I do not know what the point or purpose of this film was, other than as a star vehicle for Ewan McGregor (Raymond) and Ethan Hawke (Ray), two fine actors who I have enjoyed frequently.
The gist of this story is that Raymond and Ray are half-brothers (supposedly) and that their father "Harris" has died. Raymond insists that they go to the funeral, even though both brothers hated the father, because he did not treat either of them well. Ray finally caves, and they go.
They quickly learn, via the father's lawyer, that one of the stipulations of his will is that the brothers dig the father's grave. Why they agree to do this, I don't know. But this is what sets the rest of the film into motion. We learn that the father fathered other sons, including acrobatic fraternal twins (who show us their tricks at the cemetery), as well as an obnoxious 8-year old boy, the result of an affair with Lucia (Maribel Verdu). We also meet Kiera (Sophie Okonedo), who was apparently the father's nurse at some point.
This group of mismatched people participate in the bizarre funeral that proceeds and takes up a good third or more of the film. When it's over, it feels like the film should be over. Instead, Raymond and Lucia end up connecting, and Kiera and Ray end up not connecting.
There are some great laughs and some honest, hurtful moments, but in general, the film goes on way too long without a powerful enough story to support it. The actors all did their jobs well, but it doesn't matter, because the story wasn't engaging enough. By the time we get to the end, I stopped caring, which is not what should happen.
I was really sorry to see a fine British actress such as Sophie Okonedo reduced to a small role as a nurse. (We don't see her being a nurse, but we know that that is her job.) Also, everyone, except possibly the manager of the funeral home, seemed to be highly dysfunctional. There was no one to really root for or care about. This is not a must-see film, and considering the level of A-list talent, it should be.
The gist of this story is that Raymond and Ray are half-brothers (supposedly) and that their father "Harris" has died. Raymond insists that they go to the funeral, even though both brothers hated the father, because he did not treat either of them well. Ray finally caves, and they go.
They quickly learn, via the father's lawyer, that one of the stipulations of his will is that the brothers dig the father's grave. Why they agree to do this, I don't know. But this is what sets the rest of the film into motion. We learn that the father fathered other sons, including acrobatic fraternal twins (who show us their tricks at the cemetery), as well as an obnoxious 8-year old boy, the result of an affair with Lucia (Maribel Verdu). We also meet Kiera (Sophie Okonedo), who was apparently the father's nurse at some point.
This group of mismatched people participate in the bizarre funeral that proceeds and takes up a good third or more of the film. When it's over, it feels like the film should be over. Instead, Raymond and Lucia end up connecting, and Kiera and Ray end up not connecting.
There are some great laughs and some honest, hurtful moments, but in general, the film goes on way too long without a powerful enough story to support it. The actors all did their jobs well, but it doesn't matter, because the story wasn't engaging enough. By the time we get to the end, I stopped caring, which is not what should happen.
I was really sorry to see a fine British actress such as Sophie Okonedo reduced to a small role as a nurse. (We don't see her being a nurse, but we know that that is her job.) Also, everyone, except possibly the manager of the funeral home, seemed to be highly dysfunctional. There was no one to really root for or care about. This is not a must-see film, and considering the level of A-list talent, it should be.