The name James Bond carries a particular set of traits. Suave, womanizer, license to kill...alcoholic. And as the internet age along with the more mainstream blockbuster status of the Daniel Craig era of the Eon Productions franchise have exploded this character's distinct self onto the world, the character has become almost real to audiences. But he's not real. While based on real spycraft that author Ian Fleming picked up when he worked in M:I-5 during WWII, the often caricaturist symbol of masculinity carries such a distinct name that anyone who might have it in the real world find themselves being compared simply because the character's visceral existence has penetrated culture that deeply. And now, director Matthew Bauer is having fun with that with his new documentary The Other Fellow.
The film's title is a throwback to the first line by George Lazenby in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service where Lazenby became the first actor to carry on the character after Sean Connery played him for 5 movies (which he returned to play at least twice after that).
The title perfectly works with the subject matter of the documentary that is set to serve as an energetic exploration of male identity via the lives , personalities, and adventures of a diverse band of men, real men across the globe all sharing the name of Bond, James Bond. Men who have had expectations thrown on them or jousted their way because of their name. Men who have professions ranging from being a theater director to a retired oilman to even a man who is the curator of the 007 museum. Check out the official trailer to get an idea about Bauer's documentary that seems to carry a distinct presentation that perfectly draws the line between the fantasy and reality of being James Bond:
The Other Fellow is set to land in theaters and On Demand on February 17th.