EXPORTING RAYMOND (MOTION PICTURE)
Summary
This documentary film is about series creator Phil Rosenthal’s attempts to produce a Russian version of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” The program begins as Rosenthal talks about his lifelong love of television and the show’s basis in both his and Ray Romano’s personal lives. The show ran for nine successful years, and as it drew to a close, “the Russians called.” Sitcoms such as “The Nanny” and “Who’s the Boss” had already been successfully adapted into Russian-language programs, and Rosenthal states that creating a new version of “Raymond” could be a “thrilling opportunity,” although he is somewhat deterred when he is told to buy “K&R,” or “kidnap and random” insurance for himself. He goes to talk to his parents, of whom Frank and Marie Barone are “exaggerated” versions, and asks them about their recent trip to Moscow. They attempt to show him their photographs, although some technological difficulties make things challenging, much to Rosenthal’s amusement. He bids his family farewell and journeys to Russia, where he meets his intimidating bodyguard/driver, Eldar. The next day, when he braves the traffic and attends a meeting with the crew of “Everybody Loves Kostya,” he learns from the costume designers that she wants the show to be “more trendy,” which Rosenthal feels conflicts with the down-to-earth, average-family tone of the show. He travels to the creepy, rundown studio building to begin the casting process, desiring funny actors with an “everyman” quality, but soon learns that many of the jokes are not translating well. They attempt to use the episode “Baggage,” in which Ray and wife Debra squabble over a suitcase, as the pilot, but Rosenthal is later told that Ray seems like a “weakling” and that Russian audiences will not respond to a man who is submissive to his wife. However, Rosenthal notes that the man making the complaint is unmarried himself. He notes that Russia’s most popular shows often involve very “over-the-top” characterizations, and starts to wonder if the themes in “Raymond” as are universal as he believed them to be.
Over dinner, Eldar casually reveals that he knew the man who poisoned KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko and briefly discusses his history in the military. Back on set, Rosenthal finds that “Vera,” the Russian version of Debra, is dressed far too elegantly for a harried housewife. He travels to an art gallery to attain some understanding of modern Russian culture, and he is dismayed to be told that in entertainment, “style” matters far more than content. However, he is encouraged when they land a funny older actor to play Kostya’s father. Soon after they also find a brilliant young actor for the lead role, but when they meet with the network executives, they are told that he is an unknown and will not appeal to audiences. Eldar takes Rosenthal to a WWII memorial of sorts and alludes to his ten years in the military, although he declines to go into specifics. When he returns to work, he finds that the writers are unprepared, as they are working on several other shows at the same time, and is also told that they cannot have a live audience, which he considers essential to the tone and humor of the show. To top it all off, Rosenthal learns that the head of the network has been “promoted,” and that the show is placed on hold while changes are made.
Rosenthal returns to the States and keeps an eye on the casting process over the internet. When he returns to Russia ten months later to film the show, he is again met by Eldar, who gives him over to another driver, mysteriously saying that he must enter the hospital for twelve days of “tests.” Furthermore, the writers are all new as well, and there are complications regarding the cast’s simultaneous presence on set. They attempt to shoot the opening scene of an episode where Raymond, or Kostya, is accidentally kicked in a delicate place by his daughter, and the actor does not pull off the scene sufficiently. Rosenthal goes to speak to a prominent theatre director to beg for the original good actor back, but he is denied. In another scene, Kostya and Vera have a silly argument about juice, but once again the actor does not understand the humor of the building tension between the characters, and things continue to go downhill. Rosenthal meets with the surprisingly humorless network head of comedy and is disturbed to learn that the man does not enjoy “Raymond” at all. He finally receives his much-desired audience, but they are quiet and few in number, unlike the American studio audience. The actor continues to botch the physical comedy of the opening scene, and when Rosenthal chuckles in response to something onscreen, he is shushed and told, to his very great annoyance, that laughter will be added in post-production, meaning that they were never intending to “get” laughs from the scene.
He is invited to dine with a friend’s family, although the stressful shooting experience has rendered him somewhat anti-social. However, he attends the dinner and is charmed to learn that the family is a lot like his own; the older Russian couple attempts to chat with Rosenthal’s parents over Skype with humorous results. On set, however, things are still going badly as the actors play a funny scene like a melodrama, not truly getting the jokes. The head of comedy soon visits the set, but somehow, after many takes, the actors nail the scene properly and “make it their own.” Filming wraps on the pilot, and before Rosenthal leaves, he goes to see Eldar, who still does not explain his absence, but assures him that he is doing well. Six months later, in November 2009, after the part of Kostya has been recast yet again, the pilot airs on Russian television to very high ratings. A hundred more episodes are then ordered, and the show is currently #1 in Russia…and other countries have begun calling as well. The program concludes as Ray Romano watches the Russian version of his show in evident amusement.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 2009
- RUNNING TIME: N/A
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 106234
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Comedy
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- John Woldenberg … Executive Producer
- Jim Czarnecki … Producer
- Phil Rosenthal … Producer, Writer, Director
- Brian Singbiel … Co-Producer
- Lisa Yesko … Associate Producer
- Sasha Tsrylin … Line Producer
- Rick Marotta … Music by
- Patricia Heaton
- Alexander Litvinenko
- Ray Romano
- Phil Rosenthal