When you see as many movies as I do, it’s easy to understand why some films are released in theaters, while others are relegated to DVD, but I must admit that “Meet Bill” – which left the film festival circuit without a major studio’s backing – threw me for a loop. The movie has everything that makes an independent film marketable these days, and more importantly, it’s actually good. Aaron Eckhart stars as Bill, a successful businessman who hates his job has a wife (Elizabeth Banks) who is cheating on him with the local news anchor (Timothy Olyphant). When he’s forced into participating in a mentorship program with his former preparatory school, Bill is matched up with a smug teenager (Logan Lerman) who ends up mentoring him on how to turn around his life. Though the story goes south midway through the film, the performances help to keep it afloat – namely Eckhart, whose nuanced portrayal of the title character is alone worth seeing the film. Additionally, Jessica Alba’s role as a sexy lingerie saleswoman may seem completely pointless (in fact, her introduction marks the beginning of the story’s downfall), but it’s some of the actresses best work to date. Supporting turns by Kristen Wiig and Craig Bierko are also enjoyable, as is the dark comedy peppered throughout the script. “Meet Bill” may have been considered a failure by some, but one could only hope that all direct-to-DVD releases were as good as this.
