Tribeca 2022: Ray Romano’s Directorial Debut ‘Somewhere in Queens’
Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 6:00PM 
Nearly two decades after the end of his beloved, Emmy-winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray Romano continues to churn out consistently solid work. His follow-up TV shows include Men of a Certain Age and the just-cancelled Made for Love. He also starred opposite Mark Duplass in the underrated Paddleton, which you can stream on Netflix. And now he’s stepped behind the camera to direct himself in the very funny Somewhere in Queens, featuring a very loud family of Italians with plenty of spoken and unspoken issues.
The role Romano plays is one that tracks with his resume, that of a moderately awkward husband and father who hasn’t achieved much success in his life...
He spends his days being talked down to by his brother and his father at the family construction company where they hold leadership roles and he does much of the grunt work. He attends every basketball game his son Sticks (Jacob Word) plays in, and becomes very attached to the idea that he might be able to get a scholarship to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia, setting him up for a distinctly different life trajectory. His relationship with his wife Angela, played by an absolutely terrific Laurie Metcalf, is stable but fueled mostly by sarcasm.
Having spent enough time on a comedy series that worked well and ran for many seasons, Romano, who co-wrote the script with Mark Stegemann, knows how to craft situational material that’s legitimately funny. What he’s done here is to create an inviting world, one filled with over-the-top Italian-American personalities, and infuse just enough plot and drama into them to make them thoroughly enjoyable and also poignant. There is a warmth to the way that Leo and Angela interact even though they don’t always outwardly show it, and everyone should be able to relate in part to the way this family functions, with love often demonstrated through constant teasing that more than occasionally crosses the line from endearing to hurtful.
Romano has also smartly surrounded himself with a tremendous cast, paired wonderfully with Metcalf, whose Queens accent is among the most potent in a sea full of them. Ward is a worthwhile find, and the real standout is Sadie Stanley, whose credits include the live-action Kim Possible and recurring roles on The Goldbergs and Dead to Me, as Sticks’ girlfriend Dani. It’s also wonderful to see Dierdre Friel, who’s also doing great work right night in season two of Physical, as Leo’s sister, and the always superb Jennifer Esposito as a construction client. This film boasts both a rich cast and a winning script, an effective combination that makes it a true delight. Expect this one to get picked up easily. B+
Somewhere in Queens makes its world premiere in the Spotlight Narrative section at the 2022 Tribeca Festival.