BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY (David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg). 101 minutes. Opens Friday (November 17). See listing. Rating: NNN
A wobbly but undeniably entertaining look at a beloved icon, Bill Nye: Science Guy catches up with the 90s childrens TV star as he navigates a new phase in his career: campaigning against ignorance in the public sphere.
Directors David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg (The Immortalists) follow Nye as he pushes back eloquently and passionately against creationists and climate-change deniers in live debates and on TV, weaving in pieces of Nyes backstory as they go.
Its those biographical moments that prove a little frustrating, offering hints of a much more complex personality than Nye usually reveals a man whose family history is both remarkable and tragic, and who just wanted to be famous (and got his wish) but cant sustain long-term relationships.
Yes, its deeply pleasurable to watch Nye school conservative blowhards who make their living promoting lies, but I wanted Alvarado and Sussberg to explore their subject as thoroughly as he explores the world around him.
