Bill (2015)

hyped garbage

Good movie but grossly overrated

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I'll start by saying that I think if I were left alone in the wilderness with only one film to watch, this would almost certainly be it! Expectations are set against the extremely high bar that this troupe of guided actors and writers have delivered in other projects (Horrible Histories, Yonderland) and this film goes much, much further. Every character offers a layer of brilliance, some only fleeting, but all adding to the web of comedy that keeps the viewer laughing from beginning to end. The ability to play numerous roles in the same production has been mastered by the "Six Idiots" and they show that they are at the flagship end of modern British comedy. "Bill" follows the legendary figure of Shakespeare through a period of time that remains undocumented, offering what should be clear from the outset, plenty of artistic license and freedom. The story forms the backbone of the film, but as we have come to love of this team, there are plenty of small side-sketches and pockets of beautifully written and performed gags. Rickard and Willbond deliver a script that their closest peers have delivered with perfection, both planned and ad-libbed. The soundtrack is so good that it may almost be overlooked, helping provide an almost edible depth to every scene. It is worth listening to alone, to fully appreciate the brilliance of the compositions. Finding new jokes on the fourth or fifth viewing of this masterpiece will make you realise how very clever the production is. And yet still inspires its audience to follow up on it's curiosity and pick up the interest in the past where "Horrible Histories" left off.

a film who could be interesting only for the efforts of actors. a simple parody, not high ambitions, alternative history in style of Monty Python. and, at the first sigh, this is all. good opportunity for remember the different actresses in the role of Elisabeth I, the meritorious job of Matthew Baynton as decent Shakespeare , the references to plays and Spain - England conflict, a film for looking, again and again, scene by scene, its purpose and good kick for young readers to discover the universe of the great Will. and this is, maybe, the most important virtue of film.

What a marvellous and magnificent film - fun for all the family. We went last weekend in a big family group, and everyone from 8 to 80 loved it.Bill is funny, moving, hysterical, silly and warm-hearted - something for everyone!Only some of us knew the performers from Horrible Histories and Yonderland, but they played their multiple roles to perfection. Particular favourites were Lope and Bill for the kids, King Phillip for the ladies, and the Earl of Croydon and Juan for everyone. Particular mention for Simon Farnaby, who is just wonderful in every role he plays - fans will remember his priceless museum guard in Paddington. His cameo as 'Sausage Man' will live long in the memory,I couldn't recommend a film more strongly. Best British film this year. We'd read a 4 star review in The Sun which called Bill "the funniest film this year" - couldn't agree more!

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.