Returning from the previous Bill and Ted movies, writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are very conscious of the place these characters occupy in pop culture. Their most admirable qualities are their wholesome values rather than any inherent musical genius, in spite of how much they strive to achieve the latter. Though Bill and Ted Face the Music frequently posits “the song to unite the world” as the end goal, there is always a much stronger undercurrent of unconditional kindness that runs through every scene featuring the eponymous duo.
Like the first film in this franchise, there is a whole lot of time travel with the purpose of collecting historical icons. Like the second, there is a journey into the afterlife and an encounter with Death played by William Sadler. Bill and Ted Face the Music also develops a few plot threads of its own, all of which work towards a climax with ridiculously high stakes. At a certain point the movie gets too packed for its own good. Shortcuts are made, sidelining certain characters that are set up to be more consequential than they really are, and only picking them back up at the end. Really, all this film actually needed was Bill, Ted, and their daughters.
Playing these daughters are Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine, the two biggest new additions to the cast. Thea and Billie are their fathers’ biggest fans, and it shows in the way they model themselves after them. All four of them, parents and children, are stoners with hearts of gold, but the young actors are also allowed their own subplot independent of their older counterparts, so that they may evolve into more than just carbon copies. In the role of Thea, Weaving continues her trajectory upwards in Hollywood, building on a relatively young but impressive career, now with proof of strong, diverse comedic skills.
The Bill and Ted franchise has been built on homages to history, art, and pop culture since its inception, and with this instalment it reaches its logical conclusion. The screenplay acknowledges that everyone who aspires to greatness is “stealing” from those who came before, who in turn had their own sources of inspiration. Whether we reach the same heights of our idols is irrelevant. Our admiration and appreciation of them is the nobler accomplishment, as it strongly abides by Bill and Ted’s ethos: “Be excellent to each other”.
While it struggles to contain all of its fraying plot threads within its brief 90-minute runtime, Bill and Ted Face the Music allows us a humorous, nostalgic reprieve in a particularly bleak year for cinema. The return of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter to our screens is equally welcome, offering some wildly unexpected but entertaining takes on these characters that are so ingrained in our minds. Bill and Ted Face the Music simultaneously celebrates and satirises the lofty cultural figures of our past, including its own legacy as an artefact of 80’s comedy, ultimately delivering a satisfying yet overstuffed conclusion.
