A most triumphant sci-fi comedy

Rating: Null/10 (24 April 2016)

While not the first work of fiction to feature a time travelling phone box, this is a most triumphant sci-fi comedy. The film has a very strong script by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. Like the two central characters, the jokes may not be the cleverest but they're extremely funny. The cleverest moment in the film is the inspired use of time travel to rescue the personages of historical significance. Stephen Herek does a very good job at directing the film, bringing a huge amount of flair and energy to the proceedings. At only 86 minutes, excluding the credits, it rollicks along at a great pace and manages to fit quite a bit into its short running time.
The film stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as the Two Great Ones Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan, a pair of well meaning, gormless high school age slackers living in San Dimas, California in 1988. Although they don't even know how to play their instruments yet, the music of their garage band Wyld Stallyns - which, as they say at every opportunity, rule - will eventually form the basis for all human society. Sure, why not? Humanity could do an awful lot worse than to live by Bill and Ted's maxim of "Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes!" However, all is not well. In order to ensure that this utopia comes about, Rufus is sent from the year 2688 to help the boys pass their history class and prevent Ted from being sent to an Alaskan military school. Much of the credit for the film's success has to go to Winter and Reeves, who have a very likable screen presence, great comic timing and terrific chemistry. It is very easy to accept them as best friends from the moment that they are introduced. Although Reeves has had the more successful career, to put it mildly, I think that Winter is the more talented of the two. Actually, the only Keanu Reeves performances that I have ever actually liked are contained in this film and "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey". He does vacant very well, in fairness to him. George Carlin's appearances as the time travelling benefactor Rufus are little more than an extended cameo but he certainly makes a big impression. In a temporal paradox that was probably unintentional, Rufus never actually introduces himself to Bill and Ted. They learn his name from their future selves.
On their trip through time, Bill and Ted pick up a variety of famous historical figures. Terry Camilleri does not have as much screen time as most of the others but he is a laugh riot as the "short dead dude" Napoleon, who develops an affinity for San Dimas in the late 20th Century particularly the water park Waterloo. I hope that he remembers that name as it may come back to haunt him. Unlike most other time travel films, this one actually addresses the language issue as the only historical figure from a non-English speaking country who can speak English is the polyglot Sigmund Freud. I think that the only English word that Socrates speaks is "geek," which he learns at the mall in 1988. Nevertheless, Tony Steedman is likewise hilarious as the ancient philosopher, who takes everything in his stride. He and the underrated Dan Shor, who plays Billy the Kid, are a great double act. I have to admit that I first heard of Socrates from this film when I was a child and, as such, "So Crates!" pops into my head every time that I hear his name to this day. My knowledge of him and his many accomplishments has increased in the meantime, I hasten to add.
Rod Loomis is great as Freud and Robert V. Barron is perfectly cast as Abraham Lincoln. I loved the fact that all of the historical figures were ready, willing and able to go along with Bill and Ted's plan to show them off at their final history report, though it was hinted that Genghis Khan and Joan of Arc (who was not Noah's wife, by the way) only had the vaguest idea of what was going on. Oddly enough, this is one of three films or TV shows that I am aware of in which Lincoln and Genghis Khan have run into each other, the others being the "Star Trek" episode "The Savage Curtain" and "Clone High". They're not exactly the most obvious historical duo! I also loved the little moments such as Billy the Kid and Socrates playing with a ball, Billy the Kid clearly being smitten with Joan of Arc - played by Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, which is suitably random - and Napoleon attempting to make his moves on Missy, Bill's very young stepmother to whom both he and Ted are attracted. Hal Landon, Jr. and Bernie Casey are great straight men as Ted's hardass father Captain John Logan and the firm but fair history teacher Mr. Ryan, who are probably the two most believable characters in the film.
Overall, this is a bodacious time travel film. When I wasn't laughing, I was grinning from ear to ear.