Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

“Bill & Ted Face the Music” stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Samara Weaving, Kristen Schaal, Anthony Carrigan, Jayma Mays, Erinn Hayes, and Holland Taylor.  Released on August 28, 2020, the film has Bill and Ted attempting to write a song that will save the entire universe.

The film is directed by Dean Parisot, who also directed films such as “Home Fries”, “Galaxy Quest”, “Fun with Dick and Jane”, and “Red 2”.  It is the third installment in the “Bill & Ted” franchise.  You’re never too old to represent the power of rock and roll and party your hearts out.  Three decades after their bogus journey, the Wyld Stallyns are finally making their comeback and boy, is it going to be awesome.  For those who aren’t familiar with this franchise, “Bill & Ted” follows two metalhead slacker friends who experience plenty of bizarre events while attempting to save their future with the power of music.  Their excellent adventure took them through various parts of history, and their bogus journey has them defeating their evil clones.  Now, they’re facing off against the biggest challenge of their entire lives.  One that will really determine the fate of their future, and that, my friends, is adulthood.  While the script for this film was already set up in 2010, it took them at least eight years to finally get it off the ground.  If you’re wondering why we’re getting another installment in a franchise that’s not as big as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the only answers I can give you are fan service and the fact that its predecessors received cult followings.  I was one of the many people who actually watched and enjoyed “Bill & Ted” and its sequel, which would explain my curiosity towards the third film.  The concepts from those films were pretty outlandish, but they’re what made them fun to watch, so I’m not going to complain.  The film does have the same amount of bizarreness as we come to expect from a “Bill & Ted” film, but are they enough to satisfy its fans and convince newcomers to join in on the fun?

A couple of decades have passed since Theodore “Ted” Logan (Reeves) and William S. “Bill” Preston, Esq. (Winter) went on their last bodacious adventure.  They have grown into adulthood, they’re married to the princesses they encountered from “Excellent Adventure”, and they have their own daughters.  However, their musical careers have hit an all-time low during their quest to write a song that will unite the world.  Their adult lives are suddenly put on hold when Kelly (Schaal), a messenger from the future and the daughter of Rufus, arrives to warn Bill and Ted that the universe will end unless they find a song that will define their legacy.  With time running short, Bill and Ted must seek the help of their daughters (played by Lundy-Paine and Weaving respectively) as well as their old friends like the Grim Reaper (Sadler) and some famous musicians to search for the perfect song and save their future.  The “Bill & Ted” films are no masterpieces, but they do have enough charm and quirkiness in their energetic and ridiculous concepts to win over their audiences, including myself.  So it’s no surprise that “Bill & Ted Face the Music” wound up using the same formula that worked in its predecessors.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, am I right?  This is another film that’s never meant to be taken seriously.  It knows that the concept is completely bonkers, and it is never afraid to just have fun with it, and that’s what made “Face the Music” an entertaining and hilarious sequel.  Much like its predecessors, the film is quirky, humorous, and downright charming, mostly due to the incredible chemistry between Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves and Dean Parisot’s direction.  Winter and Reeves reprised their roles as Bill and Ted respectively for the first time in 30 years, and I got to say, it’s great to have them back.  The performances, the chemistry between them, their enthusiastic energy, everything about these actors were absolutely flawless.  Lundy-Paine and Weaving also did really well with their performances as Bill and Ted’s daughters.  I wasn’t sure about how I would feel towards these characters at first since they act like their fathers, but after watching them, I was surprised to see that they didn’t annoy me at all.  I was also glad to see William Sadler reprise his role as the Grim Reaper because he was one of my favorite parts of “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey”.  Watching him share the screen with Winter and Reeves once again is the type of reunion that I was happy to witness.  Screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, who are responsible for writing the first two “Bill & Ted” installments, also returned to work on the latest installment because it wouldn’t be “Bill & Ted” without these guys.  While their script had some minor issues such as The Great Leader (played by Holland Taylor) and the abrupt ending, the writers did a splendid job at delivering the heartfelt spirit and hilarity that we’ve come to expect from a “Bill & Ted” film.  Director Dean Parisot has a way of making a bizarre film more fun and endearing for his audience, which is why his 1999 comedy “Galaxy Quest” became a cult classic for sci-fi fans.  I haven’t watched “Galaxy Quest” in a while, but I can tell that his direction for “Bill & Ted” reminded me a bit of that film.  They’re both silly, they both have their sense of charm, and they’re both sci-fi comedies that are able to balance the two genres effectively.  Sounds to me that they got the right person for the job.

Overall, “Bill & Ted Face the Music” is another long-awaited sequel that maintains the heart and soul of its predecessors.  It’s far from an excellent follow-up, but its light-heartedness and charm are enough to satisfy its fans and entertain some newcomers who are in need of some escapism, especially during this difficult time.  The chemistry between Reeves and Winter was superb, the humor was spot on, and Parisot’s direction was a delight.  Even the script, despite its flaws, was pretty good.  As I mentioned before, this is something that’s not supposed to be taken seriously, and I’m glad that the filmmakers felt the same way.  It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in a mood for something funny and endearing, and don’t forget to be excellent to each other and party on, dudes.

B