Bill (2007)

Directors:

Bernie Goldmann
Melisa Wallack

Writer (WGA):

Melisa Wallack (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A comedy about someone you know.

Plot:

A guy fed up with his job and married to a cheating wife reluctantly mentors a rebellious teen. |

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Jessica Alba	...	Lucy
Sarah Arend	...	John Jr.'s Assistant
Elizabeth Banks	...	Jess
Constance Barron
Gabriel Basso	...	Kid with Cancer
Craig Bierko	...	Sargeant
Shirly Brener	...	Nurse
Marisa Coughlan	...	Laura
Reed Diamond	...	Paul
Aaron Eckhart	...	Bill
Paul Goetz	...	Tom the Fireworks Cashier
Ken Goth	...	Donny
Sarah Howard	...	Becky
Logan Lerman	...	The Kid
Todd Louiso	...	John Jr.
Ana Lucasey	...	Sarah Sheldon
Julia Pace Mitchell	...	Dana
Joseph Patrick Moynihan	...	Jim
Ben Nordstrom	...	The Barista
Timothy Olyphant	...	Chip
Holmes Osborne
Brad Schmidt	...	Jimmy
Jaxon Stanford	...	Student Mentor
Jason Sudeikis	...	Jim Whitman
Elise Thorpe	...	Kelly
Kristen Wiig	...	Jane Whitman
Andy Zou	...	Donald Choo

Also Known As:

Meet Bill (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some drug use and sex-related material.

Runtime:

Canada:97 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

St. Albans, Missouri, USA

Company:

GreeneStreet Films

Trivia:

In the movie Bill's father in law's character is named John Jacobi. Jan Jacobi is the head of the MICDS middle school, where many of the Tate Academy scenes were shot.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the interview with the two people from sweet sweet (donuts), Bill eats a donut. In one scene he has eaten half of it, the next he has only taken one bite.

Quotes:

Bill: They hate that I'm working at their bank. I hate that I'm working at their bank.

Soundtrack:

Lustful Alice

Light fun with a surprise or two

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.