Get ready for another reason to miss the ‘80s. 

     Bill & Ted Face the Music was released in 2020 and was directed by Dean Parisot. The film stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as the title rolls. 30 years after they were supposed to write a song that unites the world, Bill & Ted still haven’t written it, and after learning that reality is caving in on itself, they’re now running out of time. 

     The acting is all-around great. Winter and Reeves are most excellent, making it clear that they’ve been itching to return to these characters. The interactions they have with one another and with different versions of themselves are stupendous. It’s incredibly impressive how many times they were able to say lines of dialogue at the same time, without fault. Another returning cast member, William Sadler, ironically brings tons of life to his character Death. 

     New additions Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving are fantastic as Bill & Ted’s daughters. They are great ways to introduce new audience members to the franchise and are useful to the plot instead of just standing around. The one actress that stood out for the wrong reasons was Jillian Bell, as a therapist. She was clearly miscast. 

     The script is extremely clever, not just in its storytelling but also in its comedy. There were some jokes that those new to the series might not fully appreciate, but overall the film is hilarious. 

     In terms of clever storytelling, the film is pretty good at identifying things most low budget comedies don’t understand. For instance, its creators know when to have long scenes of exposition versus a small line of dialogue to explain certain points, or having storylines connect in interesting ways. Although the twist at the end was somewhat predictable, it all equals out because it’s a very self-aware film. 

     There are several moments of fan service, the most prominent being callbacks to the late George Carlin, who played the time-traveling guide, Rufus, in the original two films. It never relies on it in order to tell its own story, though. 

     Aside from the costume and make-up departments, the film is aesthetically very uninteresting. For example, scenes that take place with characters from the far future look fake and flat. The CGI suffers as well, as in some places it’s clear it was supposed to look outdated to fit the tone of the film, and in others, it simply does not work. Then again, when they go to Hell it looks pretty detailed.

     Bill & Ted Face the Music is the film the world needs right now. It’s not all dark and gloomy, and it never takes itself too seriously. This is the type of film where the most disappointing factor, was that there was no Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch cameo. Face The Music definitely gets an air guitar seal of approval. 

[My Grade for Bill & Ted Face the Music is a B+]