Reviewed by Alicia Glass
Studio: Big Screen Entertainment Group
MPAA Rating: N/A
Director: Patrick Buckley & Bobby Ciraldo
Review Rating: 7
William Shatner’s musical and spoken word album Has Been is made into a full blown ballet with the help of choreographer Margo Sappington.
The movie itself is actually pretty good, although it really does help if you’ve heard Has Been before and are a fan of Shatner’s dry wit and personal style. Fully half the film is devoted to entire ballet dance numbers to a few of the songs, while the other half encompasses splicing in private moments with Shatner revealing how he made the album and where the inspiration came from. It is not simply a film taping the entire ballet for the album from start to finish.
The ballet numbers themselves are sprightly and comical and genuinely warm, with choreographer Sappington happily touting Shatner’s album and always asking for creative input from her dancers. The dancers themselves are dressed in costumes I wouldn’t have necessarily chosen, but they are bright and cheerful. And every dance number they do, from the sprightly every-dancer-involved romps to the single-pair slow and melancholy pas de deux, shows the heart and soul of the dancer thrown into every move, every lift and every turn. I recommend, if you can find it of course, that everyone who appreciates creativity in all mediums see this movie. And it doesn’t hurt to have Henry Rollins and Ben Folds running around in the movie either!
Watch William Shatner talk about how the movie was named Gonzo Ballet at the San Diego Film Festival showing!
Tags: ben folds, gonzo ballet, henry rollins, margo sappington, san diego film festival 2009, sdff, william shatner, william shatner's gonzo ballet
