Phil Rosenthal is a funny man to begin with. He is not the laugh-out-loud funny, but rather, more awkward-situations-abound funny. Phil begins by talking about what made Everybody Loves Raymond so successful, including the fact that plenty of the comedic situations came from his own upbringing and family life. This is reinforced by a hysterical trip to his parents' home to discuss his impending trip to Russia, where they attempt to show him a slideshow of pictures from their trip to Russia. Since his parents aren't very technologically adept, it doesn't go too well.
Once in Russia, Phil meets many interesting people, including his driver, a man focused on all things military; the writers for Everybody Loves Kostya, who see comedy in a completely different way than Americans do; his translator, who remains Phil's only link to sanity in this wintry country; and finally, the costume designer for Everybody Loves Kostya, who seems to think the show needs to focus on high style instead of a typical Russian home life. Poor Phil is nearly at his wits' end by the time the actors are selected and he encounters roadblock after roadblock, just trying to get the parts correctly cast. However, once everything falls into place, the show gets made and becomes a huge success, allowing Phil to finally return to America.
Included as special features are the two episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond that were first pitched to the Russian team as pilot episodes, along with the two matching episodes of Everybody Loves Kostya that were eventually made. It's really interesting to see the parts that were changed to tweak things for Russian audiences. There are also a handful of deleted scenes and all are worth watching. Finally, there is commentary from Phil Rosenthal, as well as a funny joke being told by Phil's father, Max.
Overall, even if you don't like documentaries or never really watched Everybody Loves Raymond, you'll enjoy Exporting Raymond. I fit both of those categories perfectly and yet I still enjoyed watching this film and laughed out loud a number of times. Obviously, if you are a big fan of Rosenthal's or Everybody Loves Raymond, you'll enjoy it that much more.
