"Bill and Ted Face the Music" Review - From the Vaults

"Bill and Ted Face the Music"

Bill S. Preston Esquire (Alex Winters) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) have not yet fulfilled their destiny of uniting the universe. Wild Stallyons have broken up, the pair have not yet written the song destined to bring unity, they are playing dive gigs, their princess wives Joanna and Elizabeth (Jayma Mayes and Erinn Hayes) have started going to couple's therapy, and everything basically sucks. The only highlights are their daughters Theadora "Thea" Preston (Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina "Billy" Logan (Brigette Lundy-Paine) whom they love dearly.

Then matters worsen when Kelly (Kristen Schaal), the daughter of their time travelling mentor Rufus, informs them that reality as we know it is collapsing: the only way to save it is to write and perform the legendary song in the next 77 minutes!

Our gruesome twosome embark upon one last time travel adventure, deciding that the best way to get the song is to steal it from themselves in the future! Meanwhile, Billy and Thea decide to help out in their own way, by going backwards in time and forming the awesomest, most tubular band they can to back their dads!

This movie is delightful.

It's an amiable, lovely little adventure in which our two leads have slipped back into their titular parts like old gloves. It's two guys who we just immediately like, who are never mean spirited or unpleasant, and somehow still amusing and interesting to watch. I have missed Alex Winter, and Keanu is always amazing.

And as their daughters, Weaving and Lundy-Paine are equally great. Samara Weaving is somebody whose career I have always wanted to follow ever since "Ready or Not" and is carrying on the momentum of that movie, here given some real gem lines; whilst Lundy-Paine is an excellent physical actor: the way that they move and mimic Keanu Reeves' Ted is pitch perfect. The rapport that the two have is wonderful. Plus it is excellent seeing non-binary actors in major roles in movies.

The supporting cast are fun, nobody outstays their welcome, I've missed William Sadler, and it's a wholesome movie about family, supporting each other, being excellent to each other, and time travel shenanigans.

It's what we need this year.