Billy T: Te Movie (2011)

Directed by Ian Mune
Starring Billy T. James
Runtime 89min. - Not Rated

3 Stars (out of 4)

Part of my Quirky Documentary series,
"Billy T: Te Movie" is available on PAL DVD and BluRay.

William James Te Wehi Taitoko was born on January 17th, 1948. He had more talent than me. He had more talent than you. Sadly, most Americans have probably never heard of him; not even by his stage name, Billy T James. In New Zealand though, Billy T James is a legend.

It wasn't just Billy T's diversity of talent that made him a special entertainer, it was his advanced skills in each area. When Billy played guitar or saxophone, he did so at a professional level. His voice was powerful enough to have been a successful singer. Billy had microphone skills that allowed him to own the stage as a comedian. When he decided to try acting, his TV show was a hit. It's likely that if he had lived a full life he would have mastered even more disciplines of entertainment.

For the most part, "Billy T: Te Movie" is a celebration of a career. The story begins in Billy's childhood. His friends from that era describe him as shy. He was the kid who kept quiet and set at the back. One of his friends mentioned that Billy would purposefully avoid other kids during recess. It may not seem like he was destined to entertain, but as one of his classmates noted, "obviously he was observing a lot of things we weren't."

The film takes us through chronologically presented archival footage of Billy's music career, comedy career and acting career. The footage is reflected on by various people from Billy's life and current New Zealand entertainers. It's often alluded to that Billy was a totally different man in his private life, but there's nothing shown to support that. There's a few sentences that mention his family relationships but they feel rushed. It's as if the filmmakers purposefully ignored William James Te Wehi Taitoko in favor of his more famous alter-ego.

The story of Billy T's career is partly about overcoming racism. The Māori are indigenous to New Zealand. Like most native people, there is a history of racism by western settlers. The Māori people in the movie reminisce about the excitement they felt on the rare occasion when a Māori actor was on TV. There was one other famous Māori entertainer before Billy T, but his skin was light and he used a stage name so people didn't know his race. To drive home the point, the movie opens with two fictional boys attending a movie. They ask for two balcony tickets but the clerk informs them that Māori aren't allowed in the balcony. When they finally get seated on the lower level, it turns out the movie is actually about Māori culture. You can imagine that Billy T's success was a great victory for The Māori. I see it as a bright spot for all of humanity.

This is another one of those documentaries that couldn't be boring if it tried. I want to watch it again just to see Billy T's stand up act. The man could control crowds as if it were a superpower. His family thought performing was Billy's way of getting high, and that he was addicted. After having triple bypass surgery and a heart transplant, Billy T was set to take some time off. On his next doctor's appointment the cardiologist scolded Billy's friends for letting him perform. He told them that all bookings must have doctor's approval from now on. Dumbfounded, they turn to Billy for answers. It turns out that he had been taking bookings and performing without telling anyone.

It was that sort of dedication and love for his craft that made him great. It was also a contributor to Billy's declining health. On August 7th, 1991, Billy T. James' heart took its final beat. Surprisingly, that's not the end of the story. There was controversy about the arrangements between Billy's immediate family and his extended Māori relatives. The film doesn't do a great job of explaining the controversy, but it does represent both sides of the story.

It's no secret that I have an affinity for documentaries with offbeat subjects. "Billy T: Te Movie" held my attention and kept me laughing from beginning to end. If you've never heard of Billy T. James, then you owe it to yourself to watch the film. It's a hidden gem and a little piece of entertainment history.