Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

“Excellent” 

Ladies and gentlemen, turn off your brains, and prepared to be immersed in the time-traveling world of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Is this a great movie? Not particularly. Is it a very entertaining comedy that knows exactly what it is and is not afraid to prove it? You betcha! As someone who is a former history major and loves movies that explore time travel, this movie is right up my alley. It took some time getting used to the film. After all, the main characters are dimwitted dolts that cannot even pronounce the name “Socrates” correctly. Still, I very quickly managed to fall to the warmth of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. 

Ed Solomon’s and Chris Matheson’s screenplay is very unique. Where else will you combine the hard rock legends Van Halen and the Classical Athens? Their use of dialogue is likewise something different. The characters are meant to be dumb, but their wordplay makes them seem not so braindead. As Keanu Reeves quotes, “We are about to fail most egregiously.” I loved this! The screenwriters formulated their idea for the screenplay in 1987 based on their own standup routine from their college days. Stephen Herek, who directed the film, loved the oddball humor and knew its potential as a massive flop or mega hit. It was produced on a very low budget. In a way, that is a shame because everyone had massive ideas about the film ranging from cringeworthy (Adolf Hitler was thankfully replaced with Napoleon) to awesome (I mean, I would have loved to see Babe Ruth reincarnated). Still, we get to see these different historical figures in all sorts of mayhem. The script may not have been perfect, but it was different. Gotta respect that!

Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves) are two teens thought to have defunct I. Q’s even if their hearts are in the right place. They live in the small town of San Dimas, just several miles outside of Los Angeles. They have the dream of starting their own rock band, but there is just one problem…their grades. They are about to flunk history! If they do fail, Theodore’s father will send him away to military school. This is also bad news because they are destined to save the world even if they do not know it just yet. Help is on the way! Rufus (George Carlin) is a man from the future who appears in a phone booth. He will help them pass their history report so the world can be saved.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have such a rapport with one another. These two, once you get used to their idiosyncratic ways, you root for them. They deliver the lines in such a hilarious, but kind-hearted manner. As an actor, Reeves is very hit-or-miss. Thankfully, this is one of his major hits. Also, George Carlin is a fantastic Rufus. When filming was underway, Carlin was not even cast yet. The producers got their way once his schedule cleared. There are some wonderful cameos scattered throughout. As a huge E-Street band follower, I screamed when I saw Clarence Clemons. He is the man! I did not recognize any of the actors who played the historical figures (ranging from Socrates to Abe Lincoln), but they were good. Napoleon was my favorite, however. 

Overall, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a funny, kind-hearted film with good performances from Reeves and Winter. This may not appeal to all tastes because of its comedy style. It did for me because it spoke to my hard-rock, sci-fi, and history-loving persona. Thankfully, the film was a hit and it produced two sequels. The style can grow irritating but not its good-hearted fun. I loved the soundtrack too!

My Grade: B