Directed by: Tom Caltabiano
Starring: Ray Romano, Tom Caltabiano
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Video Services Corp.
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Running Time: 79 minutes
Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars
With a tagline like “1000 Miles. 8 Days. 7 Cities. 2 Friends. 1 Car. Never Again”, the film sets itself up for a wild ride. Well it delivers for the most-part. The film definitely feels aged, since it was original released back in 2006 and premiered on HBO back in July of 2007. I am a big sucker for Ray Romano though, I am not sure if it is his unique voice or sense of humor but I have always liked his work. This behind-the-scenes documentary on his comedy tour delivers some good laughs, though I actually enjoyed the special features much more than I did the feature itself.
This film follows Ray Romano and Tom Caltabiano as they travel for through eight-day drive on a stand-up comedy tour. The film is a raw look behind the scenes at Ray’s road to bringing his comedy to the stage and Tom being featured as his opening act. We see the real aspects of touring dealing with Ray’s obsessions, phobias, and insecurities. Since this a filmed a long time ago, it is a dated since Ray’s career has survived way past his days on “Everybody Love Raymond” though it is still for the most part entertaining.
The special features is where this release really shines. The film only lasts 79 minutes but there is tons of great additional footage. There is a full 30 minute set for “Ray’s Kansas City Stand-Up Show”. There are two Q&A sessions from South by Southwest. There is a video commentary with both Ray and Tom. There are two commentary tracks included from director Tom Caltabiano, composer Adam Gorgoni, cinematographer Roger Lay Jr. and editor Cheyenne Pesko. There are a bunch of deleted and extended scenes included as well, definitely worth checking out. Lastly there is a photo gallery and theatrical trailer also included.