Film

Meet Bill

by Tasha Chemplavil

From the opening scene of Meet Bill, in which he scrutinizes himself in a public-bathroom mirror, it’s obvious that Bill (Eckhart) is not comfortable with himself. Photo ops and billboards featuring Bill and his wife’s family reveal that Bill’s discomfort is due to his shaky stature within his affluent family-in-law. And his only method of dealing with his black-sheep stress is sneaking Snickers bars as every opportunity. Bill is uptight to the utmost.

But when Bill begins to suspect that his wife Jess (Banks) is having an affair with a local newsman (Timothy Olyphant), his tightly wound world begins to unravel. After assaulting the newsman not once, but twice, and earning the nickname of “Deranged Fan,” Bill decides to make some changes in his life in an effort to get Jess back. With the help of the myriad supporting characters, including a typically bland Jessica Alba and a stereotypically portrayed gay brother-in-law (Reed Diamond), Bill slowly learns how to be happy via drugs and fireworks, daily swims and attempting to open his own doughnut franchise.

Although Bill ends up with numerous cronies, the scenes with Eckhart and Banks are best, treating us with the opportunity to watch two talented actors working together. Unfortunately, the number of scenes showcasing the couple lessens as Bill’s journey to win Jess back becomes more of a voyage of self-discovery.

As Bill gradually discovers the secrets to his own happiness, the movie starts caring less and less about ours. With Bill firmly on his downward spiral, Eckhart & Co. are funny and earnest in their desire to put him on the path back to sanity. But once he starts regaining that sanity, Meet Bill meanders. When he’s not improving himself, Bill’s easing his tension on drug-addled benders. These benders are the distracting potholes on Bill’s otherwise entertaining road from “Deranged Fan” to self-sufficient man.

Meet Bill starts out strong and ends well, but it’s that substandard middle that makes meeting Bill less enjoyable than saying goodbye to Bill.

Meet Bill

**

Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Alba

Directed by Bernie Goldmann and Melisa Wallack

Rated R

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