The stranger-than-fiction true story of George Lazenby, a poor Australian car mechanic who, through an unbelievable set of circumstances, landed the role of James Bond despite having never acted a day in his life.
How does a non-actor become the lead in the highest grossing movie of the year and then not continue to act afterwards? Do we have a new genre of film – the Docody (can I call a documentary-comedy that, because it sounded better than commedary)? Is all of this just stranger than fiction? All of these could be used to describe this film, but there is so much more to George Lazenbys life story... especially the way he tells it... So, what is it then? Firstly, Becoming Bond is not the Thin Blue Line, Grizzly Man, Bowling for Columbine, Citizenfour or any of the Oscar winning documentaries that youve seen. In Becoming Bond, Lazenby talks about his life, at times brutal honesty and poignancy. Distilled from about forty hours of interviews, it could be surmised as boy meets girl, boy becomes man, man becomes Bond – but that sells it short. George has lived an interesting life and describes it in equally engaging ways. What this means for the narrative is that sometimes the truth is not always bland... so much so that 40 minutes in Director How much of this story that you’ve told me is true? George Which one? Director The whole story... George Hey, how can I remember it if it wasn’t true? Becoming Bond is made similarly to Touching the Void with actors dramatising parts of the story. But where that doco was drama, this is more comedic and fittingly, the acting here is playful – reminiscent of the TV series and archetypes of that era (think Batman or the Brady Bunch). Technically, the film is solid, the directing and editing are sound and the score hints at Bond themes whilst staying individual (much like Georges Bond). Josh Lawson has obvious fun (he picks up Georges swagger and little mannerisms well) and little cameos also pepper the film (Jane Seymour, Dana Carvey). One criticism that can be raised is that the secondary characters are very one dimensional, but I feel this is in line with the narrative of the film – its Georges take on his own life. Becoming Bond is one of the most enjoyable documentaries Ive seen. Its not a perfect film; Shakespearianly dramatic; nor is it covering a life changing topic. But what makes this movie special is that its just how Id picture it if I happened to have the good fortune to ask George the same questions over a beer or six. And thats a credit to both the filmmakers and Lazenby.
