Meet Bill

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.

If you like Aaron Eckhart then you'll like this film. It's a departure from anything he's done in the past. Elizabeth Banks plays his wife, a beautiful, self obsessed, spoiled, rich bitch with no redeeming qualities except her looks and body. (It's VERY much the same role as she played in "The Baxter". She's really got this character type down and is carving a niche for herself in indie films.)

As I watched this movie, I thought that it reminded me of those indie films that I loved from the late 90's and early 2000's and how they just don't make them like this anymore. I didn't laugh all the way through this movie, but there were places where I chuckled (considerably) and I did have a smirk on my face for a good bit of the movie. (Think "The Ex" but not as funny.)

It a great Friday night, too tired to think, order a pizza and veg movie. And if you like indie films from a decade ago, then you'll be glad you rented this one.

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.

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.

Review: Although the cast looked impressive, this movie really wasn't that good and the storyline was pretty terrible. It's about a man who thinks that he has everything that a man wants out of life, until he finds out that his wife is having an affair and his career is going nowhere. He then becomes a mentor for a sharp kid who helps him turn his life around and shows him how to get the most out of life. I'm usually a fan of Aaron Eckharts work, but he really did make a fool out of himself in this movie. The jokes weren't that funny and the storyline went from one ridiculous scene to another. The director piled up to many different elements which made the film seem messy and not that enjoyable. None of the top actors put in an outstanding performance, which is due to the terrible script, so this is yet another movie that has to get the thumbs down from me. Disappointing!

Round-Up: Aaron Eckhart really let me down in this film, alongside Jessica Alba and Elizabeth Banks who were also not that great. There were also some other big names in the film, like Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis, but they weren't in the movie that much. I was impressed with the young looking Logan Lerman whose also starred in Fury, the Percy Jackson franchise and Noah but I just found it hard to find the film slightly amusing. I'm not surprised that it made such a lose at the box office but I am surprised with the budget which must have gone towards the actors wages. Anyway, it's worth a watch if you just want some noise in the background but I personally think that it was a waste of a good cast.

Budget: $5million Worldwide Gross: $347,000 (Terrible!)

I recommend this movie to people who are into their comedies about a man whose goes through a mid-life crisis after finding out that his wife is having an affair. 3/10