Description:
A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight. Whether they stand together or they go down swinging, one thing is certain – Ray doesn’t do loose ends.
What We Thought:
When Ray Donovan first hit I was a big fan. The series was about a guy from Boston living in California dealing with celebrities and trying to be more good guy than gangster. It was must see TV for me. After a few seasons I had grown tired of it and only watched it if the latest season came my way to review. The series ended without tying up its storylines and fans wanted closure. The result is Ray Donovan: The Movie which originally aired on Showtime in January.
Ray finds himself tracking his father Mickey back to Boston. Mickey has some paper money he’s trying to unload and Ray is also dealing with blowback from his half-brother killing someone previously. But what I liked most about the movie (besides doing their best to close out the show) is it flashbacks to a young Ray and younger Mickey and how they first butted heads. Mickey weaseled his way into a movie production in Boston to add his authenticity to the script. Ray worked in security. It shows why Mickey went to jail in the first place and how Ray got involved with Hollywood. I thought they did a good job casting younger versions who I found quite believable.
Along with the flashbacks it does try to tie up what fans wanted shut. Ray’s half-brother is told he needs to flee. Bridget is a wreck and wants revenge. Bunchy wants to see his kid. It does a pretty good job tackling all of it even if I didn’t love the particular ending. There are very few shows that I think ended well so it’s par for the course I get. I’m not sure how else it could have ended and I’m sure fans will debate it as well.
If you were a fan of the show and haven’t seen it yet then check out Ray Donovan: The Movie. It adds just enough to make it a feature film without feeling unnecessary. You won’t get all the closure you want and the ending will get people discussing how it should/could have ended, but at least we get an ending we should have gotten with an eight season.
The Nerds Templar 