'Ray Donovan: The Movie' DVD: The Many Saints of Bawstan

The CBS Home Entertainment May 24, 2022 DVD release of "Ray Donovan: The Movie" FULLY embraces the spirit of seven seasons and a movie that reflects the fan desire for closure regard a beloved cult series. This "family" drama exceeds expectations as to finality regarding the literal and figurative trials and tribuilations of the titular connected clan. One spoiler is that the final scene does not involve the titular fixer and his relatives breaking bread in a diner. The following "Donovan" trailer strikes the perfect balance between teasing about film and avoiding spoilers. It also shows that this franchise finale stays very true the series on which it is based.

CBSHE provides lazy reviewers everywhere a gift in the form of the followning synopsis that provides a perfect "25 words or more" recap of the film. "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." The strongest vibe of "Donovan" is of the 2021 six seasons and a prequel movie "The Many Saints of Newark." This one tells the comning-of-age tale of an teen and post-adolescent Tony Soprano. That guy figuratively is hte Jersey boy cousin of our titualr antagonistic anti-hero. "Donovan opens with the almost ubiquitous present-day scene that leads to recent past series of events leading up that dramatic event. In this case, we get a plethora of flashbacks that show how all this comes to be. The Asian lesson is that Donovan (Liev Schreiber) should double his workload. One spoiler is that the SUBLIME surprise climax shows the only effective means for ending toxic family cycles. Sometimes one literally must take a bullet for to pay for the sins of the father. We also see that daddy's little girl does not like Mondays. The central time period of "Donovan" is in the wake of the dramatic season-seven finale. Ray has left Los Angeles in lukewarm pursuit of his father Mickey (Jon Voight) who has fled the City of Angels for the Donovan home turf of the Hub of the Universe (aka The Athens of America) (aka Beantown) (aka Boston). The motive for that sort of a homecoming is to abscond with goods that were ill-gotten during season seven. Commentary regarding this will have you chanting "hookers and coke." Returning to his roots triggers memories that remind Ray and the audience of how he comes to be the wise guy that he is today. We see the oft-portrayed southie Irish tale of an abusive and thieving father, a pedophile prist who merely is transferred to another parish when an altar boy is caught with his pants down, and a teen who has nothing but negative role models. We also get the defining moment in the development of Ray as a person and of his relationship with Mickey. This meta storyline has a California film crew coming to the neighborhood in a flawed attempt to make a realistic movie about the just-below-the-surface undebelly of that section of Bawstan. One of the best scenes has a 40-ish Mickey providing a hlariously graphic demonstration in his self-declared role of technical advisor. This leads to a beautiful friendship with the young method star of the production. The ensuing shock-and-awe provides the previously mentioned turning point for the Donovans. The bottom line this time is that "Donovan" is must-see for both series fans and virgins of this saga. Fully enjoying this Shalesepearen tale does not require having watched what has led to these dramatic events. Furthr, there is never a dull moment and everyone from the leads down to the background characters play their roles well. The highly relatable (pun intended) theme is that our mother (and or father) are responsible for our lifelong angst; we also see that cutting the apron strings is the only final solution. Audiences everywhere can rejoice as to Ray taking a page from Thomas Wolfe by learning the consequences of coming home again.