Fix: Documentary of an Extraordinary Man
Platforms: Netflix, Prime Video
Netflix Summary:
This documentary profiles the career of actor George Takei, who played Lieutenant Sulu on Star Trek and later became a gay-rights advocate.
FYA Summary:
To the surprise of no one that’s familiar with him (except maybe one person; more on that later), George Takei is a prety awesome dude who has lived A LOT of life so far: his childhood spent within a Japanese American internment camp; his early attempts of breaking through in Hollywood; his iconic role as Lt. Hikaru Sulu; his home life with his husband, Brad; his social media savviness; his contributions to U.S.-Japanese relations; and his advocacy of LGBTQ rights.
Basically, this documentary is here to tell (or remind) you why George Takei is the cool, smart New Fake Uncle that you wished you had.
Familiar Faces:
George Takei as himself
OBVS. There are also appearances by Brad Takei, Howard Stern, William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, John Cho, B.D. Wong, Wil Wheaton, and Lea Salonga.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Medium
Documentaries might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I have a difficult time imagining why George Takei isn’t everybody’s cup of tea.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Low(ish)
Alcohol isn’t required to enjoy this, nor would the documentary be too difficult to follow with it. However, as a gay Japanese American who was born in the first half of the 20th century, George has def. experienced way more hardship and discrimination than most people have to endure.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Good
This documentary isn’t particularly revelatory to anyone familiar with George Takei’s life and career, but it’s still nice to hear it all in his own thoughtful, humourous words — esp. with regards to his strange, contentious relationship with William Shatner. (Although, if the interviews with the other Star Trek alumni are to be believed, William Shatner might just have strange, contentious relationships with everybody.)
