Bill & Ted Face the MusicMusic is more than just a collection of notes; it is the comprehensive total of everything and everyone that has come together to produce a harmony that, by definition, is more than the sum of its parts. Imagine if people held up one or two individual notes as being responsible for all of the greatest music that ever was, while ignoring all of the rest. Imagine what sounds would come from using only those one or two notes, and compare that with all of the myriad possibilities that exist when it includes all of the rest instead of excluding them. The only way to appreciate something in total is to listen to everything and everyone that makes up that sound.
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Bill & Ted Face the Music is the third movie in a series of films starting all the way back in 1989 with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, in which a pair of rock 'n' rolling high schoolers from San Dimas, California--namely William "Bill" S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves)--had to "recruit" historical figures via a time machine modeled after a phone booth so as to not flunk high school, and inevitably produce a song that would unite the world across time and space forever. Fast forward over thirty years into the future, and Bill and Ted have yet to produce that one perfect song meant to fulfill their destiny. Instead, the light of their rock and roll careers--under the band name of "Wyld Stallyns"--has begun to fade into obscurity. Despite a promising start at the end of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, they have gone through the spectrum of rock and roll fame that so many before them have. They feel disappointed that they have come up short as the "Chosen Ones", and their dreams of living the high life have been quelled by the responsibilities of domesticity. Bill and Ted are married to their princess brides--Joanna Preston (Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth Logan (Erinn Hayes)--who love and support them, although see that the rut that they are in requires couples counseling. They each have a daughter--Theadora "Thea" Preston (Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina "Billie" Logan (Brigette Lundy-Paine)--who are obsessive musicophiles, and clearly take after their fathers to an unnerving degree. Actually, they look, sound, and act like their daddies to the point that it makes you wonder just how much their moms were involved in their upbringing, but I digress. So Bill and Ted have what would be considered a successful life by virtually anyone...except for the "The Great Leader" (Holland Taylor) in the year 2720 A.D., who sees Bill and Ted's failings as a sign that they are not, in fact, destined to unite the world, but that their presence itself threatens all existence. But even The Great Leader has a daughter--also the daughter of the first movie's time travelling phone booth jockey, Rufus (George Carlin)--named Kelly (Kristen Schaal), who opts to warn Bill and Ted of the encroaching deadline before her mom takes more drastic measures.
Nostalgia is a fickle mistress, and it seems like these days that there are no shortages of movies and TV shows that feel too much like they are just dredging up the past to make a quick buck. I am happy to say, however, that Bill & Ted Face the Music almost entirely manages to sidestep this pitfall, and is instead a hilarious and charming send up to the time travelling skater duo. I would attribute much of this movie's success at treating its source of inspiration with care--while not forgetting the spirit of its source material--to the creative team that made it happen. The director of this movie is Dean Parisot; and if that name isn't familiar, all I should have to say is that he was also the director of Galaxy Quest, and you can see that the tone of Bill & Ted Face the Music is similar. Like Galaxy Quest, this movie appreciates its fans in a way that too few nostalgia-driven movies now fail to do. Furthermore, Parisot succeeds in keeping the action and humor fresh and constant, without ever feeling forced or losing that momentum. This is another great example of a movie that embraces its fans, rather than alienating them or shamelessly pandering to them and expecting that to be enough to distract audiences from what is in reality a subpar movie instead. (I'm looking at you, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.) Also, Bill & Ted Face the Music was co-written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, who both worked together on the original Bill & Ted movies, so they understand these slacker prophets better than anyone else. More importantly, their writing is consistent with the nature and spirit of the prior movies; even absurd moments feel at home here because of that consistency. And, of course, there is the charm and charisma of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, who reprise their roles in a way that appears as effortless as remembering how to ride a bicycle; it's as though they never left. They are such natural fits for these characters that one might forget that Winter and Reeves have both flourished in their own rights as talented performers and creators since the days of the first two movies, and are far from their portrayals as the inept dudes that brought them acclaim in the late Eighties.
