Myst Post #4: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Over the weekend, I had so much to do, with makeup work from my surgery and finals coming, I was completely swamped with things to do. The one thing i was looking forward to was having to watch a movie for my film studies class which i figured would be a nice break. I figured for this break from work id watch a comedy to prevent myself from short circuiting, so I turned to the eighties and decided to watch Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure. This is a movie I see frequently see on netflix while surfing endlessly to find something to watch. My dad has always said it was a funny movie, so I figured I'd give it shot. I did not know really what to expect, The 80’s are a hit or miss genre for me and I was not sure how a pre-Matrix Keanu Reeves acted. I knew from the beginning that I either would love this movie or hate the fact that I wasted two hours watching it.

It really was a most excellent experience that was comedy straight in the vein that I enjoy. It's a movie where the characters are incredibly dumb but the writers aren’t. They get clever with bill and Ted’s stupidity, putting them into conversations or situations that maximizes their idiocy.  For example while they are picking up historical figures for their history report in their new time machine, they find Socrates giving a lecture in front of the Parthenon.  They then look up "So-crates", in their textbook and determine he'd be perfect for their project.  When confronting him they determine that in order to convince him to join them, they must "philosophize" with him.  They do this by having Keanu Reeves quote a Kansas song and demonstrating that we are all dust in the wind.  This then leads to a revelation for Socrates and he then joins the group and meets the other figures that they have already included like Billy the Kid. 

This silly premise fits perfectly into the 80s teen comedy style like movies ,Weird Science (1985) and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). The movie’s main problem or conflict is simple, but the characters over complicate the means and create the plot through their actions. As far as modern movies go, I’d compare the movie to Talledega Nights(2006) or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010).

Bill and Ted physically resemble the director’s other well known works which include, The Mighty Ducks(1992) and 101 Dalmatians(1996). What I mean by this is that his movies do not generally contain experimental film shots and they rely on the script and acting for the spirit and tone of the film. Also, through the movie the use of Special effects in the post edit  are used to help make the movie more believable and imaginative, but the movie does not rely on them to propel the plot or theme of the movie. This is also used in the Back to Future movies very effectively.  Also, an important feature of the movie is the unique set design that changes frequently through the movie.  Since the movie follows teenagers with a time machine, we see set changes from a High School to an Austrian battlefield, to a Western settlement, to a Prehistoric setting.  Without a convincing set design this movie would quickly change from cool and inventive to lame and very cheesy.  The  same point could be made about the costume design as well. 

 

I would not recommend this movie for everyone and see it as mainly a male based audience.  This style of comedy usually is more effective in the male demographic.  Also,  anyone who is looking for a serious movie or a movie with a deeper meaning should steer clear because this movie is intended solely for entertainment.  Again, if you enjoy 80s teen comedies like Fast Times, Weird Science, or Police Academy then you will like Bill and Ted.  Rating this movie personally and from a comedy point of view,  I would give this movie a 4 out of five Devitos.