Liz’s Review: It’s okay ‘To Be Takei’

To Be Takei 5

George Takei is an icon. 3 seasons of Star Trek, 6 movies in the original franchise, Comic-Con signings, innumerable television guest appearances, and 5 million plus Facebook followers. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you also know George Takei’s most personal venture, gay rights activist.

In Jennifer Kroot’s new documentary, To Be Takei, we get to see inside the lives of George and his long time partner and now husband, Brad. They have a wonderfully playful relationship. They balance each other. George is happy-go-lucky while Brad is slightly more type A. Both are equally tender, jovial, and passionate.

To Be Takei 4

The film explores George’s childhood. He and his family were rounded up like cattle after the attack on Pearl harbor and put into Japanese-American internment camps. This experience has affected every step of George’s development not only as an individual, but as an actor. He felt a responsibility to portray his heritage on screen in a genuine and honorable way.

To Be Takei 8

What most people may not know about Mr. Takei is just how far this concept has brought him in his incredible 75 years. George has entered a new phase, a musical called Allegiance. The show is truly a love letter to memory of those who experienced the horrors of the Japanese-American internment camps. We highly anticipated the show’s Broadway arrival. You can check out the show site and become an Ambassador for it’s journey to The Great White Way. Below is a wonderful video of highlights from Allegiancehttp://www.allegiancemusical.com/

To Be Takei is a heartwarming look into a man who cares about equality. Takei is a beautiful soul who just wants to make you laugh and add a little light to your day.

You can check out the film via Starz Digital Media in theaters and on On Demand platforms (including iTunes and Amazon Instant Video) on August 22nd. The film is currently airing exclusively on DirecTV until August 6th.

 

About Liz Whittemore

Liz grew up in northern Connecticut and was memorizing movie dialogue from Shirley Temple to A Nightmare on Elm Street at a very early age. She will watch just about any film all the way through (no matter how bad) just to prove a point. A loyal New Englander, a lover of Hollywood, and true inhabitant of The Big Apple.

Leave a Reply