A large part of the charm that this movie has comes from the paradoxical juxtaposition of a couple of dopey bros stumbling through their own lives and the universal message of how "legacies" and "destinies" have a way of defining us in spite of ourselves. It's kind of miraculous to consider that Bill and Ted have managed to achieve as much as they have by the year 2020, given how they seem to be a source of embarrassment for their parents, and that they have a far too symbiotic of a relationship with each other, to the extent that they struggle to do anything as individuals. But that's also ironically their greatest strength; they are naive, but generally innocent, too. Even when they consider their last course of action to save the universe to be going into the future to plagiarize off of themselves, they stop to consider the moral ramifications--even if just for a moment--before doing so. They are not violent; on the contrary, they flee from conflict on the whole. So when Bill and Ted find that their "future selves" are jerks, liars, and even drink, they are as shocked as we are! Despite their silliness, Bill and Ted represent many wholesome qualities. Coming back to their daughters, it is evident that their daughters worship their dads, and go above and beyond to support them in their darkest moments. Kids don't just do that for nothing; it's clear that Bill and Ted are loving fathers and husbands, even if their musical mojo is a bit withered at the moment. And it's this fundamental goodness that gives them the strength not just to carry on, but more importantly inspire others. That's what heroes do, from San Dimas or anywhere else.
Recommended for: Fans of a fun and loving return to a couple of unlikely heroes and the cult movies that have left their impact on the cultural zeitgeist of Gen X-ers everywhere. Bill & Ted Face the Music is a largely family friendly adventure movie that has more to do with growing up than the raw scientific theory of time travel, so try not to overthink the myriad quantum inconsistencies, and you'll have a great time.
Nostalgia is a fickle mistress, and it seems like these days that there are no shortages of movies and TV shows that feel too much like they are just dredging up the past to make a quick buck. I am happy to say, however, that Bill & Ted Face the Music almost entirely manages to sidestep this pitfall, and is instead a hilarious and charming send up to the time travelling skater duo. I would attribute much of this movie's success at treating its source of inspiration with care--while not forgetting the spirit of its source material--to the creative team that made it happen. The director of this movie is Dean Parisot; and if that name isn't familiar, all I should have to say is that he was also the director of Galaxy Quest, and you can see that the tone of Bill & Ted Face the Music is similar. Like Galaxy Quest, this movie appreciates its fans in a way that too few nostalgia-driven movies now fail to do. Furthermore, Parisot succeeds in keeping the action and humor fresh and constant, without ever feeling forced or losing that momentum. This is another great example of a movie that embraces its fans, rather than alienating them or shamelessly pandering to them and expecting that to be enough to distract audiences from what is in reality a subpar movie instead. (I'm looking at you, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.) Also, Bill & Ted Face the Music was co-written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, who both worked together on the original Bill & Ted movies, so they understand these slacker prophets better than anyone else. More importantly, their writing is consistent with the nature and spirit of the prior movies; even absurd moments feel at home here because of that consistency. And, of course, there is the charm and charisma of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, who reprise their roles in a way that appears as effortless as remembering how to ride a bicycle; it's as though they never left. They are such natural fits for these characters that one might forget that Winter and Reeves have both flourished in their own rights as talented performers and creators since the days of the first two movies, and are far from their portrayals as the inept dudes that brought them acclaim in the late Eighties.
A large part of the charm that this movie has comes from the paradoxical juxtaposition of a couple of dopey bros stumbling through their own lives and the universal message of how "legacies" and "destinies" have a way of defining us in spite of ourselves. It's kind of miraculous to consider that Bill and Ted have managed to achieve as much as they have by the year 2020, given how they seem to be a source of embarrassment for their parents, and that they have a far too symbiotic of a relationship with each other, to the extent that they struggle to do anything as individuals. But that's also ironically their greatest strength; they are naive, but generally innocent, too. Even when they consider their last course of action to save the universe to be going into the future to plagiarize off of themselves, they stop to consider the moral ramifications--even if just for a moment--before doing so. They are not violent; on the contrary, they flee from conflict on the whole. So when Bill and Ted find that their "future selves" are jerks, liars, and even drink, they are as shocked as we are! Despite their silliness, Bill and Ted represent many wholesome qualities. Coming back to their daughters, it is evident that their daughters worship their dads, and go above and beyond to support them in their darkest moments. Kids don't just do that for nothing; it's clear that Bill and Ted are loving fathers and husbands, even if their musical mojo is a bit withered at the moment. And it's this fundamental goodness that gives them the strength not just to carry on, but more importantly inspire others. That's what heroes do, from San Dimas or anywhere else.
Recommended for: Fans of a fun and loving return to a couple of unlikely heroes and the cult movies that have left their impact on the cultural zeitgeist of Gen X-ers everywhere. Bill & Ted Face the Music is a largely family friendly adventure movie that has more to do with growing up than the raw scientific theory of time travel, so try not to overthink the myriad quantum inconsistencies, and you'll have a great time.