William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 18, 2024

A documentary on the life and times of William Shatner conjures plenty of expectations, with the actor in command of a colorful existence filled with career highlights and general eccentricity. However, “You Can Call Me Bill” is directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, and he’s not a helmer interested in making something flashy and superficial. The man behind “Memory: The Origins of Alien” and “Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist,” Philippe is more interested in getting under the skin of his subjects, playing with stillness and introspection to best extract a deeper understanding of the situation. Thankfully, Shatner is ready to play along, sitting down for this unexpectedly reflective conversation about acting, nature, and the ways of life and death. “You Can Call Me Bill” is a fascinating portrait of Shatner, who, at 92 years of age, remains as animated as ever, eager to walk through the memories of his active days, doing so with a hearty sense of humor and emotional intensity.

“You Can Call Me Bill” begins and ends in nature. More specifically, a forest, which represents the majesty of the living world. It’s a place where Shatner feels most at home, eager to appreciate the wonders of the planet, working to remain in touch with experiences over the majority of his life. He discusses his feelings about pets, with an early tragedy involving a dog still burned on his soul. Philippe allows his subject to simply talk, finding his way to points about the heart and mind, but biographical information is added as well. This includes an early experience at summer camp, where Shatner elected to take part in a play, learning the power of stage presence and comedic influence right away, sending him on a path to thespian employment.

Philippe doesn’t offer a step-by-step exploration of Shatner’s career, electing to understand influences before credits. Horses have played a major part in his life for decades, recalling his formative years watching westerns on television and on the big screen, getting his start in the genre. Acting is analyzed as well, with Shatner detailing his approach to roles, looking to use the excitement of curiosity and wonder to fuel most performances, and he addresses his “Shatnerian” ways with some bemusement. More importantly, the subject digs into his theory on the “masks” people wear, with his resume loaded with different types of characters, allowing him to tap into the human condition, which is endlessly fascinating to him. There’s also focus on comedic balance, with the gift of making people laugh a lot more than luck, examining the delicate timing of joke telling, which he takes with the utmost seriousness.

While Shatner sits for his interviews, Philippe includes clips from the subject’s career. This includes time on television and movies, but also live performances, reaching audiences from the stage as he sings, monologues, and shares anecdotes from his years. These moments don’t overwhelm “You Can Call Me Bill,” used here as evidence of Shatner’s enthusiasm for the performing arts, playing into his “go boldly” mantra that reinforces the importance of adventure, to experience the world in diverse ways. And, yes, there’s plenty of “Star Trek” in the mix. Philippe doesn’t turn the feature into a celebration of Shatner’s time as Captain Kirk (or “my ‘Star Trek,’” as he refers to it), but he weaves important clips from the franchise into the documentary, showcasing the actor’s skill and hunger for the art form. “Star Trek” has greatly changed Shatner’s life, but Philippe doesn’t push the brand name on “You Can Call Me Bill,” instead using this career triumph as a way to understand creative choices from the subject and identify the thin line between drama and identity.

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "You Can Call Me Bill" struggles a bit with compression issues, finding moments of banding and brief posterization present during the viewing experience. Blacks are also quite heavy at times, with some solidification. Detail does well with the interviewee, exploring Shatner's emotive, aged face and his clothing choices. Performance footage offers more full-body textures, and atmosphere elements involving forest tours are dimensional. Color is sharp, with lighting choices registering bold reds and blues. Greenery is distinct. Skin tones are natural. Older footage ranges in quality, with some inherently low-res scenes.

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is simple in design, with focus on interview audio and narration. Shatner's voice is clear, offering emotionality and dramatic emphasis. Musical efforts support with delicate instrumentation and frontal position. Some very mild surround elements are used, but the track remains up front. Low-end isn't challenged, but a closing credits provide some light percussive snap.

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Q&A (45:21, HD) is a discussion of "You Can Call Me Bill" with star William Shatner and director Alexandre O. Philippe.

• And a Trailer (2:19, HD) is included.

William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"You Can Call Me Bill" visits some intimate areas, including Shatner's youth, where he was bullied and had a colder relationship with his parents. And there are phobias, with the subject fearful of being alone, also confronting the experience of death as a man in his nineties. Things get heavy as the subject of climate change is returned to repeatedly in the picture, but Shatner is often philosophical, reaching a special level of enlightenment after taking a 2021 trip to space on the Blue Origin rocket. Offered a chance to see Earth from above, the moment had a profound effect on his existence. "You Can Call Me Bill" follows that tone of awe and motivation, which generates an oddly inspirational mood for the documentary as Shatner discusses the fragility of nature and the biological history of the planet. Philippe pulls something abyssal out of Shatner, and he remains artful and intimate with the film, presenting a different side to the star in this thoughtful discussion of life and passions.