Bill

"Bill" is a funny movie that appeals on two levels. As an adult, I like comedy that refers to real historic events and people. But I imagine children will also enjoy the silly acting and more obvious jokes. I am an old fan of Monty Python and see similarities to that style. However, my review is as an American who has never seen "Horrible Histories" on British TV, nor was familiar with any of the actors. It appears some reviewers get hung up on that relationship. But I feel this movie entertains quite well on its own merits.

This movie was such a delightfully funny surprise. Reminiscent of Monty Python fare and wit, it totally cracked me up. Well executed, well paced, and well cast, and served up with ridiculous irreverent perfection. I got the feeling they were loving what they were doing - and I loved it too. Plus the added surprise of seeing who played who at the end. The movie takes elements of the accepted history of "Bill" (a la Shakespeare In Love) and tells very a funny story about it.

So refreshing to watch, compared to so many plot-less comedies that rely on gross out jokes, juvenile themes, and offensive language to be 'funny'. The banter is quick, the jokes and gags fresh and unexpected, the lines classic, and it contains all the twists and turns of, well, a Shakespearean comedy.

Loved it.

Best liked: Characters using Shakespearean phrases.

Anyone who has studied history, and that's just about everyone, will find something to enjoy in Bill, a big screen leap for the popular TV team that expands the scope of the show without letting go of the good humour and wit beloved by millions.

Taking a cue from Shakespeare in Love, but playing the idea of the Bard's formative years in a very different way, Bill features Mathew Bayton as the young playwright, seeking his fortune in London and falling under the wing of Christopher Marlowe (Jim Howick). The historical aspect is brought to the fore as King Phillip II (Ben Willbond) concocts a scheme to eliminate Queen Elizabeth I (Helen McCrory) by gunpowder, with Bill's first play giving him a pretext to carry out his plan. Bill's excitement about seeing his work brought to the stage is tempered by a dawning realisation that he's only a pawn in a bigger political game.

Bill might well work for worldwide audiences as a cheerful parody of Shakespeare in Love, but has its own sense of comic invention. It's refreshing to see a British film with such spirited performances, with Willbond sporting several moustaches at once and his co-writer Laurence Rickard superbly deadpan as the violently anti-Catholic Walsingham. Bill never dumbs down history, but reflects it through amusingly modern updates; the castle security go to Code Woad when the believe there's a high risk of attack, and Phillip's men are subject to a search by a decidedly modern customs officer. Damien Lewis has a brief but amusing cameo, and all the performers are on point; you can tell that they've got confidence in the material, and they wring every possible laugh from it. Sneaking into cinemas with barely a breath of publicity, Bill should find a wide and appreciative audience once it finds a home on the small screen; carefully plotted and with genuine wit behind the gags, it's the best British comedy of the year. That may not be saying much, given that big-screen comedy is seemingly a lost art, but Bill is just the thing to put a rare smile on the faces of adults and children alike.

Anyone familiar with BBC'S children's TV show Horrible Histories will be familiar with the format and they take it a stage further by giving it the the big screen treatment in Bill. The plot is set in Elizabethan times with Philip of Spain set to invade whilst a young Bill Shakespeare leaves Stratford to head to London to make his name and fortune. Really you don't need to know to much more, th gags come quick, and there are plenty of laughs for all. The added bonus of a couple of high profile performers in husband and wife Damian Lewis and Helen Mcrorry only add to this fun for all the family film. 8/10

I absolutely loved this film! It was incredibly funny, yet had some very heartfelt moments to it as well. The cast was great, and the jokes were just my brand of humor, although I know it's not for everyone. I love this group in Horrible Histories and Yonderland, but this has something neither of those have, it can be emotional at times, and the friendships and romance (singular) are one of the best parts of the film. A few of the reviews I've read here have been fairly negative, but I can say, I didn't like it all that much the first time I watched it, but on the second viewing I was able to experience the more subtler jokes and I fell in love. I suggest you watch it, as it is a great film for kids and Adults alike.