Review of Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) by Jamesdrawsthngs — 31 Aug 2020

Bill and Ted Face the Music is the exact movie we need right now. A movie that is just so goofy, positive and endearing that it is just a gigantic breath of fresh air in this age of cynicism and mean-spiritedness. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reprise their roles as Bill and Ted, two goofball musicians that were destined to unite the world through music, but have yet to do so. Now, they need to travel through time in order to discover that perfect song before all of time collapses in on itself. First off, it’s so great to see Keanu and Alex reprise their roles, especially Alex since retiring from acting. Both of them still have the same great chemistry, and they don’t try to come off as being younger than they are or, worse, as down on their luck cynical old men, but rather just older versions of themselves. They both have two daughters that have similar mannerisms and they do a great job in the movie as well. The relationship between the dads and the daughters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but it’s nice to see a family that is just so supportive of each other. William Sadler also returns as Death and he’s just as hilarious as he was in Bogus Journey. None of the performances feel phoned in. While this was a movie that didn’t really need to be made, everybody still cared about the project and wanted to make the best with what they got.

Speaking of which, that is admittingly one of the few downsides I had with the film. This was obviously made with a low budget, and at many points it shows, from bad green screen to relatively unimaginative locations. It doesn’t offer the same level of creativity as something like Bogus Journey. Some of the sub-plots also either don’t really go anywhere or kind of just get resolved in a throw-away fashion. The time travel rules don’t make sense, but it’s not meant to be taken all that seriously as it’s really just a vehicle to drive the plot forward. The movie itself also just kind of...ends, with no major resolution. Really, though, any major criticisms that I would have with this movie honestly get swept under the rug by how enjoyable it is. Face the Music just feels so out of place in this day and age, and yet that’s exactly why we need a movie like this. We could really go for a movie that is just plain wholesome and fun. You came back at just the right time, Bill and Ted, and I’m certainly grateful for it.