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61 out of 79 people found the following comment useful :-
Light fun with a surprise or two, 7 May 2008

Author: sioenroux from United States

I'm not much of a comedy fan, mostly because in recent years they've strayed too far into smart-ass one-liner dumb-formula potty-humor cardboard-cutout territory, which is fine if you like that sort of thing, but I don't.

This, though, is an old-fashioned comedy with heart. Can Bill make his life better with the help of a precocious teen? Sure he can. But the way he gets there isn't just the standard formula, and that makes it a fun watch.

It also helps that the technical work is all top-notch, and the supporting cast is pitch perfect, from the staid father-in-law to the somewhat manic doughnut franchisers.

This isn't a movie that will make you guffaw and belly laugh for an hour and a half, but it does make you feel inspired and offers a few chuckles along the way. In that regard, it reminds me of "Charlie Bartlett," "Juno" and "Rocket Science."

I'm glad this style of comedy didn't die out because of the Farrelly Brothers' success. Their kind of comedy is redundant and dumb -- this type leaves you happy for a while. And Hollywood should do that more often.

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94 out of 176 people found the following comment useful :-
The classic comedy is back, 20 September 2007

Author: larry-411 from United States

I attended the World Premiere of "Bill" at the Toronto International Film Festival. That fact alone is actually surprising to me, as my viewing habits tend to lean towards dramas, and this is anything but. In fact, festivals this year have been weighed down by heavy films that are about as dark as they come. "Bill" could not be more different, and what a refreshing change and much-needed uplift is this all-out, unabashed comedy. Co-directed by the husband-wife team of Bernie Goldmann and Melissa Wallack (who penned the script), "Bill" has all the elements required of the genre: characters to whom we can relate, a clever storyline, and laughs aplenty.

Aaron Eckhart ("Any Given Sunday," "Erin Brockovich," "Thank You for Smoking") is Bill, smack dab in the middle of a life becoming all-too familiar. His job is falling apart (he begrudgingly works for his irascible father-in-law), his marriage is going to pieces, his body is going to pot, and, perhaps most horrifying, his hair is rejecting his head. Bill needs a change, fast, and is not-so-voluntarily signed up for a mentoring program at the local high school. He is teamed up with young Logan Lerman ("The Butterfly Effect," "Hoot," "3:10 to Yuma"), who plays The Kid, literally (Lerman's character is never identified by name), and the two join together in battle to fight the demons at the heart of Bill's midlife crisis.

A magnificent ensemble cast including Elizabeth Banks, Timothy Olyphant, Jessica Alba, and Kristen Wiig (and far too many more to mention) are all up to the task of providing enough comedic fodder to fill several films. Discussing their characters in depth would be too revealing, and my policy is to allow the reader to find a synopsis elsewhere if desired. Ultimately the partnership between Bill and The Kid is what drives the story, and the chemistry between Eckhart and Lerman is central to the success of the film. And it works. The Kid is smart, streetwise, sexy (or so he thinks), and has the self-confidence of someone thrice his age. In short, he's everything Bill aspires to be. It's a role-reversal device that's at the heart of many classic comedies, and Wallack's brilliant writing makes it work.

Despite being an independent film (read: low budget) "Bill" has the look of a Hollywood movie. The design is bright and the sound and editing give it a crisp, bouncy feel. Best of all, the cinematography with Peter Lyons Collister at the helm is second to none. He's one of the best in the business, a classic comedy veteran, and it shows.

It's always hard to single anyone out in a fine ensemble cast but in both screenings I attended Lerman stole the show. He unquestionably got the biggest laughs and was the crowd favorite. I hesitate to call him a newcomer, as at the tender age of 15 he already has 10 movies and 23 television episodes under his belt, but he's one to watch for and has a bright career ahead of him. But this is Eckhart's film to make or break, and his sense of comedic timing and puppy-like ability to elicit just the right amount of empathy from the audience create those touching moments that leave the viewer wanting more. And so I attended the second screening as well, and enjoyed it even more. And that's the true test of a comedy. From this writer's perspective, "Bill" not only hits its mark but is also sure to be a winner for years to come.

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
An enjoyable movie, 20 July 2008

Author: amalmer

I just watched Meet Bill last night, and while it wasn't fantastic, it was definitely worth the watch.

