If you enjoy the Horrible Histories series, or movie (which uses the brand, but doesn't use the same people), and if you enjoy Ghosts (the British incarnation, which features a lot of the same people both behind and in front of the camera), then you should find Bill an very enjoyable and amusing slice of hysterical historical entertainment. Okay, it may not be hysterical, but that sentence was too tempting for me. It IS very funny though.
Matthew Baynton plays the Bill of the title. William is his proper name, of course. William Shakespeare. Shakespeare wants to become a celebrated playwright, of course, but doesn’t seem to have the skillset required. That doesn’t stop him from persevering though, and he is soon tasked with writing “the greatest play ever performed” for an Earl (Simon Farnaby) who has himself oversold his own talent to a demanding Queen Elizabeth I (Helen McCrory). The play will be the backdrop for a very important meeting between the Queen and King Phillip II of Spain (Ben Willbond), the latter arriving on the shores of Britain with a band of schemers and killers he hopes will help him take over the reign of the country, and pressure keeps mounting on Shakespeare. Pulled in numerous directions at once, our writer at least has the help of one Christopher Marlowe (Jim Howick) to get the play finished.
Co-written by Laurence Rickard (who also features onscreen) and the aforementioned Willbond, Bill is a lively and lovely collage of silliness, mixing smart and sly gags with wonderful absurdity and cheesy puns. Those who know a bit more about the main characters will find the film slightly more rewarding, but almost everything is designed to allow newcomers a near-equal amount of enjoyment. Director Richard Bracewell doesn’t do anything special, but he makes the savvy decision to work perfectly in service of the script and performances, resulting in something that is more focused on being entertaining than being stylish and cinematic.
Everyone involved tends to take on multiple roles, giving the whole thing a wonderful “let’s put on a show” atmosphere throughout, but Baynton, Farnaby,Willbond, and Howick are consistently excellent in any one of their varied roles (although it should be said that Farnaby remains a top scene-stealer, particularly when playing a Spanish assassin). Martha Howe-Douglas does a good job in the role of the exasperated Anne Hathaway, worrying about the career prospects of a husband who seems to have his head in the clouds, and also has fun portraying other characters, and McCrory gives much-needed weight to the pivotal role of Queen Elizabeth I, wisely delivering the most serious performance amidst the unfolding chaos and gags.
I had a great time with this, but I know I am pre-disposed to this kind of thing (having enjoyed the work of all the main performers in similar works). It’s hard to imagine anyone actively hating this, especially if you’re after something inoffensive and eager to please, but I know that some may roll their eyes and groan at the many moments that had me grinning and chuckling. It’s a comedy of errors that some will dismiss as much ado about nothing. I hope more people side with me though, and you should definitely check out the shows mentioned in the first paragraph if you do enjoy this.
7/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share
No comments:
Post a Comment