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Review: Meet Bill
The screenplay, authored by one of the co-directors, Melisa Wallack, is littered with flat jokes and one-dimensional stereotypes, writes Rashid Irani.
Meet Bill
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba
Direction: Melisa Wallack and Bernie Goldman
Rating: **
He (Eckhart) is an overweight 40-something loser. Unhappily employed in his father-in-law’s bank, the eponymous dolt yearns to start his own doughnut establishment. To add to his woes (and ours), his wife (Elizabeth Banks) is into a tempestuous affair with a smarmy news anchor (Timothy Olyphant).
Not to worry. An encounter with a rebellious teenager (Logan Lerman) indicates that Bill’s life could change for the better. That’s the sum and substance of this dire domestic comedy.
The screenplay, authored by one of the co-directors, Melisa Wallack, is littered with flat jokes and one-dimensional stereotypes like the incredibly kind-hearted salesgirl (Alba, ill-at-ease in a perfunctory role).
The film steadily loses its momentum during the latter half which is devoid of wit or charm. The versatile Aaron Eckhart, last seen in The Dark Knight, displays a flair for comic timing. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the rest of the middling acting crew.
Suggestion: Don’t Meet Bill.
