Greene Street Films, First Look Studios, and directors Bernie Goldmann and Melisa Wallack combined forces to come up with a clever, low-key comedy, Meet Bill. The film, released to DVD on July 15, stars Aaron Eckhart (Thank you for Not Smoking) in a role that is contrary to his normal arrogant, hard, and edgy characters. He plays Bill, a well-to-do banker with a nice house and a beautiful wife, Jess (Elizabeth Banks). Unfortunately, he also has a low sense of self-worth as he feels overwhelmed by the pressure of working for his father-in-law, and is especially disturbed to learn that Jess has been having an affair with a local news reporter (Timothy Olyphant). Even worse, he allows himself to be made to feel guilty for it all.

As Bill feels down in the dumps and struggles to cope with his latest burdens, he meets a young and carefree teenager (Logan Lerman). His new young friend is working on a mentor project from school, but ends up teaching Bill more about life than he could have ever imagined. As the two hang out and peruse the town, they meet up with a lingerie salesperson, Lucy, played by the beautiful Jessica Alba. The kid has his own sights set on Lucy but also uses his new friend to help teach Bill the ‘finer’ things in life.

Aaron Eckhart is a great actor and despite venturing off his typical acting path, he performs well as a doormat character. The story and plot of the movie is not overwhelming, but that is part of the point. It is intended to offer some light-hearted humor and it certainly does just that. Jessica Alba also plays a bit of a different role than her norm. She is very much a supporting player and her character is not a major romantic player in the story, despite her newfound friendships. Elizabeth Banks, perhaps best known as the freaky girl from 40-Year Old Virgin, is solid as the cheating wife.

Meet Bill is definitely a good weekend movie for viewers looking for some light-hearted, not overly demanding humor. The funny moments are subtle enough to be funny, but not so subtle that you have to be stimulated to pick them up. One nice aspect of this film, which features a talented and diverse cast, is that it does not feel a need to offer a lot of moral guidance. It simply tells an interesting and funny story.