Bill

With Bill (2015), we have a perfect example of a massively underrated film that somehow managed not to be known as an instant classic. This might have to do with the horrible (pun intended) trailer, which is a cut-up of totally out of context scenes that don't tell you anything about the movie, with werid rock music that neither matches the atmosphere nor appears in the movie at all. The equivalent would be a really bad book cover. So don't watch the trailer and jump directly to the film!

Unlike similar takes on history by Monty Python, this film does have a real plot. Actually, the plot is even twisted and well crafted like a work of Shakespeare himself, around whom the plot is centred. We get to see how "Bill" became a real writer, and we encounter conspiracy, hilarious characters and numerous funny details that make repeated viewing a real joy.

I can't put my finger on it, but it must be the joy the actors felt when making this film, which transfers to the audience at all times. The comedic group of "Horrible Histories" crafted a masterpiece of acting - at times, you really believe that the recurring actors are different people, unlike most of the characters in Monty Python's films. Add to this some very beautiful and effective cinematography that despite the slim budget manages to make the film look like an expensive period drama. The music is also contributing to that impression (they even use real lutes, sadly not music from the time).

As mentioned by other reviewers, the evil genius Philip II. of Spain played by Ben Willbond is one of the funniest characters in film history.

9 out of 10 - one missing point for detracting from realism by not using real Elisabethan music of the time, which frankly I can't understand, because the music used here tries somehow but faily to emulate the real deal. But yes, a quirky masterpiece that anyone who loves period pieces, Shakespeare, or just plain witty comedy should really check out.

A delicious comedy, very well acted. A fantasy about the Bard, larded with historical hints and figures. I loved it. The cast used to having their own TV show, are thoroughly in sync with each other. A joy to watch.

A very entertaining, irreverent take on how Shakespeare rose to fame. It's really quite silly but on the same hand quite consistent with its own internal logic. (Unlike say Pan or Prometheus which are both a narrative mess where characters completely flip- flop for no other reason than the writer was too thick or lazy to find another way to progress the plot)

King Phillip II of Spain is a joyously dickish main antagonist with some great one liners. Sir Francis Walsingham is just bizarre and Bill himself is charmingly gormless.

The film left me with a smile on my face and kinda wishing I got a few more of the Shakespeare references. It also has me randomly blurting out 'King Phillip the Second of Spain' on occasion.

Well done Team Horrible Histories!

I have just watched this movie on Amazon Prime. I had never heard of it but it was free to view so I thought I would give it a try. I ended up watching it till the end (plus the credits) and really enjoyed it. It was amusing rather than funny but I laughed out loud a few times. It is a bit silly so is not recommended if you like serious films. However, if you like Monty Python and Blackadder you should like this film. I will not say anything about the story as if you are reading this you are obviously on IMDb so will probably have read the plot and a few other reviews. It is definitely worth watching and surprisingly good. More so if you are from the UK as other nationalities will miss a lot of the jokes and humour. It is also full of quotes from Shakespeare, Easter Eggs and at least one reference to a certain science fiction movie.

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.