Meet Bill (2007)

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

Directors:

Bernie Goldmann, Melisa Wallack

Writer:

Melisa Wallack

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Logan Lerman

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Eckhart	...	Bill
Jessica Alba	...	Lucy
Elizabeth Banks	...	Jess
Logan Lerman	...	The Kid
Holmes Osborne	...	Mr. Jacoby
Todd Louiso	...	John Jr.
Timothy Olyphant	...	Chip Johnson
Reed Diamond	...	Paul
Kristen Wiig	...	Jane Whittman
Jason Sudeikis	...	Jim Whittman
Andy Zou	...	Donald Choo
Ana Mackenzie	...	Sarah Sheldon (as Ana Lucasey)
Constance Barron	...	Mrs. Jacoby
Conor O'Farrell	...	Principal
Julia Pace Mitchell	...	Dana

Storyline

Bill is unhappy: he has married a banker's daughter and has a dead end job at the bank; his wife Jess is tied to daddy's wallet; and, Bill is developing a gut from lack of exercise and constantly eating candy bars. He dreams of buying a donut franchise to be independent of Jess's dad. Bill is roped into a mentoring program at his old prep school, assigned a smart-mouthed kid who pops up when least expected. When Jess starts an affair with Chip, a local TV personality and vain Rob Lowe look-alike, it sends Bill, the kid, and a young sales clerk from a lingerie shop on a quest to win back Jess and get the donuts. What about self-respect?

---

Plot Keywords:

cheating wife | lingerie | voyeurism | voyeur | sexual desire | 

---

Taglines:

A comedy about someone you know.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

First Look Studios [United States] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2008 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

Meet Bill

Filming Locations:

St. Albans, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$35,201, 6 April 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$59,108, 13 April 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

GreeneStreet Films,Eclipse Catering

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Also known as Starting Over.

---

Goofs

When Jess is at the hospital with Bill, her hair changes from being draped over her right ear to being tucked behind her ear and back again repeatedly between shots.

---

Quotes

The Kid: I bought you those pink furry ones.
Lucy: I returned them.

---

Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Speed Racer/Noise/Meet Bill/What Happens in Vegas.../The Fall (2008)

---

Soundtracks

Best Days of Our Lives
Written by Steve Clark and Chris Dell
Performed by The Premiums
Courtesy of Premium Records
By Arrangement with Coda Music

User Reviews

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.