Bill

I remember watching this movie the first time it aired on TV. I believe it aired on CBS. I loved it! And the sad part was I never watched it again. I never see the movie being played on any network or TV station.

Twenty years later I'm listening to radio "shock jocks" OPIE & ANTHONY. They mentioned the movie. Making fun of the movie when Bill touches most of the chicken at the family dinner. I couldn't stop laughing. I had to get a copy of this movie. Hello eBay! Now, thanks to eBay, I'm able to watch this classic over and over. My friend loves to watch it to. We can repeat most of the lines.

Why is this movie a classic? The hair piece? Bill making his first cup of coffee? Bill playing with Clay on the floor? Bill's two dollar good luck piece? Crack mined old man? The chicken touching? The social worker threatening to send Bill back to Grandville? Bill trying to use a pay phone? I would have to say all of the above.

Since I've watched the movie over 100 times I'm now an expert on Bill. He has a nice way about him. He's kind. He loves all religions. He doesn't care if you make tons of money or if you're a homeless person. He has this quality I can't pinpoint. You just have to love Bill. Understand where he came from. But don't ever mention Grandville to Bill or he will bolt! During the movie Bill does wear one ugly hair piece. The piece reminds me of the one Norman Bates used in "Psycho" when he played his mother.

This movie will make you cry and laugh. Really laugh! Editor's note: This movie plus the second Bill movie called "Bill On His Own" are required movies to watch if you listen to Opie & Anthony. These jocks are now heard coast-to-coast via XM RADIO.

i remember this movie well. first off, it really is a good story, and a true story at that. i think a documentary would have served the real Bill Sackter a little better. apparently this may happen yet. as far as Mickey Rooney goes, you really believe he is retarded. a good performance, and to his credit he did this before it was all the rage for actors to play retarded people. it seems this is the true test of an actor these days, from an "i really want an award" stand point anyway. it seems to be that last ditch effort for the self consumed actor (ie Sean Penn.) as a juvinile i watched this movie and really enjoyed it for the heartwarming/goody feely qualities it evokes, but i also thought that Rooney as Bill was hilarious. the bad hair piece, the harmonica, and the strained old man voice saying "i'm a regular good man buddy" was hilarious. me and my friends were saying that stuff for weeks cracking each other up. the sequal "Bill: On His Own" is even better as we have a host of actors playing retarded people, most notably Edie McClurg as one of Bill's house mates. so if you like a movie that warms the heart and makes you feel good, that gives you hope and makes you think "wow, if Bill can make it so can I!", or if you think actors playing mentals is ridiculous and funny, this is the movie for you. tell me Rain Man wasn't funny as hell (written by barry marlow, the real life friend and caretaker of Bill Sackter.)

also see: My Left Foot, Forrest Gump, I Am Sam, Charlie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Other Sister

"Bill" is a wonderful TV-movie, one of the best ever made. It doesn't have flashy sets; it doesn't have special effects; it's set in Minnesota and Iowa in the dead of winter, not very exciting or scenic places. What it does have is one of Mickey Rooney's best performances, and unarguably one of the most sweet, poignant and winning characters he's ever played. He won the Golden Globe for his performance, and it's easy to see why.

The film is based on Barry Morrow, an independent filmmaker who happened to run across Bill, an older man who was thought to be mentally challenged, and started doing a documentary on his life. Along the way Barry discovered that Bill was as smart as anyone else, but that he'd been locked up in a mental institution since he was 5 years old and treated as if he was mentally handicapped. Bill's early life isn't touched on in more than a random way, but what we do hear is terrifying; abuse of a normal child on a grand scale. Abuse so bad that Bill can only survive by acting like the rest of the inmates. When Barry takes Bill back to the institution to film a segment, Bill's reaction is pitiable.

Barry is played by Dennis Quaid in one of his early roles, and he's great in some scenes, merely passable in others. Luckily, the great scenes outnumber the passable ones. The rest of the cast are good with the exception of Largo Woodruff, who plays Barry's wife. She is alternately pouty, nasty, spoiled-rotten or smiley, with no subtleties in-between. She is the only drawback to the film; if she had only downplayed some of her more dramatic scenes she would have been much easier to take. However, she doesn't harm the movie in any real way; it's all Rooney's film and he's the reason to watch it. A sequel was made several years later with Mickey reprising his role and Helen Hunt playing the college student who took Bill under her wing. It is more of a routine TV movie; Mickey is good but the story doesn't have the magic of the first.

This film deserves to be seen more than it is. It's especially right for the Christmas season, since the real Bill loved to play Santa. This is a family staple in our house and we watch it every Christmas, marveling at just how magical "Bill" is.

This movie deals with a mentally retarded man who was just released from a mental hospital his name is, Bill. (Mickey Rooney) A film maker named Barry Morrow (Dennis Quaid) and his wife Bev (Largo Woodruff) are going to soon have a baby. Barry makes a film about Bill and tries to sell it to a company. They soon move to Iowa to take a job offer and feeling bad for Bill they take him with them. This movie is a very sad drama based on a true story. It wone two awards for the sensational performances! Pick this movie up! I give it a 10 out of 10!

I just saw this movie again after many years. I always remembered seeing it on TV and it left me with such a lasting impression. It had been so many years, that when I just watched it I cried all over again like it was the first time I had ever seen it. I have been watching some of the Andy Hardy films lately, and I think that Mickey Rooney was an under-appreciated actor. I know that there are some negative things on the 'Message Boards', but all I can say is my one meeting with him was very positive- My son's class went to see him in the production of the 'Wizard of Oz' at Madison Square Garden where he played the Wizard. He was gracious to everyone, especially the children. For me it was a dream come true. If you are a fan of Mickey Rooney and have never seen this film, please do... you will love it. The sequel, 'Bill on his Own' is also a wonderful film. I would recommend you seeing both to complete the experience of seeing Mickey in his Emmy Award winning role!