That Fighting Spirit

Lost in Translation

When Phil Rosenthal attended his first Austin Film Festival in 2008, the award-winning writer from Everybody Loves Raymond was jobless. Raymond had ended production in 2005 after nine successful seasons, and reruns were (and are) airing in syndication. The good-natured Rosenthal spoke happily about writing for a hit TV series, but when it came to being out of work, his otherwise chipper tone darkened a bit. Even with two Emmys and a Writers Guild of America Award on his mantle, he couldn’t get arrested in Hollywood.

“I was actually working,” Rosenthal says when reminded of his AFF appearance in a recent phone interview. “I was writing all kinds of things, but I got spoiled, I think. In the TV business, you get to see something delivered every week. But when you’re developing projects, especially movies, it can take a very long time [to see them come to fruition]. You’re just as busy, and you’re working hard, but the payoff isn’t right there like it is in TV,” he said.

But Rosenthal’s years of hard work and patience, not to mention his knack for generating big laughs from life’s small events, are paying off now. Today, he has several projects in the works (most of which he prefers not to talk about until the ink is dry). His newest project taps into his Raymond roots while allowing viewers a rare opportunity to see Rosenthal in front of the camera in his new documentary feature, Exporting Raymond, which opens the 17th annual Austin Film Festival on Thursday, Oct. 21.

“Why not?” seemed to be Rosenthal’s unspoken response to the proposal to produce Everybody Loves Raymond for a Russian audience (or, as it’s titled in Russia, Everybody Loves Kostya). This was not going to be dubbing old episodes. This was going to be a full-fledged production, using Russian talent, all the resources of Russian television, and the unwavering support of Sony executives based in Russia. Rosenthal didn’t speak the language and had only a passing knowledge of Russian culture, but the cornerstones of Everybody Loves Raymond – family, marriage, and the elements of good storytelling – are universal, aren’t they? What a joy it would be for a trained theatre professional, now an accomplished TV writer, to work on a known success in the land that produced some of the world’s great storytellers, like Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, and the great theatre artist Constantin Stanislavski. What could possibly go wrong, right? Without giving it all away, let’s just say things don’t go as smoothly as he was convinced they would. But anyone who knows Rosenthal’s work knows that when things begin to crumble, that’s when he strikes gold.

Part travelogue, part fish-out-of-water story, part behind-the-scenes look at the sausage-making process otherwise known as TV production, Exporting Raymond examines all these themes with notes of frustration and humor. Rosenthal is a great sport and a good filter through which the audience learns not only a bit about modern Russia but also how U.S. culture (and in this case, TV) is not exactly admired for its artistry as much as it is valued as a source for lucrative entertainment. After some particularly head-banging days trying to get through to overworked writers, difficult TV execs, and a costume designer who seems intent on costuming Everybody Loves Kostya as if it were an Eighties-era prime-time soap, Rosenthal seeks the wisdom from a respected Russian media artist. Perhaps there will be some collegial hand-patting, an invitation to share war stories of trying to create good work among those content with much less. Instead, he meets a young man who informs him that U.S. pop stars are great sources of inspiration and that style is much more important that substance. As Rosenthal takes this all in, you can almost hear a small explosion detonate in his head as his listens to the artist’s unabashed respect for the achievements of pop stars like Britney Spears.

“I worry that we’ve exported some of our idiocy,” Rosenthal said when recalling that moment in his film. “Don’t copy our wars and our bad shows, too.”

When asked about the quality of U.S. TV, pre- and post-Raymond, Rosenthal responded solemnly.

“This trend of reality shows may be more than just a trend. It could signal the end of civilization,” he said, adding, less tongue in cheek, “There have mostly been terrible things among great things, no matter what the time or place.” But as far as he’s concerned, “as long as we live in a world where Stephen Colbert gets to be on TV, all is wonderful; all is not lost.”

Exporting Raymond

This article appears in October 22 • 2010.