Danielle Solzman
The time-traveling heroes face their next biggest adventure in Bill & Ted Face The Music in a race to save reality as we know it.
Two important things to know: the film’s opening recaps the first two films and there is also a scene following the credits. You don’t necessarily need to watch the previous films but it’s up to you to make it a day for Bill & Ted. This is all.
When Rufus (George Carlin) first met Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) in the late 1980s, the duo were destined to write the song to save the world. They’ve yet to do so nearly 30 years later. Marital strife with Princess Joanna (Jayma Mays) and Princess Elizabeth (Erinn Hayes) sees everybody together in couples counseling. Their children, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), are just as obsessed with music as their parents. Wyld Stallyns hasn’t reached the heights that Rufus once predicted. And yet, they’re supposed to record a history-changing song with just over an hour to spare and we’re supposed to trust them? Impossible!
Galaxy Quest filmmaker Dean Parisot steps in behind the camera to direct the final film in the trilogy. Parisot picks up on what made the first film so magical in his direction. Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon return to pen the screenplay. We do get a few callbacks from the first sequel with the return of Death (William Sadler). Death is still rocking the bass, too.
I was curious to see how the third film would be taking advantage of the newer technology. They still travel by phone booth but the visual effects are better. Miles better, actually. But what is very important on this front is that they don’t take away from the spirit and tone. Anything else would be disappointing.
It wouldn’t be a Bill & Ted movie without historical figures. This is where the daughters come in handy. Bill and Ted go into the future in hopes of getting the song from the future versions of themselves. These trips to the future offer plenty of comedy. Meanwhile, their daughters end up bringing famous musicians from the past. Among them are Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, and Mozart. Other figures appear throughout the film. The film has a magical way of working things out in the end.
I love the casting of Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine. They get the casting right because otherwise, the film would be a disaster. Weaving and Lundy-Paine perfectly capture mannerisms of Bill and Ted but in their own way. In watching the film, you really buy into the idea of Brigette Lundy-Paine being Keanu Reeves’ daughter. As for Samara Weaving, the niece of Hugo Weaving is a star on the rise.
A solid round of comedy performers also round out the cast. Holland Taylor portrays the Great Leader. By naming Kristen Schaal after Kelly Carlin, the film manages to find a creative way to pay homage to the late George Carlin. It’s perfect even as we briefly see holographic footage of Rufus when the duo go back to the future. If you watch Barry, then you shouldn’t be surprised by Anthony Carrigan’s performance as Dennis. Other cameos include Jillian Bell and Beck Bennett.
Bill & Ted Face The Music ends the trilogy on a high note.
DIRECTOR: Dean Parisot
SCREENWRITERS: Chris Matheson & Ed Solomon
CAST: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, William Sadler, Kristen Schaal, Holland Taylor, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Anthony Carrigan, Jillian Bell, Kid Cudi, Beck Bennett, Hal Landon Jr., and Amy Stoch
