320. Raymond and Ray; movie review

 

RAYMOND AND RAY

Cert 15

105 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, domestic abuse

As two grand old men of the silver screen, Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor have calmed down.

Long gone, in Hawke's case, is the exuberance of Dead Poet's Society or, in McGregor's, the chaos of Trainspotting.

Now we have two men in their 50s, musing about unfulfilled lives and lost loves...

And a vindictive father who failed both of their characters in Rodrigo Garcia's Raymond and Ray.

He dies and so, after several years apart, Raymond (McGregor) persuades Ray (Hawke) to go to his funeral, much against his better judgment.

The film then becomes a rather offbeat exploration of the men's lives, adding the context of very unconventional parenting.

Let's be honest, there isn't a lot of action during Raymond and Ray but there are some amusing tangents and quite a lot of pathos.

And there is no doubt that Hawke and McGregor are class actors - they spark off each other like two thesps on stage.

It adds up to a mound rather than a hill of beans and probably won't live long in the memory but, for its 105 minutes, it brought a smile.

Reasons to watch: Smart script well-acted

Reasons to avoid: A comedy without laughs

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? The actual trumpet playing in Raymond and Ray is done by Jeff Beal, who wrote the film's score.

The final word. Ethan Hawke: "Raymond And Ray is such a gentle film and such a human piece. Ewan was just coming off of Obi-Wan, so the two of us really enjoyed spending 10 minutes in hair and makeup, having no big production value and just letting it be about real relationships." AV Club

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