Becoming Bond

"The name’s Lazenby, George Lazenby"

2017 1h 31m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

78%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 81🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes●65Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 3,560

DocumentaryComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“The name’s Lazenby, George Lazenby”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

George Lazenby
Himself
Josh Lawson
George
Kassandra Clementi
Belinda
Jane Seymour
Maggie
Jeff Garlin
Harry
Dana Carvey
Johnny Carson
Adamo Palladino
Peter Hunt
Jake Johnson
Peregrine Carruthers

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Josh Greenbaum
Writers: Josh Greenbaum
Languages: German, French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Josh Greenbaum, shot by John W. Rutland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Piscitello. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Billy McMillin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Lazenby and Josh Lawson and Kassandra Clementi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The name’s Lazenby, George Lazenby".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6110504 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Josh Greenbaum directs. John W. Rutland behind the camera. John Piscitello scores. Billy McMillin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 9 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, French, English.
3Directed by Josh Greenbaum, shot by John W. Rutland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Piscitello. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Billy McMillin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6George Lazenby and Josh Lawson and Kassandra Clementi carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The name’s Lazenby, George Lazenby".
8IMDB entry: tt6110504 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 81 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: John W. Rutland
Original score: John Piscitello
Editing: Billy McMillin
Production design: Caity Birmingham
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Becoming Bond (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 65/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 3,560 votes
MPAA: TV-MA

Awards

2 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Josh Greenbaum

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

sykobanana2018-01-11
★ 8/10
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 Lazenby's 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 you've 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 George's Bond). Josh Lawson has obvious fun (he picks up George's 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 – it's George's take on his own life. Becoming Bond is one of the most enjoyable documentaries I've seen. It's 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 I'd 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.

Production companies