Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Intense family drama has language, violence, and sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Raymond & Ray
What's the Story?
In RAYMOND & RAY, two adult men (Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke) whose lives haven't exactly gone perfectly must go fulfill the last request of their deceased father. The only problem is that their father was a horrible person who psychologically and physically abused them as kids. Even more troubling, they quickly find out that many people who knew their father later in life say he was a great man. Working to uncover how this narrative fits with their own painful family history, the two brothers will confront their pasts for better and for worse.
Is It Any Good?
The strong cast on paper fails to enliven or enhance this story of two adult men trying to get over their complicated feelings toward their abusive father. Unfortunately, many scenes in Raymond & Ray feel a bit off, whether it be because of stiff blocking or stilted dialogue. Further, many scenes feel particularly crafted to reveal one specific piece of information or twist in order to justify continuing the story, but after a while, these moments begin to feel too manufactured and unnatural. The notable actors do try their best to sink their acting chops deep into this script but without much character development or explication about who these men are (beyond them being "not-that-successful average White guys who had a horrible father growing up.")
But the main problem that follows around the entire film is that it doesn't know what it wants to say. Or, if it does, it seems that it wants to say something like "even though your father was horrible, abusive, and also not great to women, he still was a great guy." And if this isn't the message, then something went horribly wrong. And if this is the message, then it feels like a story with a dumb purpose. The entire movie repeats this message ("But this abusive father was still a good guy; just a man like any other, trying to figure the world out!") over and over. By the end, the poignancy this film so strives for is long dead, killed by the constant reminder that abusive horrible men were actually okay dudes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in dramas. In Raymond & Ray, did the references to abuse and childhood trauma make you feel for the brothers? Why or why not?
Why do you think so much of the film tries to redeem the father figure, even when he was such a horrible person?
Why do you think Lucia likes Raymond? Why do you think Raymond likes Lucia?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 21, 2022
- Cast : Ewan McGregor , Ethan Hawke , Maribel Verdu , Sophie Okonedo
- Director : Rodrigo Garcia
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Apple TV / Apple Original Films
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Run time : 105 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and some sexual material
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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