Whenever I hear this man speak, I walk away feeling like I’m not doing enough with my life. Known for his roles as Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk, there has been an attempt outside of geek, nerd, and Trekkie circles to unfairly diminish the impact and body of work of Mr. Shatner. From Legion M and Alexandre O. Philippe comes a very different documentary, You Can Call Me Bill. You’ll walk away, realizing that William Shatner has more important things to do than worry about his critics.
You Can Call Me Bill is not your typical documentary, which walks us through the life story of William Shatner. Typical in that Mr. Shatner does a talking-head interview interwoven with scenes from his illustrious acting career. Atypical in that the documentary is broken up into chapters that explore the themes that make up William Shatner the person.
“…explore the themes that make up William Shatner the person.”
The film opens in the middle of a forest, and in voiceover, Mr. Shatner reflects on life…his life and its relationship with the outdoors and nature. Being the environmentalist that he is, Shatner finds himself inextricably entangled with nature’s interconnectedness, which guides every next step of his journey.
I’ll be honest. There is so much “Shat” packed in You Can Call Me Bill that it can be overwhelming (which explains the lateness of this review). Much like his one-man stage performances, Mr. Shatner is given several points in his life to reflect upon. So let me give you a few of my favorite highlights from the film.
Like everyone else in the world, our stories start at birth. Born in Montreal, William Shatner was the son of Jewish immigrants. He speaks fondly of his youth but honestly about his relationship with his parents, who were strict and didn’t necessarily want him to pursue a career in the arts.
