2017 Directed by Josh Greenbaum
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.
George Lazenby Josh Lawson Kassandra Clementi Jane Seymour Jeff Garlin Dana Carvey Adamo Palladino Jake Johnson Jonathan Slavin Landon Ashworth Sofia Mattsson Beeny Royston Matthew Josten Teressa Liane John A. McKenna Roslyn Gentle Nicholas Popov Jason Maybaum Nathan Lovejoy Brendan Parry Kaufmann Ben Bowen Monty Franklin Mercer Boffey Ben Seton Karina Deyko Julianna Guill Karen Teliha
Relationship comedy Underdogs and coming of age Humanity and the world around us documentary, fascinating, sad, emotional or heartbreaking band, songs, concert, musician or lyrics car, action, cars, adrenaline or driving surfing, teenager, friendship, kids or adolescents journey, scientific, documentary, humanity or earth Show All…
Goofy but irresistible. Lazenby is my favorite Bond and listening to him tell his own (likely largely apocryphal) story was completely tantalizing. Could have ditched the reenactments that make up the bulk of it and I would have still been sold. Plus anything that encourages people to watch ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is fine with me.
Becoming Bond's biggest flaw - and there are plenty - is that it doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be. Before I watched it I thought it would be a documentary, and to some degree it is, but at the same time the reenactment of Lazenby's account made it hard for me to take anything he said seriously. At one point he is asked if he's telling the truth and I'm sure everyone who is watching the movie is wondering the same thing.
I'm not even sure if I can blame this on Lazenby because it seems like he just enjoyed to tell old stories and didn't really have a filter. I just don't understand why the…
"Becoming Bond" ist um Georg Lazenby herum aufgebaut und zeichnet sein Leben nach - von seiner verarmten Sorgenkind-Jugend in Australien über seine Tage als Mechaniker/Autoverkäufer in Down Under und seiner zufälligen Karriere als männliches Model in London bis hin zur Verpflichtung als zweiten James Bond der Filmgeschichte.
All diese Ereignisse, natürlich auch seine zahlreichen Liebesaffären, werden weitgehend komödiantisch nachgestellt, mit Josh Lawson als Lazenby selbst.
Die Entscheidung von Regisseur Josh Greenbaum, Lazenby zu erlauben, seine Geschichte im Wesentlichen selbst zu erzählen, sorgt für einige sehr lustige Sequenzen und werfen natürlich auch in Frage auf, wie zuverlässig ein Erzähler Lazenby denn tatsächlich ist.
Und vielleicht ist das auch der Punkt. Lazenby steht mit brutaler Ehrlichkeit zu seiner Geschichte. Er bekennt sich…
Becoming Bond—the self-told (tall?) tale of Single O Seven—is compelling in all the right ways, and Greenbaum’s docudrama approach lends Lazenby’s narrative a blanket of naivety befitting his unlikely ascent to stardom.
Read more about George Lazenby on Martinis, Girls and Guns.
A fascinating, often unbelievable tale that helps soften Lazenby’s historically prickly persona, but also confirmed my distaste for dramatic reenactments as part of documentary filmmaking. I’d also love to have seen more real footage from his modelling days, en route to playing Bond.
Sehr erheiternde Sex & Drugs Storys von und um den Einmal-Bond George Lazenby. Ob sich alles tatsächlich so zugetragen hat, mag man glauben oder nicht. Persönlich hätte ich mir noch die ein oder andere Episode aus seiner Nach-Bond Zeit und den Asia-Kloppern mit Wang Yu und Co. gewünscht.
The interview segments with the now-octogenarian Lazenby are delightful. He's got a god-given gift as a raconteur, and if any man was ever born to be a used-car salesman, it's him. Unfortunately, the incredibly bizarre (and probably 50% apocryphal) tale of how he landed one of the most highly desired acting gigs in the world with nothing but his wits, is dragged under by painfully bad historical re-enactments featuring actor/comedian Josh Lawson, who looks and sounds absolutely nothing like the real George. Not sure what director Josh Greenbaum was thinking here, but this should've been a one-man show, not a third-rate celebrity impersonation circus.
"I'd like them to know that you can defy what is expected of you, and write your own story."
Absolutely loved hearing George Lazenby's story starting from him being an at-risk infant to becoming James Bond even though he never acted before. Such a whirlwind and amazing story, giving greater insight into the man who famously only starred in one 007 film as well as the world surrounding him at that time. Reenactments that accompany this didn't downgrade anything for me, just made it more fun. Came away from this with nothing but respect to Lazenby. He could've had it all, including six more Bond films, but the "slave contract" wasn't worth it. He seems to have lived a full life and seeing him at peace with everything is nice. Even if he's just remembered for OHMSS, atleast it's one of the upper echelon films in the franchise.
Before I start this review I feel it only fair that I put it on record that On Her Majesty's Secret Service is probably my favourite Bond film of all time and that Lazenby's Bond not only looked the part, he was pretty damn good too, especially for a novice actor.
As for this film? Disappointing, I'm afraid. I mean let's face it, the only thing anyone is interested about on the subject of George Lazenby is why he walked away from the role of 007 and the biggest payday he was ever likely to get. So the fact that this only takes up the last ten minutes of this ninety-five minute film is a trifle strange!
Equally strange is…
