Bill & Ted Face the Music
Reunion comedies that attempt to rekindle the magic of a series after a decade or longer hiatus are one of the more difficult cinematic undertakings. (See: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Dumb and Dumber To — or, better yet, don’t.)
But nearly 20 years after Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves instantly fall back into their kindhearted, airhead rapport in Bill & Ted Face the Music and, blessed with collaborators who likewise haven’t lost their touch, do so in a loose, fun, and entertaining environment.
Still comically trying to write their prophesied song that will unite the world and, to viewer delight, very much the same people they were in the early ’90s, Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Winter) and Ted Theodore Logan (Reeves) are visited by Kelly (Kristen Schaal, My Spy), the daughter of their future-dwelling buddy Rufus, who brings news that their legendary anthem suddenly has even greater consequences.
The subsequent adventure, lovingly penned by series scribes Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon and impressively told largely in real time, sends the buds once more careening through time in their trusty phone booth to save the day, and is full of gleeful callbacks to the prior films, including a respectful handling of the late, great George Carlin’s Rufus.
Delightful as it is to have the dudes back together and in a scenario that finds them encountering multiple versions of themselves — requiring Winter and Reeves to don a series of hilarious costumes — their affability is nearly matched by the dynamic of their daughters Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine, The Glass Castle) and Thea (Samara Weaving, Ready or Not).
Basically female versions of our heroes from the saga’s first two films, the musically-minded young women take their own journey to the past and, with their own set of goofy complications, attempt to assemble the greatest band of all time to help their dads fulfill their destiny.
The dual Preston/Logan plotlines are a delight to follow and find generally consistent support from director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), whose filmmaking nevertheless oscillates between slick and surprisingly schlocky, but is consistently bailed out by impressive special effects.
Even if the sets were made of cardboard and the camerawork handled by The Blair Witch Project team, the jokes are so strong and the chemistry between Winter and Reeves so appealing and genuine that Bill & Ted Face the Music can’t help but succeed.
Grade: B. Rated PG-13. Available to rent starting Aug. 28 via Amazon Video, iTunes, and other streaming platforms
(Photo: Patti Perret/Orion Pictures)
