Exploring Raymond (2010)

Phil Rosenthal is the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond which is based on his belief that family is funny and that the comedy of those relationships is universal.  He was sent to Moscow by Sony to supervise development of Everybody Loves Kostya, the Russian equivalent and this is a documentary of his experiece there.
Rosenthal took along a small crew and approached his assignment with the bemused detachment a certain lack of curiosity about his surroundings.  Nobody will question the importance of Ray Romano and the chemistry of his cast-mates in making Raymond a nine-season smash as well as a syndication perennial. But exposure to Rosenthal reveals just how much of his self-effacing every man persona went into the central character.  Not to mention the influence of his bickering parents on the show’s Marie and Frank.  The resemblance is uncanny.  The film highlights the frustrations he has with the cultural divide, and basically feeling like they just didn't get him.  Until the moment that they did.  Fun to watch even if you were not a fan of the original show.