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doomonfilm · 4 years

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Review : Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

As a child of the 1980′s, there are certain cultural things that I am almost obligated to be a fan of, and somewhere high on that list are the Bill & Ted movies. As a fan of the first one, I was over the moon when a sequel was released two years later, but if someone would have told me then that, nearly three decades later, the pair of films would become a trilogy, I would have laughed long and hard. This sentiment only grew stronger with each passing year that Keanu Reeves became an icon, while Alex Winter (unfortunately) was veering towards the realms of an afterthought. Then, in 2019, the announcement of Bill & Ted Face the Music went from rumor to greenlit project, and even with the world shutting down, the film still found its way into the hands of moviegoers, answering many of our ‘what if?’ questions about the franchise.

In the year 2020, Bill S. Preston Esquire (Alex Winter) and Theodore ‘Ted’ Logan (Keanu Reeves) are still struggling with the their prophesized task of uniting the world through a Wyld Stallyns song. Unbeknownst to the duo, their inability to fulfill the prophecy is causing damage in the space time continuum, specifically in the form of a collapse that is displacing people and objects randomly throughout time and space. At the behest of The Great Leader (Holland Taylor), Kelly (Kristen Schaal), the daughter of Rufus (the late George Carlin), travels back in time to bring Bill & Ted to The Great Leader, who informs them that they have until 7:17 PM that day to write the song before the space time continuum fully collapses. Unsure of themselves, and scared at the possibilities of losing the Princesses (Erinn Hayes and Jayma Mays), the duo begins travelling throughout their lives in hopes of finding a version of themselves to give them the universe-saving song. Meanwhile, Bill & Ted’s daughters, Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine), secure Kelly’s time traveling device in hopes of securing the most righteous band they can, but as the legend-filled roster prepares to assist Bill & Ted, all parties find themselves not only rushing to beat the clock, but to avoid Dennis Caleb McCoy (Anthony Carrigan), an android sent by The Great Leader to kill Bill & Ted prior to their failure, should they fail.

For a film that could have easily sat back and played the nostalgia hand, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a surprisingly insightful look into the process of self-fulfillment, unconditional love and finding ways to support your family while achieving your hopes and dreams. Seeing the Bill & Ted characters in a grown-up capacity, while strange at first, ultimately opens the door for viewer self-reflection as well, especially for those that grew up fans of the original two movies. While there are echoes of the previous two movies (journeys through time to collect important figures, a pit-stop in hell), these moments are auxiliary to the main focus, which finds Bill & Ted literally attempting to take command of their loves and lives by a symbolic (and literal) examination of all aspects of both. While the duo are quite literally ‘facing the music’ of fulfilling a universal destiny, they also find themselves equally ‘facing the music’ of how even the most sincere, openly loving people can still leave those close to them unfulfilled and wanting more, which further illustrates the fact that we’re never too old to rediscover ourselves.

The casting callbacks throughout the film are wonderful, with Missy, Mr. Logan, Deacon, the Grim Reaper, The Great One and even Rufus all making appearances throughout the run of the film without succumbing to the trope of fan service. We are also treated to the original phone booth as well, while simultaneously seeing the improved technology that occupants of the future now use in place of the phone booth, similar to how many of us have evolved from using phone booths and house phones in our modern world. Putting the educational journey into the hands of Thea and Billie also works beautifully, as this duo takes a journey down the halls of musical prowess rather than historical figures. Even the joke of Bill & Ted’s musical ability has evolved, with the duo now brave enough to pick up a litany of standard and obscure instruments, covering a wider base of genres than the pure rock we knew them for, and somehow still finding themselves unable to fulfill their assigned destiny.

Production-wise, all of the expected beats are hit, and narratively, the chaos of time travel takes a much bigger placement in the driver’s seat than in previous films. The real joy comes from seeing Bill & Ted interact with the many different versions of themselves that they encounter, be it run-down alcoholic versions, super-buff prison inmate versions, or even deathbed Bill & Ted, all of whom are given distinct personalities while still fitting into the classic Bill & Ted mold. Being able to pull so many previous members of the cast back into the story definitely helps as well, as their years of working with one another not only jumps off the screen, but gives the new characters a safe foundation to work with as they integrate themselves into the story.

