MEET BILL

Director: Bernie Goldmann & Melisa Wallack

Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Banks, Logan Lerman, Jessica Alba, Timothy Olyphant

Year: 2007

Rating: R

This was, indeed, a happy surprise. I'd never seen Aaron Eckhart in anything comedic before, but after this film I hope to see him in a lot more movies with both heart and humor like Meet Bill (also known as just plain Bill). Here, he stars as the "Executive Vice-President of Human Resources" for a huge bank that his father-in-law just happens to own. Bill hates his job, hates being under the oppressive thumb of his gun-toting, animal-hunting and conservative father-in-law (Holmes Osborne) ... and, worse still, hates suspecting that his beautiful wife Jess (Elizabeth Banks) is cheating on him with a local (and extremely good-looking, and popular) television news reporter (Timothy Olyphant at his most greasy). When he catches proof of the affair on video and confronts Jess, it's just another testament to the type of life Bill has when he's the one who's supposed to feel guilty for "spying on" her.

But things change in the form of a rebellious teenaged boy obsessed with women and ladies lingerie (Logan Lerman, who is terrific here; funny and cute as hell), whom Bill is forced to mentor by his father-in-law as part of an alumni program through Bill's old prep school that the bank is involved with. Everything Bill does to push the kid away only makes the teenager fight harder and harder to spend time with Bill ... and it soon becomes obvious - as Bill gets arrested, loses his wife, and precariously puts his job in jeopardy (among other disasters) - that maybe the kid is exactly what Bill needs to cut loose what binds him so that he can be free to fly at last.

The film is excellently cast - even Jessica Alba is along for the ride, as a salesgirl in a lingerie store the kid is infatuated with - and really beautifully written to be a comedy that doesn't need a lot of slapstick or fart jokes or crude, over the top humor to make you laugh. Aaron Eckhart is so excellent as the beleaguered Bill, but his supporting cast in the film is equally first-rate (particularly Logan Lerman, and the chemistry these two have together on-screen). The second half of the film even feels a bit like a throwback to the old screwball comedies of the 1940's, when character and story outweighed just making jokes. And really, which of us over the age of, say, 35 can't relate to feeling like our lives have spun out of control at some point ... even as we wonder how to get back what we've lost?

This is a charming film with lots of heart, and an ending that may even bring a sentimental tear to your eye. It's one man's journey of finding himself, told with insight and humor; once you've met Bill, you'll be glad you did. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome