Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Bill and Ted

Bill and Ted, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.

1. You radically traveled through time in an amusing way that taught many a stoner about history.
2. You show us mid-westerners the love that is Circle K.
3. Every time a fan walks by a phone booth they try to dial their way to a different time.
4. Your philosophy is the future of human civilization.

Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure was a movie that epitomizes the 80's. It was another movie that again I didn't manage to see in the theaters, but saw it on VHS the first time when it was still a new release. It's a fun romp that fits in the traditional stoner comedy vein, yet ironically doesn't show them doing any drugs. It seems they are just burn-outs. The plot line is they have to pass a history exam otherwise Ted (Keanu Reeves) has to go off to the military academy. In order to save the human race and keep them excellent, time travelers from the future come back and leave the boys a time machine to work on their history project. Hilarity then ensues.

Be excellent to one another. September 2, 2008

Excellent!

We bought this for my son, to show him what Keanu looked like in the 'olden' days. Cute movie. March 26, 2008

A blast from the Past, relived.

I first saw this movie when it was new, and liked it.
Kenau Reeves plays a high schooler who is failing badly, until he and his best friend take a trip through time, and pick up a few friends along the way.
George Carlin plays the cool dude "Rufus", who acts as their guide.
For those interested in late 80's nostalgia, see the film, it will give you a peek into rock and roll culture from the time when hairbands ruled the airwaves, sex was dirty, and everyone was doing everything to excess.
...Be excellent to each other, and...
PARTY ON DUDES!!! March 25, 2008

Most Excellent

This movie is a hoot. Yeah it's basically a California teen movie with time travel, but there is a lot more to it when you dig deeper. Not only do you have a solid story and fascinating premise but also this movie has plenty of attention to detail that makes it a cut above what it might have ended up being. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure combines a light-hearted comedy with historic references in a way that makes it stand well above other movies of this caliber.

The plot is simple and effective. Bill and Ted must pass their history class or destroy society as it is known in the future. Sounds silly enough, which is of course acceptable groundwork for a comedy. There is an innocent charm that makes this movie a treat to watch. I think that's what makes this simple plot work. I also love the attention to detail that goes around it. When Bill and Ted time travel to some other era the way the scenery, sets, costumes, mannerisms and props come together gives you strong sense of realism, When the boys go to medieval England you get the feeling they are there. When the boys go to the old west it feels like the old west (complete with a bar brawl). Sure if you're a hard core historian you might find limitations, but anybody else would be hard pressed not to be at least a little impressed by the attention to detail. I will admit that there are a few little plot holes that appear, especially in the final scenes. While some of them make me turn my nose and wonder why even wrote that in the script others felt as if they deliberately put these absurd things in to have some extra fun. All in all I can easily forgive the bad inconsistencies and even relish the fun ones.

That attention to detail doesn't stop with historical landmarks. You get plenty of subtle details throughout the movie that truly flesh it out into a more dynamic world than you would expect. Things like background dialog and events help give the story a richer flavor. This is to the credit of the actors as well as the directing, cinematography and whoever else deals with the little things. There is so much subtle stuff going on that you will probably have to watch the movie a second time just to pick up some of it. Oh yes, the acting. For a comedy it's fabulous, which means don't expect any dramatic experiences here. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves play off each other with great timing and chemistry. All of the historical figures pull off their part splendidly as well with my favorite being Terry Camilleri's Napoleon.

The special effects are neat and are on par with the best of them in that era of filmmaking. You get to see some limited computer generated stuff in there too, but most of the effects are more superimposed lightning effects than anything else. I like the fact the movie doesn't go heavy with the effects, but instead uses them to help further the show's themes. The time machine, being a common American phone booth, is cool. It makes me wonder if that idea was taken from Dr. Who with a wink and a nod. Some of the audio dubbing isn't perfect for those of you who notice these things, but it's not so bad as to walk away from the movie either. The soundtrack is mostly a rock and roll affair, which lends itself well to the movie.

This DVD is pretty bare bones. About the only good feature is the Dolby 5.1 Surround track. All that's left is subtitles in spanish and french along with a theatrical trailer.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is a great science fiction comedy that's light-hearted enough to be fun for all ages. It is based on two dim-witted teens from the valley so if you can't get over that fact then I don't think any amount of content, no matter how great, will sway you much. If on the other hand you have no problem with the premise or focal characters then this is the movie for you if you are after having some good fun with time travel.
February 27, 2008

Excuse me! Do you know when the Mongols ruled China?

I saw the BILL & TED films at a young and impressionable age, and it is because of films like this that I garnered my sense of humor (to those who know me, that can be a good or a bad thing). Bill and Ted will always be my favorite surfer/stoner/clueless dudes duo (though Wayne & Garth are a very close second), and their debut was a great one. It also shows the best performance by Keanu Reeves, a simultaneously impressive and sad statement.
Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Reeves) are two wannabe metalheads about to flunk history. So when Ted realizes that, if he doesn't pass, his father will send him to an Alaskan military school, they decide to try their hardest to prepare for the big history presentation the next day. However, these two couldn't pop popcorn without parental supervision, so Rufus (George Carlin himself) comes to their rescue in a time machine phone booth, telling them they can go through time, get the guys they need info on, and get it firsthand. You see, Bill and Ted are the chosen ones (damn Keanu and his legacies), as they hold the key to the future of humanity (or something, I don't really know), so they need to pass history, or we're in deep Socrates.
That lame joke aside, how can you go wrong with a film that has historical figures loose in a mall to the rock extravaganza PLAY WITH ME, Napoleon going bowling and downing a mountain of ice cream, and a stepmom who your best friend asked to the prom? BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE is a most triumphant film for comedy, rock, fantasy, nearly any genre fans alike. Yeah! (Cue air guitar) February 3, 2008

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