William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill

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.

If you're looking for a documentary about the great life of William Shatner this isn't it. I was hoping for a real documentary that would cover his early life, his acting breaks, early TV roles, Star Trek, his marriages etc. But nothing of that is covered. Instead we get a LOT of boring ecological statements that will be forgotten a second after you hear them. I wanted to hear about his relationship with Leonard Nimoy, Gene Roddenberry and the other ST castmates. Again none of that is covered. The one thing in its favor is that they have a lot of wonderful clips from his long career. If you can stream this without paying for it (unlike me), take a look and see if you agree with me.

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?

To be fair, I'm pretty sure it was the editing and directing that made William Shatner comes across as a rambling old man, in the fact that the narrative jumps all over the place. The film is has chapters, but each and every one seems to fall short of telling a coherent story. We get some glimpses into his past, there are some stories that would have been great to learn more about, but instead of details we're left with just his reflections. The film also relies on a bunch of b-roll, some of which is great, but other times is pretty confusing or awkward. Sadly, I walked learning very little about the specifics of Shatner's life and career.

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.