Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Slackers meet Satan in not-quite-so-excellent adventure.
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Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 11 kid reviews
Kids say that this sequel doesn't live up to the first film, with many reviews expressing disappointment regarding its storyline, humor, and overall execution. While some found it entertaining in parts, the frequent vulgar language, suggestive humor, and a darker tone with themes of Hell made it feel less appropriate and enjoyable for younger audiences.
- disappointing sequel
- excessive vulgarity
- darker themes
- less funny
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are two teenagers who like to hang out and shred on guitar. That is, until an evil dude from the future threatens to kill their Utopian dream by sending back in time two evil androids who look like Bill and Ted but are so ... not them. When the evil Bill and Ted push the real Bill and Ted to their deaths, the two ghosts have to travel through Hell in order to regain their mortality and win the rock music contest that their destinies rely on.
Is It Any Good?
As the sequel to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, this movie doesn't hold up to the first movie's fresh quality. Though there are some laugh-out-loud moments, Bill and Ted seem to be stumbling through the gates of Hell to get to the grand finale. Moreover, we don't get enough of George Carlin in this movie, whose character Rufus created a nice foil to the slacker pace in the first movie.
Perhaps, too, the airhead stereotype has been reprised so often that the 21st-century viewers can't appreciate how illuminating Reeve's' characterization of Ted was in the late '80s and early '90s. We now see echoes of this slacker character all the time, but his portrayal was one of the first to define a generation. Keeping that in mind, parents who grew up in the '80s might enjoy introducing their tweens to a little lighthearted fun care of the boys from San Dimas.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the "slacker" stereotype. What does that mean to you? Do you consider Bill and Ted to be slackers?
The "dudes" shred on guitar, and the "babes" are treated like prizes. Are those stereotypes? If so, what message does that send to viewers?
Death -- AKA The Grim Reaper -- ends up being a pretty decent dude in this movie. How does playing down death and dying work as comedy? Where can it go wrong?
In two scenes, the guys use a homophobic slur. In many movies from the '80s and into the '90s, there are scenes in which gross stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation are used for the sake of humor, as well as humor rooted in fat-shaming and ageism. Besides being lazy attempts at humor, how do these jokes perpetuate hurtful stereotypes? Why do you think these kinds of jokes were accepted in our culture for so long?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 4, 1991
- On DVD or streaming : December 4, 2001
- Cast : Alex Winter , George Carlin , Keanu Reeves
- Director : Peter Hewitt
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Actor(s) , Polynesian/Pacific Islander Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : MGM/UA
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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