‘Bill And Ted Face the Music’ Review- A Most Excellent Follow-Up
This movie came out in 2020.
Bill & Ted Face the Music is directed by Dean Parisot and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. It is the third film in the ‘Bill & Ted’ comedy franchise, followed by ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure‘ (1989) and ‘Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey‘ (1991).
Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) and William S. “Bill” Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) find themselves twenty-five years later after peaking in the 1990s playing at parties and weddings with no more hit songs to show for it. They’re raising their twenty-something daughters, Theadora “Thea” Preston (Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina “Billie” Logan (Brigette Lundy-Paine), and going to couples counseling with their wives Princess Elizabeth Logan (Erinn Hayes) and Princess Joanna Preston (Jayma Mays)… together as a “couple of couples.” Dejected, the duo considers giving up on writing their song, until Kelly Rufus (Kristen Schaal) arrives to take them to the future, where they discover that reality itself will end in San Dimas, California if the song is not heard.
They swipe a time machine and decide to go to when they wrote the song and bring it back. However, the Great Leader (Holland Taylor) of the future considers killing Bill and Ted. Their daughters get wind of this thanks to Kelly and head across the past to find a band to play with their dads, meeting Death (William Sadler) in the process. Meanwhile, Bill and Ted continue the search for the ultimate song that will not only unite the world but save reality as they know it.
This movie was totally excellent. Sure, it had its hang-ups. Personally, both my wife and I mentioned we would have liked to have seen a reprise of “Final Guitar Solo” from the second film as that was actually a pretty good song. Also, the robot Dennis, played by Anthony Carrigan, was completely unnecessary and I do not think added anything to the plot. There were several workarounds to how the plot could have played out without him.
Okay, got that out of the way. This movie is fun, exciting, and thrilling. It captures the spirit of the first two films and builds off the mythology to the satisfaction of fans and newcomers. Sequels are a high bar, especially one based on a cult classic, but I do feel like this one hit it out of the park with its callbacks, Easter eggs, and also the original plot. I also liked their reference to Rufus, played by George Carlin in the first two films. It was a good dedication.
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter still have their chemistry as Bill and Ted. From the first scene, you can tell they have those characters down and bring them together as they discuss moving on, saving the universe, rescuing their marriages, and being good dads. As they say in the film, “it’ll make sense in the end.” Their search for the song leads them to an interesting place and one that no one will soon forget.
Co-writer Ed Solomon told Midnight’s Edge that the movie is about “fathers and daughters.” A lot of fans and folks were angry that “Little Bill” and “Little Ted” were gals since a comic book spin-off clearly portrayed them as boys. However, I thought this was a selling point in the movie. While Bill and Ted are still as dimwitted as ever, they are good fathers to their daughters, who adore them and would do anything for them. This is something missing from modern films, and as my wife put it, “it was cute.”
Bottom line, Bill & Ted Face the Music is one of the most excellent sequels. I laughed out loud, cheered, and best of all, tapped my foot to the music. From the main protagonists to the cameos, it is one silly, stupid good time.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Minor foul language, Brief disturbing images
FAVORITE QUOTE: When I see myself, I think of you.
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is an anime, comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review.