Bill review: “Silly though brilliant family fun”

Bill review: Ridiculous throughout, but gloriously so. A refreshing slice of family fun.

Bill is the first cinematic adventure from the people who brought the hugely successful Horrible Histories series to the screen. Revolving around the seven-or-so ‘lost years’ of the Bard, Bill focusses on the exploits of a young William Shakespeare as he moves from being a struggling playwright in Stratford-Upon-Avon, to London where he may hold the key in stopping a plot to blow up Queen Elizabeth II.

I must hold my hands in the air and state that I really struggled during the opening twenty minutes or so of Bill. Having not seen the Horrible Histories series, or the troupe’s slightly more adult show on Sky TV, Yonderland, the style of humour didn’t hit me right away. Obviously drawing inspiration from the likes of Monty Python, Ben Willhold and Laurence Rickard‘s script is actually layered thick with cheeky, and often gloriously cheesy one-liners, frantic slap-stick humour, obvious nods to famous film franchises while at the same time weaving its way through historical fact. While obviously a family movie, this will appeal to most age ranges, as its hard not to love the attention to detail and the brilliantly written dialogue for the host of characters contained within the story.

The cast is simply wonderful. Drawing from their history of working as a team over many years, the ensemble, led by Matthew Baynton in the title role, Martha Howe-Douglas as Anne Hathaway, Willhold as King Phillip II of Spain, Jim Howick as Christopher Marlowe and the brilliant Simon Farnaby as the Earl Of Croydon, are unrelenting in their delivery of satire, witty dialogue and silly banter. It’s almost impossible not to love it.

As a family movie, it flows wonderfully and once we’re over the initial hurdles, it’s an absolute delight to watch. While some scenes may be unsuitable for a very young audience, most of what’s on offer is totally harmless, and somehow Bill manages to engage not only the kids but adults as well, which is rare these days.

Bill is funny, witty, excellently written and a refreshing change from the onslaught of dross we’ve been offered in the live-action family genre of late. Seriously, go see it.

Bill review by Paul Heath, September 2015.

Bill is released in UK cinemas from Friday 18th September, 2015.