To Be Takei Review

There's an air of inevitability surrounding Jennifer M. Kroot's adoring documentary To Be Takei, a look at the life and work of Star Trek star and internet fixture George Takei.  Few figures in the public eye are so universally adored, and it isn't difficult to see why.  The film opens with Howard Stern conducting his radio show (which Takei regularly appears on), and saying of the documentary, "Let's get that over with."  Of course there's a documentary about George Takei.  Of course someone wants to make it.  Of course people will want to watch it.  It was bound to happen at some point, so why not now, with Takei more popular than ever?

The reason for Takei's current popularity is no secret to anyone who frequents Facebook.  Even if you're not a fan of the actor's page, your friends probably are, and they likely share all the goofy photos and memes that Takei frequently posts (to make the world a bit happier, he says).  In the midst of all the fun, Takei also uses his prominence to comment on political issues, many of them related to the queer community.  Kroot's film plays much the way Takei's Facebook page does: it's mostly a fun, upbeat romp, punctuated by more serious notes about the actor's childhood, family life, and struggle to come out.  There's not much substance, but Takei is so genial a fellow, and his story so interesting on its own, that To Be Takei can't help but be a thoroughly pleasant watch.

The film does a fine job of approaching Takei from nearly every angle.  He's the rare icon who isn't a singular icon.  His career made him a giant in the science-fiction community, and a beacon of hope to aspiring actors of Asian descent.  His political activism has made him a fixture in Washington, while his coming out has made him one of the world's most celebrated gay stars.  His Facebook presence has made him an Internet standout.  All the while, he's still busy appearing on plenty of television shows, such as The Big Bang Theory and The Celebrity Apprentice, largely coasting on his supreme likability.  To Be Takei doesn't paint him in the same tirelessly working light as similar documentaries like Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work or Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me presented their subjects.  He seems always at ease, rarely breaking a sweat, and coasting more on the general goodwill of the public than a desire to continue honing his craft.  This is a man who charges $35 for an autograph at conventions.

The film is most compelling in its darkest and lightest moments: when detailing Takei's childhood behind the barbed wire fences of Japanese-American internment camps, and when observing his marriage to the meticulous Brad.  Takei speaks with great eloquence on the horrors of his childhood, and only while discussing his relationship to his father does his smile falter.  It's in these moments that the public persona of George Takei fades away somewhere, and we see flickers of his interior life.  His smile is a testament to his positivity and warmth, but it also comes across as a mask he can hide behind, to fool the cameras and the fans.  Takei faces the horrors head-on in the musical Allegiance, about the internment camps, in which he stars as the father figure, and in which he does perhaps his most immersive acting.  He plays himself on most shows, and even in life, but on that stage, he becomes someone else, and the glimpses of Allegiance are haunting, if too brief.

Takei's husband, Brad, provides plenty of unintentional comic relief, as he micro-manages and discusses the film-making process.  He isn't quite comfortable being on camera, always wondering what he "should" be doing.  It's a fun counterpoint to Takei's ease at being filmed.  Their marriage is, simply put, adorable, and is likely to inspire young gay men to seek such a beautiful blend of friendship, partnership, and love.

Where To Be Takei stumbles is in its objectivity: namely, that it isn't.  Any documentary has its view, and no director can be without bias, but To Be Takei paints Takei in such a blindingly flattering light that one almost feels like the film is actually a commercial touting the man's values.  The closest the film comes to criticizing Takei is a brief scene about his penchant for pointing out others' weight gain (he does so to Wil Wheaton at a convention).  Interviews with Star Trek co-star William Shatner suggest some tension, bordering on animosity, but the film comes down firmly on Takei's side.  There is no ambiguity here, no wiggle room for the viewer to try to parse out what's really going on.

But even as a purely reverent testament to Takei's life and career, To Be Takei is still a breezy, enjoyable watch.  By the end of the film, you'll know a lot about Takei; you just won't feel like you actually know him.