My Uncle Rafael

My Uncle Rafael
My Uncle Rafael
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Marc Fusco
Written by	Scott Yagemann ; Vahik Pirhamzei
Based on	Rafael Keroo Gandzere; by Vahik Pirhamzei
Produced by	Anahid Avanesian ; Michael Garrity ; Vahik Pirhamzei ; Randy Simon ; Todd Slater
Starring	John Michael Higgins; Missi Pyle; Vahik Pirhamzei;
Cinematography
Edited by	Marc Fusco
Music by	Joey Newman ; Christopher Westlake
Production; companies	World Entertainment Connections ; Richmond Media Entertainment ; The Nickel Palace
Distributed by	Rocky Mountain Pictures ; Slater Brothers Entertainment
Release date	September 21, 2012;
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.3 million[citation needed]
Box office	$234,830 (USA)

My Uncle Rafael is a 2012 film directed by Marc Fusco. The screenplay was written by Scott Yagemann and Vahik Pirhamzei, based on Pirhamzei's play Rafael Keroo Gandzere.

Plot[]

A desperate TV producer convinces an old Armenian Uncle to star in a new reality show. Cultures collide when Uncle Rafael is thrown into the Schumacher family household where he has one week to save a broken and dysfunctional American family from falling apart. The only rule-everyone must follow his rules.

Cast[]

John Michael Higgins as Damon
Missi Pyle as Blair
Vahik Pirhamzei as Rafael/Hamo
Anthony Clark as Jack
Rachel Blanchard as Michele
Carly Chaikin as Kim
Ellington Ratliff as Photographer
Giovanni Cirfiera as Pietro

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 20% based on reviews from 5 critics.^[2] On Metacritic the film has a score of 36 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.^[3]

Gary Goldstein of The Los Angeles Times: "My Uncle Rafael elicits plenty of goofy chuckles even as it regularly threatens to fly off the rails. The film, directed by Marc Fusco from a script by Scott Yagemann and star Vahik Pirhamzei (based on a character from Pirhamzei's stage plays), feels a bit made up as it goes along but, like the best send-ups, also never feels so far from the actual truth."^[4]

Nick Schager of The Village Voice: "The term "contrived" doesn't begin to capture the sheer nonsensicality of this sitcom setup, but more painful is Rafael's shtick, which involves delivering endlessly flat punchlines such as, with regard to the show, "A pilot? But I don't fly." When not broadly riffing about love, commitment, and Jay-Z and Kim Kardashian, Rafael heals everyone around him (all of them dull types, including the angry goth teen and misbehaving young son) with advice like "When you learn to love someone without condition, you will be loved in return"—nauseating platitudes that turn the film into a comedy of corny homilies."^[5]^[6]

References[]

^ "My Uncle Rafael (2012) - Financial Information". The Numbers (website).
^ "My Uncle Rafael (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
^ "Critic Reviews for My Uncle Rafael". Metacritic. 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
^ Goldstein, Gary (2012-09-20). "Review: Cultures collide in 'My Uncle Rafael'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
^ "Film review for My Uncle Rafael". The Village Voice. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
^ Scheib, Ronnie (20 September 2012). "My Uncle Rafael". Variety.

External links[]

My Uncle Rafael at IMDb
My Uncle Rafael at AllMovie

[numbers-1] "My Uncle Rafael (2012) - Financial Information". The Numbers (website).

[2] "My Uncle Rafael (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2020-04-05.

[3] "Critic Reviews for My Uncle Rafael". Metacritic. 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2012-10-18.

[4] Goldstein, Gary (2012-09-20). "Review: Cultures collide in 'My Uncle Rafael'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-17.

[5] "Film review for My Uncle Rafael". The Village Voice. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-10-18.

[6] Scheib, Ronnie (20 September 2012). "My Uncle Rafael". Variety.

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