A most excellent history lesson dudes.

Rating: 7/10 (16 September 2002)

This movie gets high marks for originality and creativity. It was also the movie that put Keanu Reeves on the map. (no pun intended.) 13 years later, phrases made famous in this film are still being used today. The title is often quoted substituting current names. NO WAY, be excellent to each other, all we are is dust in the wind, and party on dudes, are some of the catchy sayings from that film. Bill and Ted must time travel to the past and learn about history so they can pass their final exam. In the process, they bring back the actual characters from the past to present day California. Characters such as Socrates, Napoleon, and Abraham Lincoln are suddenly walking around shopping malls and bowling alleys. What makes this funny is that Bill and Ted are a couple of goof balls when it comes to school. Ted, (Keanu Reeves), cannot even pronounce the names of these characters correctly.
The film is extremely funny and both Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are actually believable doing their goof ball routine. I only wish the film could have devoted a little more time to the historical characters wandering around in present day California. The film portrays that laid back suburban airhead stereotype pretty well when the historical characters introduce themselves to the locals. At one point, Bill's mom, when introduced to the likes of Socrates and Abraham Lincoln, says `nice to meet you;' as if they were just other ordinary people. The bottom line, if you like history, you will love this movie. In general, I do not care for comedy films where the plot is ridiculous, but credit goes to both the actors and the writers in this film to make someone like myself enjoy it.