The family comedy My Uncle Rafael is set to open in theatres in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and other major markets on September 21, 2012.

The award-winning film stars Missi Pyle (The Artist, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory), John Michael Higgins (Yes Man, TVs “Happily Divorced”), Anthony Clark (Yes, Dear), Joe Lo Truglio (Role Models) and Rachel Blanchard (Road Trip), Asbarez reports.

Directed by former Spielberg protégé Marc Fusco, the film introduces Armenian stage and TV star Vahik Pirhamzei whose successful stage play featuring the Uncle Rafael character serves as the inspiration for the movie. This is the first American comedy to have an Armenian lead character. The film was financed and is being distributed by Slater Brothers Entertainment (SBE) and Rocky Mountain Pictures.

My Uncle Rafael follows a dysfunctional all-American family who is cast in a reality television show and must invite a stranger into their home—in this case an old Armenian uncle, who has one week to save them from falling apart.

“It’s rare to find a film that works on so many levels and elicits such a strong, positive audience reaction,” said SBE principal Todd Slater (Ray, Sahara, Chain Letter, Fame & Fortune). “We’re excited to bring ‘Rafael’ to the masses and to touch the consumer who we know will love this film.”

With a platform release planned similar to that of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Slater Brothers is building a targeted marketing campaign to expand the film’s reach into the mainstream domestic market. The film will open in several major cities in its opening weekend and then expand from there.

“It’s exciting bringing a character from a wildly successful stage play to the big screen, especially such a universal character as Uncle Rafael. Whether you’re black, white, Hispanic, or Asian, you’ll relate to him on some comedic level,” said director Marc Fusco. “As a country of immigrants, we’ve all known or met an ‘Uncle Rafael’ in our lives and probably even learned from him. In this case, he just happens to be Armenian.”