Movie Review
Like in this scene, Raymond and Ray have a lot of heart behind them, but little nuance. Written and directed by Rodrigo García, the film immediately establishes its grim premise—that Ben Harris is dead and wants his sons to dig his grave—and repeatedly and impolitely reinforces the severity of the situation through harsh dialogue.
Estranged half-brothers Raymond and Ray (Harris was so stupid, according to his sons, that he gave them the same name) will go at their father's rabbit-brained request, but reluctantly so. As they often and solemnly said, Harris was not a good father to them. But meeting people involved in his later life, such as his girlfriend and friend Lucia (Maribel Verdu) and nurse Kiera (Sophie Okonedo), teach the brothers that their father is a more complex person than they thought. This raises the question: How well can children and parents know each other?
It's a compelling question that Raymond and Ray bravely grapple with. McGregor and Hawke's performances are raw, walking distinct lines between sadness, resentment and indifference. But their interactions often feel empty. A plain script affects them very little; the other characters don't matter much more than to present Harris' conflicting opinions. There is no room for a driving question, other than... "things are complicated."
Mostly Simple
But mostly they are simple. Raymond and Ray is raw and real in its subject matter, but very open in its execution. Like the battle between the half-siblings, the story itself leaves nothing to be desired, stating its intentions directly through clumsy dialogue.
In the end, Raymond and Ray — a moving family drama with an undeniably talented cast — is bogged down by obvious, unrefined storytelling.
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Movie Review