This movie follows the main character Bill, who, after a series of downfalls, realizes life isn't going they way he wanted. He then offers to mentor a rich, self-assured high school student. In the end, the student more or less ends up mentoring Bill, and helps him to change his views on life.

I thought the chemistry between Logan Lerman (the kid) and Aaron Eckhart (Bill) was fantastic! they both did a great job with their role, and stole the whole show. These roles were out of style for both actors--I've never seen Eckhart do comedy, and Lerman's character was much more rebellious than usual. It just shows the talent of both actors, especially the versatility of Lerman. The rest of the supporting characters were slightly under-developed.

The style of comedy in this movie is more..."old school" in my opinion. It's not slap-stick or non-stop laughter, but the comedy is inter-weaved throughout the film, with several vary funny scenes and one-liners. I would say the film is geared toward audiences from the mid 20s to mid 40s. However, I am a 16 year old female, and I enjoyed the film.

The plot does get lost a bit, and some characters are under-developed, but overall it's a good independent film. Is it the best or funniest movie you'll ever see? Probably not. But it delivers a style of comedy not found often these days, and if you connect with the style and the story, you will definitely like this movie.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Ten more minutes...;please..., 16 July 2008

Author: RitchCS from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

---SPOILER ALERT---This critique discusses the end of the movie.

I shouldn't be writing about this movie as I do NOT like comedies. I'd never heard of "Meet Bill" until I was desperately trying to find some movies to put in my Netflix queue for the week. I saw this new film listed, starring Aaron Eckhart, who, IMO, KNOWS how to pick good scripts and is a favorite actor whom I enjoy and admire. When the DVD arrived in the mail today, I was not in the mood for a comedy, but I slid it in my DVD tray anyway, I watched about the first five minutes standing up to make an exit into the kitchen...but instead, I sat down and started enjoying, as well as laughing out loud, at this wonderful little independent comedy. I hadn't read a synopsis, so I really couldn't outguess the screenwriter where the plot was headed. Then I got the clue where we were about to go and how the movie would probably end...but NO! The movie just ended without giving any of us a clue what was going to happen. Ten more minutes...even FIVE...a paragraph, ONE LINE...SOMETHING...I mean it IS a comedy for crying out loud...where's the comic ending? I'll bet there's a couple of dozen yards of film on the cutting room floor which would have pleased me and everyone else and who knows, it might have been a hit. It's really a good film that leads the audience to a cliff and there's no more road. Even an alternate ending on the DVD would have been fantastic! Now I have to wonder if this is the real reason why I hate comedies? The kid playing 'The Kid", Logan Lerman is gonna be a huge star. He and Aaron made a great team. He has NO inhibitions for his age and all but walks away with the movie from more experienced actors. The ending written for "The Kid" sucked as well. If I MISSED At this point, I don't know if he and Elizabeth stayed together...what was he going to do about a job? Anyone have any ideas?

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5 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
A pleasure to watch, 7 August 2008

Author: Gordon-11 from Hong Kong

This film is about a man married to a woman from a powerful family undergoing a midlife crisis. Unexpectedly, a high school student helps him through it.

Bill is portrayed to be a complete loser. He realises that he is a loser, and wants to change. The pathetic state he is in is funny and evokes sympathy at the same time. The transformation is quite dramatic, and it is quite a surprise to see Aaron Eckhart shaving himself. I would not have thought that an actor would do that, but then they are probably paid millions of dollars for that scene.

The kid's charming and cheerful persona shines, and I feel that he is the true star in the film. Jessica Alba is as charming and adorable as usual. These three characters interact together with great charm, and makes "Meet Bill" a pleasure to watch.

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5 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
American Beauty Light, 21 July 2008

Author: siderite from Romania

Aaron Eckhart made this movie, as one of the previous comments said. Other than that, it was all a bit too awkward a movie to call well made. The story is pretty much about a middle aged guy discovering that his career choices make him miserable and how he find his way out without the violence and social satire in American Beauty.

It is a decent comedy, not too bad as some suggested, but certainly not memorable. Jessica Alba plays a medium sized role and Elizabeth Banks looks totally hot.

Bottom line: see it when you feel like watching a light movie, it will be more fun for people approaching middle age than for teens and it can be a great movie to watch with the wife.

