You Can Call Me Bill

I love the original series of Star Trek. It is without question my favorite TV show. I have been to Star Trek conventions and watched the episodes countless times. And yes, not all the episodes are great or even good, but many are truly amazing in both their time and ours. Many very talented people worked on the show, but I think two contributors really set the tone: Gene Roddenberry for his vision, and William Shatner for his commanding presence -- he WAS the Captain of the Enterprise.

All this being said, this movie has little to do with Star Trek, and everything to do with an amazing actor who is just entering his 93rd year. Happy birthday Bill! Yes, there are clips from Star Trek and many of his other roles, and yes it's true that this documentary is not presented in a conventional, linear fashion. But what really springs to life is the thinking and the spirituality of a man who cares deeply for his planet and all the life on it. And what could be truer to Star Trek than that?

As a William Shatner fan, I loved it! You Can Call Me Bill is a great mix of humor and heart. You get to hear his autobiographical commentary and are treated to montages of his work over the years, including rare footage. You even get to experience his music! Even my husband who is not a hardcore William Shatner fan enjoyed it. In this film, Bill is completely genuine and even vulnerable at times. It was a side of him I'd never seen before. Also, the film was surprisingly inspiring with a moving and powerful message about taking care of of our planet. A very worthwhile film about a very interesting man.

Yes, profound. It's high time someone influential in Hollywood championed Earth. But besides adopting the planet, "Bill" talks about his career and going into orbit on Blue Origin's New Shepard when he became the oldest human to go into space.

The documentary was not a constant barrage of William Shatner shots and film clips, but also some stunning shots of our planet, both from space and redwood forests. Some of the photos and videos are breathtakingly beautiful. Simultaneously exhilarating and calming. The director, Alexandre O. Philippe, obviously knows what he's doing.

The one thing that shocked me though, as I thought I knew a lot about Bill, was what happened after Star Trek (the original series) was cancelled. No spoilers here, but, wow. I was shocked.

William Shatner - he likes to be called Bill - has had an accomplished career. One where he has reinvented himself several times over transforming from Kirk to Hooker to Crane. From author to spokesman to astronaut to ...singer (and no, you do not need to imbibe on Romulan ale to enjoy his rocking "Common People" single from 2004). If anyone deserves a curtain call, Bill Shatner gets my vote. The documentary You Can Call Me Bill is a partial answer to such a victory lap. For over 90 minutes, Bill reminisces, waxes poetic, and frets on the future. Sometimes simultaneously. Often in a stream of consciousness. However, if You Can Call Me Bill is designed as a celebration, why does it come across as aimless as your grandfather commiserating about current events over Thanksgiving dinner?

Albeit a grandfather who happens to be Captain Kirk.

You Can Call Me Bill becomes a preemptive eulogy of sorts. For Shatner fans of all sizes, the movie is accessible and entertaining. Yet all of that humor, all of that love of life are only shown in the clips that the world has already enjoyed and celebrated. You Can Call Me Bill instead focuses on the solitary life of a solo man. Sitting in the dark. Waiting for the final curtain to close.

...I give it a solid 9 stars. There were only a few surprises for a die-hard Shatner fan like me, but the joy in watching this film was in the hour and a half, very personal monologue from Shatner. Introspective most times and at other times, filled with humor and anecdotal tales of his past, present and limited future. I would have given this ten stars were it not for Bill coming back to global warming time and again. I have no issues with a person having an opinion, but I'm of the position that once you espouse it, let your audience decide for themselves. No need to harp on it - we get it. Other than that, I enjoyed every moment of the red carpet premiere in Playa Vista.