Bill & Ted Face the Music – Review

Bill & Ted Face the Music

Directed by: Dean Parisot

Runtime: 92 minutes

Bill & Ted is one of those franchises that has become part of the pop cultural lexicon, even for those who haven’t seen it. Beyond the “most excellent”s and Wyld Stallyns air guitar riffs, the B&T tone of voice and body language captures a certain wholesome slacker sincerity like nothing else, and the series lives and dies on this effortless chill vibe. Luckily, this return to the well has Keanu Reeves and Bill Winter slide right back into it after almost 30 years, while Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine bring the same energy to a new audience as Thea (T) and Billie (B), respectively. But, director Dean Parisot also wisely sidesteps bloating Bill & Ted Face the Music with callbacks and fan service, keeping it accessible for newcomers, even if I personally feel there was room for a few more guitar riffs.

The plot picks up the same place a lot of us have this decade, with a deteriorating reality and having accomplished very little of what we thought we would three decades ago. Our eponymous duo still have not written the song to unite all people as prophecised by George Cailin (Rufus), and their increasingly desperate attempts as they get older have alienated them from everyone except their daughters. But the future waits for no rock duo, and they are whisked off to start a journey to track down the future Bill and Ted to steal the song from themselves, while B and T set out to assemble a band worthy of saving reality itself.

Honestly, while it can’t recreate the impact of the original movies, there’s not a lot to complain about. Of course, the time travel doesn’t make sense, but that is just not important to this kind of film. The Princesses could have had more screen time to themselves and it feels like a lot of their story ended up on the cutting room floor. Similarly, the historical figures are fun and have surprising chemistry, but could have used more dialogue to play out their dynamic. But it seems these sections are a little light in order to maintain a tight focus on the 2 sets of B and Ts (BT^2, if you will), with an eye towards making this a 90 minute passing of the torch story. Also, I’m not sure if I’d be willing to cut into the obvious fun Winters and Reeves are having playing all the future versions of themselves to accommodate.

All in all, Bill & Ted Face the Music meets the hurdles it has to, expressing that unique B&T charm, even if it isn’t a Mad Max: Fury Road level of revisiting a classic franchise. I can recommend it to old fans and new, but where I think it would really shine—and what it probably was envisioned to be—is as a vehicle for parents to introduce their kids to a phenomena close to their hearts. Give it a whirl, have a good time, and most of all, be excellent to each other.