Exporting Raymond

This is a good documentary, but not of the creation of a Russian version of an American sitcom. It's a good documentary of a boorish (if not racist) New Yorker wondering why Russia is not like the world he knows. At around the time this film was made, I (an American) spent four months teaching at a university in Ukraine. I hope I was a better guest than Phil Rosenthal, but I was just as baffled by things I thought were "universal," but were really not. Throughout this documentary, Rosenthal constantly critiques things that are different about Russia, but he really doesn't attempt to understand anyone's point of view. He's only interested in what in their cultural makes him so hard to understand. He does all the Soviet schtick (Russia had been post-Soviet for 20 years when this film was made) and is just plain rude. When he finds out his driver is a veteran who served in Afghanistan, his immediate question is "did you kill anybody?" Imagine if a Russian tourist in the U.S. asked this upon meeting a Vietnam veteran. Rosenthal's sitcom is amusing, but this film definitely is not.

Philip Rosenthal wrote and produced the TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond". Now that the show has run its course in the States, Rosenthal is trying to sell the idea of the series to the Russians. The problem is that the cultures are very, very different. What's funny in America isn't always funny in Russia and vice-versa. As "Raymond" wasn't as broadly written as some more successful comedies in Russia (such as "The Nanny"). And, in addition, so often Rosenthal has no idea what's going on when he visits the country--so much gets lost in translation.

I noticed that another reviewer found this documentary hilarious. Well, I didn't--and this isn't a complaint, really. It is occasionally droll. But what I think is that the film is insightful and gives the viewer a look at cross-cultural differences--and that's what I appreciated about the film. Not a must-see, but very enjoyable. And, in some ways it reminds me of the Albert Brooks film "Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World" combined with an episode of Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimern's shows on travel and gastronomy. Rosenthal just visits with various Russians and films whatever happens--for good or bad. Interesting.

I know what you're thinking. "But I don't like 'Everybody Loves Raymond! Why would I want to watch this?" To which I reply, to your first point, "You are an asshole. It is a very good show, stop being an elitist prick and just enjoy yourself!" To your second, I reply, "You want to see this because it is, quite frankly, one of the funniest, sharpest, and completely entertaining documentaries I've ever seen." This is, in my opinion, the best documentary of the year. We follow Rosenthal from the original idea to the other side of the world as he tries to tune his show to fit the Russian sensibility, work in a creative environment that makes no sense to him, and deal with the absurd logistics of working in Russia. I cannot count the number of absolute laugh out loud moments in this film. Be it dealing with the new head of network comedy (a man who knows a significant amount more about lasers than comedy), trying to get the head of the Moscow Art Theatre to allow one of his actors to appear in the show (The Moscow Art Theatre is where Stanislavski did his writings on "the method," and Chekov premiered "The Seagull"), or attempting to translate the delicate physical comedy of a nut shot this movie has no shortage of genuinely funny moments. (At one point a joke about a "Fruit of the Month Club," had to be changed to "Water of the Week" because there is no "Fruit of the Month Club" in Russia… but apparently "Water of the Week" is a booming industry.) There are some touching scenes as well, Rosenthal bonding with his bodyguard (who would have preferred to have spent his life writing about sea shells), and spending an evening with a Russian family (and seeing just how similar we really are) add a nice emotional weight to the otherwise light proceedings. You could not write comedy this brilliant or moving. The film basically asks the question, "How difficult is it to let go of something you spent years of your life creating and let someone else make it their own." If you only see one documentary in the next two years, do yourself a favor and see this one.

If you know anything about the successful TV series Everybody Loves Raymond , you know that the co-creator writer/producer of this classic comedy show that ran 9 seasons was Phil Rosenthal. So much of the humor of it came from the observations, sensibilities, family experience and sense of humor of this young man. Therefore when SONY pictures and the Russian TV network decided they wanted to make a Russian version of this hit TV series, they decided to invite Phil Rosenthal to come to Russia and advise the writers, directors and producers how to pull it off. However, SONY also thought it would be a good idea if Rosenthal took a film crew with him to document the entire process. The result is a hilarious, insightful and very fascinating look at Russian television, Russian family life and the Russian sense of humor or lack thereof. It also shows how all of the above in many ways are quite different from it's American counterpart but yet beneath it all are quite similar. The success of this very funny documentary (how often do you see a funny doc?) is Phil Rosenthal. He is not only the writer/producer/director and star of this masterpiece but it is his sense of humor and timing, which carries this film. He was present at our screening and claimed he had a great deal of luck and just happened to be there filming at the right moment. There were a few spontaneous encounters caught on film with Rosenthal's parents and it was ELR all over again. The initial attempts to remake some of the original programs in Russian were wildly funny as the show was suffering in its cultural transplantation. The Russian writers, directors and involved in the making of the show were hard to believe but were quite real. There was the humorless Russian network Director of Comedy. There was a costume designer who believed it was the purpose of a TV comedy to show great trends in fashion even when depicting a typical housewife cleaning her home. In the end Everybody Loves Kostya is now the number one TV show in Russia. This documentary will be released in April and may fall between the cracks but it should definitely not be missed. You will laugh, come away with not only a lighter heart but also with a depth of insight and respect for an incredibly complex process (2011)

I just recently saw a test screening of this film at my school. Apart from issue-driven documentaries with some comedic elements like Super Size Me and Michael Moore's films, "Exporting Raymond" may very well be the first true comedy documentary.

While running into language barriers and culture differences as to what is funny, director Rosenthal tells a very funny and surprisingly often touching story about his efforts to adapt his American hit "Everybody Loves Raymond" for Russian audiences.

It is filled with several memorable "characters" that you just can't make up in real life! And you don't have to be a fan of the TV show to enjoy this documentary!