Bill
2015 · Movie · 94 min · ★ 6.8 · 75% critics
A struggling lute player leaves home to chase a dream, setting off a playful look at what might have happened during a famous writer’s “lost years.” Along the way, ambition and misadventure collide as the story imagines how inspiration can come from unexpected places.
Also known as Bill - London is not going to know what hit it
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2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2015
- Release date
- 2015-03-27
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Critic score
- 75/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (85 votes)
About
If you enjoy breezy, family-friendly historical spoofs and a cheeky take on how stories get written, this could work for you; Not for you if you want serious drama or grounded realism like The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Pros: light historical comedy; playful what-if premise; easygoing fun | Cons: broad humor style; thin character depth; low-stakes story
Themes
- assassination attempt
- 16th century
Cast & crew
Mathew Baynton
as William 'Bill' Shakespeare / Lord Burghley / English Messenger / Customs Official
Simon Farnaby
as Earl of Croydon / Juan Domingo / Sausage / Dmitri Alexandrovitch / Fur Seller
Martha Howe-Douglas
as Anne Hathaway / Molly / Spanish Courtier / Body Collector
Jim Howick
as Christopher Marlowe / Gabriel Montoya / Cynical Jester / Palace Doorman / Mysterious Man / Even Grubbier Thief / Party Planner
Laurence Rickard
as Sir Francis Walsingham / Lope Lopez / Stand-Up Jester / Chatty Guard / Slightly Late Courtier / Ian / Hanging Criminal / Chicken Drumstick
Ben Willbond
as King Phillip II of Spain / Earl of Southampton / Grubby Thief / Alexander Dimitrievitch / Head of Guards
Helen McCrory
as Queen Elizabeth I
Damian Lewis
as Sir Richard Hawkins
Justin Edwards
as Sir Francis Drake
Rufus Jones
as Sir Walter Raleigh
Directed by Richard Bracewell