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Really good..., 12 October 2008

Author: miguel-b-g-r from Portugal

Bill or Meet Bill its one of the best entertainment movies I've seen lately and it goes a bit beyond entertainment... So, who is Bill? Bill is someone who suddenly realizes he has a miserable life, he's in his 40's married to a beautiful woman, but who is cheating on him,his body is seriously unfit which causes a major lack of confidence and self esteem and on top of that he hates his job and the fact that he is working to his father-in-law. Not hard to relate,right?

Bill almost against his will ends up joining a mentoring program and becomes the mentor of a 15 year old kid and that's when it all starts.Obviously the kid turns out to be the real mentor in the relationship, he is smart, he is sexy, he is absolutely confident and like bill says in the end he has it all figured out.

The cast is great, but Aaron Eckhart and Logan Lerman are undeniably amazing and so is their chemistry on screen. I am not sure what Eckhart does but the audience(myself included) always love his characters, just watch Thank You For Smoking. And Logan, wow, the kid is talented, he acts like he is 18, not 15 or 16.I have to mention the BEAUTIFUL Elizabeth Banks, she was very good in her role and of course,Jessica Alba, she lights up the screen.

Bill doesn't fit into comedy neither into drama .It has many elements of both genres and its exactly what a movie should be. Surprises me the poor rating...

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Pointless and bland, 7 September 2008

Author: elizabethnagroves from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I thought this movie was utterly terrible. It was completely unoriginal and there were so many superfluous characters and scenes that is was just ridiculous. What as the Jessica Alba character supposed to be? What was she supposed to add? The Kid character was pretty pointless also. There was an endless series of scenes that, I assume, were supposed to be funny, but added nothing to the narrative. There is this whole subplot where we are supposed to imagine that the Kid and Alba might have some romantic chemistry, but it is just ludicrous. Also, one of the major plot points is Bill trying to win back his wife. However, we never get a sense of why he would want to do this. After all, she is uniformly terrible to him throughout the movie, and he doesn't seem that into her, until it's convenient for the plot. If they had taken out some of the more pointless scenes (especially the one with the Kid dancing around in women's underwear--what was that about?), and spent more time exploring the relationship between the two leads, then it might have made more sense. Aaron Eckhart is a very talented actor, and did the best with the story he had. However, there was no saving this train wreck. I would say that it would benefit from better editing, but in all honesty, it would have to be edited to the point of non-existence to be improved. Largely, this movie seemed like a low-rent, cheap rehash of some of the themes from American Beauty, without any of the depth, humour, or intelligence. They had the repressed husband attempting to break free, the bitchy adulterous wife, and drug dealing rebellious teenage boy. What a waste of time, and in Eckhart's case, talent.

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3 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
It does makes you smile!, 25 July 2008

Author: Abhilash Sabat from India

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

It is now the time to "meet Bill". Bill(Aaron Eckhart), is a is a guy, whose life is perfectly messed up in all possible ways. He works in his father-in-law's bank, where he finds himself stuck. He has a beautiful looking wife(Elizabeth Banks), who actually is cheating him & having an affair with the news anchor(Timothy Olyphant). He finds himself stuck from every direction until he becomes a mentor to a teenager schoolboy(Logan Lerman). He along with the lingerie saleswoman(Jessica Alba), helps him to get out of his troubles. The movie does well in creating funny situations & does gets you laughs. The performances are quite good, Aaron was absolutely fine with his role, Elizabeth looked gorgeous & so looked Alba. Logan was very confident & Timothy had nothing much to offer. The direction is not something extra-ordinary, it is fine though. The climax is something different than what audience would actually expect, maybe a little hard to digest for some people. The movie also portrays various bad features of a high society, such as, sex affairs, homosexuality etc. The character "Bill" can also be found in the world of reality. Watch out for its funny moments & super-hot Banks & Alba.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Answers or similar conclusions?, 3 September 2008

Author: DianaMurphy from Canada

Cute - where have I heard this story before??? Are these answers to my questions or conclusions drawn from the same public sources? youtube? I hope not! Well I guess that helps vindicate Meredith Johnson (except for the acorn part and the fat stomach part which are not part of my story).

Why does David Murphy get cheered for being the irate fan-"apologize"? Did he really do that? Well - the provocation plea might work Cute kid. Maybe he can play the guitar player when he's a little older -he has the eyes for it.

Nice lingerie.

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