"Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989)

Rating: PG

Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Stephen Herek

Written By: Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon

Released: February 17^th, 1989

Runtime: 105 minutes

Studio: Orion Pictures Corporation

Summary:

Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are high school buddies starting a band. However, they are about to fail their history class, which means Ted would be sent to military school. They receive help from Rufus (George Carlin), a traveler from a future where their band is the foundation for a perfect society. With the use of Rufus' time machine, Bill and Ted travel to various points in history, returning with important figures to help them complete their final history presentation.

Review:

I definitely found this funnier than I probably ought to have. It’s one of those films you know is stupid but there’s something very endearing about it all and you enjoy it in spite of yourself.

My initial thought watching Bill and Ted’s relationship and attitude to everything was to liken them to a 3D version of Beavis and Butthead. (Though not as crude) Could these gentlemen have been the 80s equivalent of the cartoon duo? Unlike Beavis And Butthead it would be harder to not like the gormless Bill and Ted. The lift doesn’t reach the top floor most of the time but they get by and they don’t worry about anything. Happy go lucky kind of lads. They have fun, go after what they want, and don’t see any bad in anyone. Book smarts aren’t everything. That being said, Bill demonstrated a hefty vocabulary throughout the film. His chosen words might have been sporadic and slightly inconsistent but it goes to show there are brains in there even if the need for etiquette falls a little short. At first it seemed a little out of character but as the film went on it became an amusing attribute.

The film is a barrel of entertainment from start to finish. The situations they get themselves into are highly amusing and there’s certainly never a dull moment. Because the plot happens to revolve around time travel and given that Back To The Future Part II was released the same year, I can imagine a lot of comparisons being made. I don’t think it would be fair to compare the two since their similarities start and end here. Both take a different approach to the concept and means of time travel. One sillier than the other…

If you’re a fan of the daftness that is the likes of Dumb and Dumber, this here is a film waiting for your viewing. And in all likeliness, it’s possibly what helped to shape these kinds of movies to what they are today. A thoroughly enjoyable comedy.

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