'You Can Call Me Bill' Review
This documentary is a trip into the mind of “Star Trek”, “T.J. Hooker” and “Boston Legal” star — and the Priceline Negotiator — William Shatner. If you’re a fan of his, and of acting and entertainment icons, you’ll love that “You Can Call Me Bill” opens up Shatner’s vault, with a treasure trove of clips. His early days in the ‘biz, commercial work, the TV shows, movies, talk show appearances and much more. And for Trekkies, you’ll definitely love his Captain Kirk tales (accompanied by a bunch of scenes of the classic ’60s series) and how he feels he played a part in NASA’s mission to put a man on the Moon.
“You Can Call Me Bill” is an hour and a half-long conversation with Shatner. He is talking to us very directly and openly about his life, career and the great beyond. You may not agree with everything he has to say, but you’re fascinated nonetheless. The first act is devoted to his thoughts on trees, destiny and what he wants to do when his time on Earth wraps up. There’s also a section on his recent, highly publicized, Blue Origin space venture. They don’t pop quite as much as other portions of the doc.
Shatner (who just turned 93) delivers stories and insights in such compelling ways — about the early days of television, why comedy is so difficult to master and why the timing of dialogue deliveries has to be perfect. He smiles during much of this doc, though he also describes some painful, sad events from his childhood and adult years. My favorite moment is when he talks about Sir Laurence Olivier’s Academy Awards speech, and how Olivier had no idea what he was saying during that moment. And the camera cuts to Jon Voight, who is enthralled with what Olivier just said even though it really makes no sense. Hilarious.
