Exporting Raymond

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.

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.

Phil Rosenthal is the co-creator of the hit American TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond". He is offered a chance to adapt it to Russian TV. He is brought to Moscow but it's a case of fish out of water. An early nemesis is costumer Elena Starodubtseva who wants the highest of fashion for this regular middle class family. The writers are single and they don't get his comedy about marriage. Later, Phil finds out that they are overworked in this new field of sitcom writing in Russia. His constant support is translator Marina. There are problems with the executives and the hiring of the lead that he wants. In the end, it is the twists and turns of getting a TV show put on the screen. I don't watch "Everybody Loves Raymond" but that doesn't matter. It is a very insightful look in TV production no matter where. It is compelling to see if it works and actually funny with the exasperated Phil.

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.

In 2005, Everybody Loves Raymond wrapped up its ninth and final season, taking its leave after 2010 episodes which led it to become one of the more beloved shows of the era. It was a show that highlighted the ups and downs of every day, married life, a topic which obviously the general public related to. Seven years later, you can probably turn your television on right now and find a syndicated episode of Raymond somewhere. Shortly after the finale, show creator Phil Rosenthal was approached by a SONY representative and asked to help the Russian television network create a native version of Raymond. Rosenthal brought along a film crew to document the events, revealing that comedy isn't quite as universal as we might expect.

I'm not sure exactly what Rosenthal expected from his trip abroad but it becomes quite clear early on that he wasn't prepared for this undertaking. He is thrown for a loop when he discovers that he has to invest in Kidnapping and Rescue Insurance, an issue he is assured never comes up; he astutely points out that if it "never" came up, there would be no need for the insurance. Upon arriving, he meets up with his private security guard/driver and their exchange soars right past the "awkward" stage and borders on becoming "tense." He is undoubtedly a stranger in a strange land and it only gets worse from there.

Later, Rosenthal is brought to the studio (which literally looks like every depressing, dilapidated building you've ever seen in a Hollywood version of Russia) and introduced to the crack team of writers and crew he will be working with. They show him clips from American shows that have previously been remade and he is given a glimpse into what Russians find funny. In my opinion, this was the best part of the entire documentary. Rosenthal is shown a clip from the Russian version of The Nanny, one of the most successful programs ever, which was truly atrocious. If, like me, you believe there is no lower form of "comedy" than Fran Dresher and The Nanny, then allow me to burst your bubble: judging from the 30 seconds shown in Exporting Raymond, I would say the Russian version is approximately 37 times worse. That exact sentiment is written in bold across Rosenthal's face as he looks around the room at his laughing coworkers and realizes he's bitten off far more than he could possibly chew. It is moment that is both hilarious and a little bit heartbreaking.

As Exporting Raymond progresses, we see more and more conflicts unfold for Rosenthal. The casting process alone turns out to be a major hassle as the actor Rosenthal wants to play the Raymond character is unable to get leave from his theater company and he is replaced with an actor who appears to be the Russian equivalent of Paul Walker in terms of acting ability. To top it all off, Rosenthal doesn't get along with the director of the pilot episode, who seems to regard him as a nuisance and refuses to listen to his advice, which is, of course, the only reason he was brought in.

The greatest strength of Exporting Raymond is its ability to point out the dramatic differences between the Russian culture and our own with a simple, understated style. This is a, "Let the camera roll and see what happens" sort of documentary and there's very little in the way or post- production or narration; rather, for the most part, the audience sees what Rosenthal sees and his reactions which are generally priceless. There are times when the film loses focus and becomes somewhat dull and even at its best, there's nothing excessively funny or definitively special about Exporting Raymond. But it still serves as a quirky, fun, and moderately insightful piece of work that is worth a viewing if for no other reason than to experience Rosenthal's dumbfounded facial expressions for yourself.

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