Becoming Bond (2017)

A Major Disappointment

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Documentary/pictography of the life of the enigma that is George Lazenby. The only 'actor' or should that be model to play the role of James Bond once. Are all the stories narrated by George Lazenby's of his life true? I beg to differ with some of them. It is a fascinating story if true. However they are shown excellently and quite comically in some scenes so well done there. The actors do a good job in bringing Lazenby's narration to the screen. The archive footage of publicity around his only Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service is obviously real and fascinating. I find that Bond film fascinating to be honest. Why didn't he just sign the god damn contract (for six more Bond films)?

Was not expecting this. Although not my favorite bond or movie, I still compelled to watch this and find out why he only did the one Bond movie. Its an often funny story, badly acted sketches but ends with a sadness thinking why did he do it? What made him take these incredible final decisions? Made me a new George Lazenby fan and itching to watch again On her majesties secret service.

George Lazenby has become a polished story teller about all his Bond experiences. They are very interesting and he has become, over the years, very good at telling these stories and presenting them in both a fascinating and very humorous manner. We were in stitches. The wonderful thing about seeing a film in a festival setting is that there is not an empty seat to be found, and that every chair has in it a responsive audience member that is hanging on every word and laughing out loud en mass.George, who has retired to somewhere California told one of his stories to the right ear. Someone who knew a couple of young, up and coming, very talented film makers. Who after several 3 and a half hour lunches listening to George decided they wanted to make a movie with him.This was a wonderful screening at this years Hot Docs film festival with a wonderful Q&A where I was able to both speak with the film makers themselves as well as George who picked up when the director called him from the stage. He shared some additional insights through the auditoriums sound system but we all would have loved to see him.Very good show.

I saw "Becoming Bond" as someone who isn't even a Bond fan, and hasn't seen half the films. The unlikely story of George Lazenby is told so entertainingly and engagingly, however, that Lazenby's solitary Bond flick "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is now on top of my Netflix queue. The filmmakers brilliantly turned Lazenby's own magnetic (and at times hard-to-believe) retelling of his life into a hilarious drunk-history-style re-creation that also manages to inspire. Great film.