No Ordinary Man

I'd never heard about the story of Billy Tipton until an out-of-town friend sent me a link for the limited theatrical release.

Intrigued, I bought a ticket and went.

The story was fascinating. The filmmakers did an excellent job of thoroughly and methodically researching the story while also making it interesting to watch. I appreciated that they included interviews with Billy Tipton's adult son. Having an immediate family member's perspective felt very important.

And for an indie film, the production quality was superb.

I'm not transgender so I appreciated getting more insight into a perspective and experience not my own. Thanks to the team for being willing to share this personal story with a wider audience!

I can only echo what other reviewers have said. There's almost nothing about Tipton here. A few snatches of music and a brief summary of his life story at the beginning. The remaining 75 minutes of the film is the filmmakers and other interviewees talking about themselves. That's it. You think it's going to be five minutes of context before they get back to the Tipton story but no, it goes on and on and on.

I wish the film makers could have made a film about Tipton's life, times and music (there is literally nothing here about the music; literally nothing) but it seems that they couldn't resist making a film about themselves instead. It's odd, because many of the interviewees complain that Tipton's achievements were overshadowed by the fact that he was transgender, and that we shouldn't let his gender identity define him. But that's exactly what this film seems to be doing.