Despite their previously mentioned day and night career trajectories, seeing Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves working together again is a joy to behold, as their undeniable chemistry is stronger than ever, and any sense of an ego is not visible to the viewer. For as talented and accomplished as Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine are, it’s fun to see them fall into a sort of female Beavis and Butthead situation, where they can let their guard down and just go along for the incredibly silly ride. Kristen Schaal is hilarious as always, finding ways to milk her comedic moments without upstaging the stars or hamming things up. William Sadler also falls right back into his old ways as the Grim Reaper, including my favorite sequence of all where he shows how upset he is for being sued after trying to take the Wyld Stallyns name away from Bill & Ted. Erinn Hayes and Jayma Mays step out a bit more as the Princesses, even getting a chance to play older versions of themselves at times (albeit it dialogue-free). Amy Stoch, Hal London Jr. and Beck Bennett also sit right back into their respective characters, while Holland Taylor steps in wonderfully to replace the large void left in George Carlin’s absence. DazMann Still, Jeremiah Craft, Daniel Dorr and Sharon Gee all meet the task of playing their respective legendary musician roles, while Kid Cudi finds the humor in the task of cameoing as himself. Appearances by Jillian Bell, Dave Grohl, Anthony Carrigan, Patty Anne Miller and Win Butler round things out, with a few fun faces popping up in the credits as well.

If you’ve ever had an inkling of enjoyment for any of the movies in the Bill & Ted franchise, then Bill & Ted Face the Music was made for you. It may not win any awards this trophy season, and it certainly won’t reinvent the way that we look at movies, but it will entertain you, and it may even remind you of a simpler, more innocent time that we enjoyed as film fans.

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adamwatchesmovies · 4 years

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Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

19 years later, Bill & Ted Face the Music recaptures what made the duo’s first two adventures so endearing. It utilizes the time we’ve spent waiting well.

In 1989 Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) were told one of their songs would unite the world. Though “Wyld Stallyn” had some hits, they’re far from achieving musical nirvana. The people of the future are doubting anything but their deaths will will do the trick at this point. Determined to prove them wrong, repair their failing marriages, impress their daughters, and become the successes they always dreamed they would become, Bill & Ted hop into their time-travelling phone booth and search the future for a version of themselves who've already written the song so they can bring it back to the present.

As in the previous entries, it’s evident the SFX budget was lean. Sometimes, that works in this one's favour. A killer robot (played by Anthony Carrigan) is goofy-looking, which makes its bumbling antics extra funny. The various historical figures are not particularly convincing - just like in 1989. The style of humor also remains consistent. Only the occasional CGI/green screen effects and the older actors clue you that this movie was made years later.

Time travel is used to great effect. Future Bill & Teds already know how certain situations will pan out and the past versions have to find creative ways to avoid or catch up to themselves. There are big laughs along the way and even a few surprisingly touching moments when Bill & Ted confront their aged selves.

The only major flaw is the conclusion, which you can figure out just minutes in. The good news is the attempts to distract you from this are pleasant. In particular, Samara Weaving as Theadora “Thea” Person and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Wilhemina “Billie” Logan. They're essentially gender-swapped versions of Bill & Ted. It sounds recycling what worked before. It is, kinda, but the actresses are so good at it, you won’t care. I’d love a spinoff featuring just them.

This film never takes itself seriously. We get intentionally inaccurate history lessons, jokes at the expense of Bill & Ted, at the expense of those who underestimate the duo’s intelligence, callbacks to gags that worked before, new spins on them, and some original ones too - the best deal with multiple versions of our heroes confronting each other. Throughout, it maintains and strengthens their unbreakable friendship. I can’t explain why but I found myself surprisingly emotional during the conclusion.

Bill & Ted Face the Music is a bit too long but it’s worth sticking around for the end credits, whose final gag you'll definitely want to see. The CGI isn't great but it makes up for it by bringing back everything you liked about the other two movies (even George Carlin, in a way). This love letter is a treat for those who have always wanted the duo to be a trilogy. (September 20, 2020)

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