A Brief History of Time (Travel According to Bill & Ted)

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) is one of the most quotable movies ever, and there is no questioning that. As a child, I adored watching this movie thanks partly to Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter's 'excellent' comedic chemistry, the light-hearted characters, and the film's breezy time travel romp through human history. Does it hold up years later? Save for the brief use of one homophobic slur, yes. Without further ado, it is time to turn the clock back to the late 1980s and revisit this cult classic and childhood favorite.

The movie begins in the future. Specifically, San Dimas, California, in the year 2688, as revealed by Rufus (played by the late great George Carlin), whose mission is to travel 700 years into the past in a phone booth-shaped time machine (no relation to Tardis from Doctor Who) to San Dimas circa 1988, to help the Two Great Ones, William "Bill" S. Preston, Esq. (played by Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (played by Keanu Reeves), from flunking their high school history report, and to prevent Ted from being sent by his strict father and police Captain Logan (played by Hal London Jr.) to a military school in Alaska, thus jeopardizing Bill and Ted's band, Wyld Stallyns, and altering the course of history.

Enter Rufus with his time machine at the local Circle K, where Bill and Ted are desperately studying for their report. During a brief trip through the Circuits of Time to 1805, during Napoleon Bonaparte's (played by Terry Camilleri) invasion of Austria, Napoleon accidentally gets whisked forward with Bill, Ted, and Rufus to the present by a nearby explosion, Bill and Ted leave the military leader with Ted's younger brother Deacon (played by Frazier Bain). After a brief interruption by Ted's father, the duo jumps into their personal phone booth time machine and travel to various time periods, like the Wild West and Ancient Greece, to grab historical figures like Billy the Kid (played by Dan Shor) and Socrates (played by Tony Steedman), respectively, along with additional figures like Sigmund Freud (played by Rod Loomis), Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Clifford David), Joan of Arc (played by Jane Wiedlin), Genghis Khan (played by Al Leong), and Abraham Lincoln (played by Robert V. Barron), while meeting and growing enamored by two 15th-century England princesses, Joanna and Elizabeth (played by Diane Franklin and Kimberley LaBelle, respectively) along the way. What follows is a series of escapades involving the historical figures who humorously interact with the fantastic gadgets and sights of the late twentieth century. Will the lovable duo make it 'in time' to pass their report? Only time will tell.

First things first, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves share amazing personal and comedic chemistry, resulting in a hilarious, light-hearted, and memorable pairing that remains one of the best screen duos of the 1980s. From their spontaneous air guitars upon simultaneously saying "Excellent!" to their ever-quotable lines like this one where Bill and Ted meet themselves who have already traveled across time from later in the movie:

Ted: "Okay wait. If you guys are really us...what number are we thinking of?"

Other Bill & Ted: "69, dudes!"

Bill & Ted: "Whoa!"

Also, this exchange between Bill and Ted upon discovering Socrates never ceases to amuse me:

Bill: "So-crates: 'The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing'."

Ted: "That's us, dude!"

Moving on to the other aspects of the movie that work well, Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon's light-hearted story, screenplay, and dialogue stand out as one of this film's keys to its success as a comedy. I have already sampled a few of their jokes, but there are countless more that I have yet to mention, and one has to see the film to enjoy them fully.

Another aspect of the screenplay that works is how they show how much Bill and Ted genuinely care for each other. This is perfectly exemplified during their trip to Medieval England when Bill and Ted dress up in knights' armor to get closer to the princesses when they start goofing around with swords. Ted accidentally falls down a flight of stairs and is seemingly stabbed to death by a suspicious onlooker, much to Bill's horror and subsequent dismay as he mourns Ted and takes out his rage on a nearby knight. Ted is then revealed to be alive as he comes to his friend's rescue and explains to Bill that he had fallen out of the suit upon hitting the ground. This gives the movie a much-needed moment of emotional drama and provides some depth to the extent of Bill and Ted's friendship.

The soundtrack for this movie is very catchy, with tunes like "Breakaway" performed by Big Pig, "In Time" by Robbie Robb featuring Stevie Salas, and "Two Heads Are Better Than One" by Power Tool. In fact, some of these songs are playing in my head as I am writing this review. This movie's soundtrack should prove to skeptics that this picture is a must-watch for those wanting to experience the 1980s through film.

Overall, Bill & Ted is a fun time-travel movie. It does not get too caught up in the logistics of time travel, and its loveable lead characters make it worth the trip. While there have been two sequels following this movie, neither one was able to reach the comedic heights of the original. Definitely check this one out.

Final Score: 9 out of 10