That lovable British star Roger Moore, who ascended to movie Valhalla with seven James Bond films between 1973 and 1985, gets the indulgent, affectionate treatment he deserves in this documentary celebration, featuring interviews with Christopher Walken, Pierce Brosnan, 007 superfan David Walliams, franchise producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, his children Geoffrey (an eerie echo of his dad), Deborah and Christian, and of course Joan Collins who is almost Roger’s female equivalent in arch self-deprecating wit. Steve Coogan impersonates the Moore narrative voiceover, mostly reading from his garrulous memoir The 007 Diaries: Filming Live and Let Die, which in a less corporately controlled age Moore was allowed to bring out in 1973 as a tie-in.
This is a very enjoyable watch for Moore devotees, though the long stretch of home videos towards the end might test your patience a little bit. The film shrewdly shows how Roger really did invent himself, a lifelong method acting project constructing an unvarying dapper persona which did not change in TV interviews (though invariably accessorised by a large, louche cigar).
