Bill (Aaron Eckhart) is tired of his life with his wife Jess (Elizabeth Banks) and working in her daddy's bank. He dreams of running his own donut franchise and getting away from his dominating father-in-law. Bill is cajoled into mentoring smartalec kid (Logan Lerman) from the prep school. Jess is having an affair with TV reporter Chip Johnson (Timothy Olyphant). Bill is devouring chocolate bars to cope. His brother was a high school hero and he owns a successful sporting goods store. The kid flirts with lingerie shop clerk Lucy (Jessica Alba) constantly. Bill sets up hidden cameras and catches Jess cheating with Chip. It throws him for a loop and he punches out Chip.

Aaron Eckhart is playing the emasculated male like Kevin Spacey in 'American Beauty'. Only this one doesn't take the chance to go darker. Aaron Eckhart is perfectly set up to go very dark, but this is going strictly for light quirky. Only it's not anything funny. There is some quirk but I didn't laugh at all. And it's annoying to not give the name of The Kid. The biggest deficit is the directions from Bernie Goldmann and Melisa Wallack. Neither one of them has the experience nor the touch. If this was left in more daring hands, there may be something original in this. Also there is the writing which doesn't have any great jokes either.

Bill has married into a family with money. His reward is a position in the bank owned by his father-in-law, where he does not have anything of importance to do. His wife Jessica, Bill discovers, is having an affair with an oily television reporter, more interested in his looks, than anything else. When Bill realizes the deception, he moves away to the home of his brother, a gay man, living with his lover.

Before he knows about his wife's cheating, Bill has been eating candy bars secretly; he has a big belly to show for his new habit. Through the connections of his father-in-law, Bill enters a program at the St. Albans School, where he becomes a mentor of one teenager from a prep school. Bill, who recognizes his life is going nowhere, decides to make it on his own by getting a donut franchise, much like Krispy Kreme, he is afraid of Jessica's disapproval.

The boy Bill mentors, is wiser in things that his bigger mentor is not. Despite his misgivings, the "Kid", as he is known, is able to steer Bill into doing fun things, including moving into a big tent pitched in his brother's backyard, and entertaining Lucy, their friendly sales lady and another hot lady in his new home. Bill realizes what is wrong in his life and decides to lose all the extra weight he has been carrying. Doing that, he is able to win Jessica, and the franchise that means his independence.

This comedy about a somewhat middle age crisis, was conceived by Melisa Wallack, who co-directed with Bernie Goldmann. Neither partner show any experience in taking the helm in a motion picture before, although Mr. Goldmann has long been associated as a producer, that is why the results are mixed. As a comedy, "Bill" misses its opportunity to be funny because of a screenplay that goes nowhere and satisfies no one.

Aaron Eckhart is a good actor, but like some of his fellow players, he needs to have someone strong behind him when it comes time to choose what project to take. His Bill will not add much to his otherwise good movie career. Elizabeth Banks is a beautiful presence, no matter in what role, her Jessica makes no sense at all. Jessica Alba's Lucy is more of an adornment in the picture, for she has not much to do. Logan Lerman, on the other hand, is perfect as the naughty rich boy used to getting his own way.

Aaron Eckhart, suave and manicured, is surprisingly effective in role as middle-aged sad sack Bill, a disgruntled, directionless human resources executive at his father-in-law's bank who's stuck in a loveless marriage to cheating spouse Elizabeth Banks. The tone of this character portrait is half black comedy and half satire, but Eckhart almost makes the lumpy journey worthwhile (he's an extremely courageous and focused actor, flexible but not a ham). Jessica Alba is fun as a friendly neighborhood salesgirl, but a subplot involving a mouthy teenage boy who chooses Bill to be his "mentor" is excruciating (a duck-hunting sequence with Bill's wife's family is also flabby). Screenwriter Melisa Wallack, who also co-directed with Bernie Goldmann, is careful to let Bill be his own person, but their ultimately victorious "I don't know where I'm going but I'm happy to be here" theme doesn't wash in the end. ** from ****