| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that Bill and Ted are slackers, have no respect for authority, and actively disobey their parents. But the tone is still very lighthearted and the characters seem to have the best intentions during their adventures through time. There is some comic violence and, appropriately, the Dark Ages is where the duo encounters the most life-threatening -- but still comic -- situations. Girls are treated as sex objects to the point that Rufus gives the boys two girls they met in Medieval England as a reward for passing their history test.
Slacker teens Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are more intent on landing Eddie Van Halen for their band Wyld Stallions than making it through high school. But if the boys don't get an A+ on their history report, they'll flunk out of school and Ted will be on his way to military school in Alaska. Knowing only that Napoleon is "a short, dead dude," and guessing that Joan of Arc is "Noah's wife," the boys seem to be lost -- until a visitor from the future, Rufus (the perfectly cool George Carlin), appears in a magical phone booth to allow them to experience history first hand. They hatch a plan: Bring historical figures back and let them experience San Dimas -- and then take them to class. The plan goes perfectly, including a run-in at the mall, arrests, and other ensuing silliness.
There are some movies that are irresistible junk food for the brain: they are short, sweet and so entertaining you want to watch them over and over again. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is one of those. It's a bonbon of a film, full of good looking, sweet scenes that make you feel giddy.
The great thing about the film is that it's perfectly paced and perfectly acted. Say what you will about Keanu Reeve's wooden acting skills -- it takes a certain level of brilliance to come up with a character who is both maddeningly dumb and completely lovable. And there are other great scenes. Released on a modern mall, the historical characters act out. Joan of Arc rallies the troupes of an aerobics class. Billy the Kidd turns out to be a bad flirt. And with one tilt of his corndog, Sigmund Freud is proven to be a perv. It's delightfully silly and imminently watchable.
Families can talk about how to balance creative pursuits like music with good school work. If you had a time machine, what time periods would you visit? Who would you want to visit and why? Do you think the historical figures in the film really would have reacted the way they did? Would Joan of Arc, for instance, become an aerobics instructor?
| Topics: | adventures, friendship, high school, history |
| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Director: | Stephen Herek |
| Cast: | Alex Winter, George Carlin, Keanu Reeves |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | February 17, 1989 |
| DVD release date: | December 4, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild violence and some sexuality |