Bill & Ted Face the Music

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving, Bridgette Lundy-Paine, William Sadler, Anthony Carrigan, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Kid Cudi, Holland Taylor, Jillian Bell
Directed by: Dean Parisot
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are still struggling to write the song that will save the universe and a looming threat forces them into action.

Review:

Tim: I know that Bill and Ted are somewhat iconic characters and many have a fond memory of them. I'm probably included in that list. However, the reality is that neither of the first two movies were actually that good. They aren't good. So, I was somewhat intrigued to see the trilogy completed nearly thirty years after the last film, but I didn't have any illusions about what we'd be getting. I suppose there was always the hope that after three decades, they would figure out how to make a good Bill & Ted film. Unfortunately, that's not the case. This third entry comes in between the first two. It's not as good as the original, but better than the first sequel. Still, there's not much to get excited about here. The thirty-year wasn't really worth it.

I had a lot of problems with this movie, starting with the fact that it isn't good. Like the first two, the movie gives us a story that has some interesting elements, but never actually makes all that much sense. The nonsensical aspects really hurt the viewing experience. It's hard to care or get invested when so much of the film is illogical. In the attempt to tell a story about a fascinating journey through time, the writers forgot to tell a story that was worth hearing. The story often feels like a series of half-baked ideas held together by the thinnest, most tentative strings. I suppose the plus is that this story feels tonally very similar to the first two. However, it missed an opportunity to improve on it.

I was somewhat disappointed with the depiction of Bill and Ted. It felt lazy to me. People change over time and this film could have been incredible by showing us who Bill and Ted became with decades of life experience. We're supposed to believe they are basically the same. Any changes to their characters are so subtle. We get older versions of the same characters, which was done to appease fans of the original films. It just doesn't make any sense. I wish the writers wrote these characters with a more realistic approach. They needed to be different than they were 30 years ago. They come across as nearly the same, which does a disservice to the characters and to how humans change and grow over time. It's not surprising, though, as this film sets its bar fairly low and sticks with it.

I really like Keanu Reeves, even though he's never been a good actor. He's not especially good here and it was a little sad seeing him play this older version of a character. Reeves isn't the same actor he was 30 years ago and it felt forced and a bit cringe-worthy to see him try to pretend otherwise. Alex Winter might be a worse actor, but he showed up a bit better here. He seemed more authentic. He's probably grown less as an actor than Reeves has. The supporting cast was fairly disappointing. I never believed the performances of Samara Weaving or Bridgette Lundy-Paine for a second. I mostly groaned internally whenever they showed up and awkwardly delivered their lines. Both of them gave poor performances. It was great to see William Sadler show up again, that was definitely a highlight. Kristen Schaal added some much-needed humor. I loved seeing Holland Taylor here, but her role was too small. I don't know Kid Cudi, but he was a nice addition. As a whole, the cast wasn't anything special.

Now, I've been mostly negative about this movie and for good reason. There was every reason for it to be better than it was. On the other side, I guess the film does feel very aligned with the first two film. If the intention was to round out the trilogy by delivering a similarly lackluster entry, then you can declare victory. There's just no reason for a film in 2020 that has decades of perspective to set the bar so low. Now, it's not all bad. It's somewhat entertaining to see these characters again after such a long absence. Like the first two films, there's something entertaining about seeing this crazy, nonsensical journey through time and space. Bill & Ted Face the Music is never quite a bad movie, although it gets uncomfortably close.

In the end, the film was okay but disappointing. There's certainly nothing in Dean Parisot's film that makes you think these characters have any place in the 2020s. It's time to retire these characters permanently. Their legacy is a trilogy of films that had promising ideas but never lived up to its potential. I suppose in that context, it's perfect that this film was released in the awful, disappointing 2020.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey