Three decades ago, a couple of unlikely San Dimas, California high school kids needed a little help passing history. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure charmed its way into the hearts of movie audiences globally. A sequel followed, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and then those guys who jammed with Death and befriended a who’s-who of history all-stars seemed to close their Wyld Stallyns book. Bill & Ted Face the Music (out now on DVD, Blu-Ray, and On-Demand) opens that story back up to a movie-going world that has drastically changed with the passage of time.
Something extraordinary happened with these two films and the affable fellows at the center of it all since last we heard from Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves). Those first two flicks, which did solid business at the box office upon their releases, have exponentially had generations become enamored of the dynamic duo and their time traveling based hilarity.
Decades between films can be a death knell for sequels, just talk to Ben Stiller about Zoolander 2. Perhaps they learned from the mistakes of that long in the making sequel, or perhaps a wee bit from Anchorman 2.
The decades have passed, but these guys are still jamming the tunes, still enamored with their gorgeous babe princess wives. One thing has changed and as it is used in this third film in the series, it elevates… well, everything.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Bombshell) portray our beloved protagonists’ daughters. These two are spitting images of their fathers in their fashion choices as well as their speaking cadence and passion for music. These two actresses didn’t merely imitate Reeves and Winter, these are fully formed characters, and thanks to the thespians behind them and the script by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, it is an enormous breath of fresh air was injected into the entire franchise. Both Lundy-Paine and Weaving, as they should see their cinematic fathers as launching points for their characters.
Not only do Billie and Thea inject the franchise with fresh blood, as they say, but their contributions to the plot and the narrative is frankly, priceless.
As Bill & Ted Face the Music commences, the guys (still) haven’t crafted “the song” that they were fated to have written that will change the world. This is causing slow, but building, rifts in time. Wyld Stallyns have been through a lot in the last few decades, but nothing could prepare them for the epic demands that those from the future place upon them. Bill and Ted are summoned to the future by Kristen Schaal’s Kelly, i.e. George Carlin’s daughter. Holland Taylor’s The Great Leader informs them that by the end of this particular day, our two music maestros must pen that world-unifying song or time will literally fold back on itself. Talk about pressure!
To choose this avenue, plot-wise, took a leap of faith. It was one rooted in the hope that audiences would still identify with two characters that were firmly a product of a different era. What they stood for hasn’t changed when the world around them could not be more different. It works, surprisingly well.
There are some fun additions to the circus that is these two time-traveling dudes, most notably Jillian Bell (Brittany Runs a Marathon) as a couples therapist, Jayma Mays as Princess Joanna and Erinn Hayes as Princess Princess Elizabeth, and Kid Cudi as himself!
Now, this film isn’t going to change the world, like Bill and Ted are tasked with in the flick. But during a particularly rough time for our nation and the world, sometimes it’s just nice to visit with a few old friends and turn the brain to “Whoa.”
Bonus features are led by the inclusion of The Official Bill & Ted Face The Music Panel at Comic-Con@Home which is just delightful. It’s simultaneously enlightening and entertaining. As much fun as it was to see the gang back together onscreen, it is supremely joyous watching Reeves and Winter back together in a public (albeit on Zoom!). Even more refreshing is to see how the comradery between these two is so real. Oh, and having Kevin Smith serve as moderator only enhances its awesomeness.
Be Excellent to Each Other is a decent featurette that features Winter, Reeves, as well as Sadler waxing poetic about returning to their characters and what it was like to make this third film.
A Most Triumphant Duo puts the spotlight on Producer Scott Kropf, director Dean Parisot, co-writer Ed Solomon, as well as a few others get to the heart of what it is about these two slackers that have struck a chord in our collective hearts for three decades now.
Although it was featured quickly in the film itself, one might be overcome with the desire to get a closer look and freeze-frame the moment when Bill and Ted visit their old pal Death. Death’s Crib has Sadler taking viewers on a too-quick tour of his underground pad.
Social Piece (Excellence) also looks at the enduring legacy in pop culture and why exactly it is that we all heart Bill & Ted.
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: B