overly maudlin third act.
Raymond & Ray is in select theaters and streaming on AppleTV+ today.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
