For the longest time, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was more well known as the film that gave Keanu Reeves his start. Coming out in 1989, well past the height of the stoner/burnout comedy and the time travel shtick, Bill and Ted was successful financially but ultimately panned by critics. The film follows the titular duo as they travel through time abducting historical figures to help with passing their history presentation. They are helped by Rufus (played by George Carlin), who comes from the future where Bill and Ted's music has led to a utopia of high bowling scores, and "the most water parks in the universe". As far as the bare bones of this thing, it looks pretty standard fare for the time. More than thirty years later, however, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure has found itself with a cult status, its humor and good nature winning out over its traditional (for the time) plot and its late entry into its genre.
Bill and Ted certainly feels trite on the surface, but the key to what makes the film great comes largely from its heart. Bill and Ted are the biggest, gooberiest morons you can imagine, famously pronouncing Socrates as "So-crayts", and claiming Julius Caesar was "the salad dressing dude". But beneath the fluff of two idiots from The Valley is a movie about lovable goofs who live by the mantra "Be Excellent to each other!", a sentiment that has only grown with time. Like the best of the best dumb comedies, the true humor comes from a smart place. The Simpsons was once called "a show for smart people that appeases the masses by having Homer say 'D'oh' once per episode". What they meant was that The Simpsons operated on a level of humor that came from an esoteric point of view, of surrealism playing for idiocy. It was silly, but the way it was silly seemed self aware, meant to play not only on what was expected, but beyond what was expected. Homer could run his car into a tree, but not be flung from the drivers seat for a couple of seconds. The delay itself isn't overly funny, it was the subversion of physics, of playing dumb with a smart crowd. It was clever, the way Monty Python's Flying Circus would position intelligent subjects in a farce anyone could laugh at. It is just as funny that The Simpsons would put that delay on Homer's car wreck as it was that it happened. Bill and Ted operate in a similar way, from Ted falling out of his armor when they are in medieval times despite that not making a lick of sense, to how Bill and Ted tend to get through the climax of the film by simply remembering to go back in time later to help them out. "What if we come back after the presentation and leave your dad's keys behind this sign?" Bill says. It is toying with its concept and the audience as much as anything else.
One of the best examples of how Bill and Ted manage to be funny while being both stupid and clever is early on, when they first meet Rufus. Standing outside of a Circle K convenience store, Rufus appears in a phone booth that just dropped out the sky. The next moment, Bill and Ted from the future drop in and give them some advice, telling them to trust Rufus and travel through time. Ted turns to Bill and says nonchalantly "Bill, there is something afoot at the Circle K". Its deadpanning, an understatement played for comedic ribbing. Understandably, there are still many that will find Excellent Adventure too stupid. Much like Dumb and Dumber or Zoolander, the dumb shtick can feel like it is striking a surface level to those that aren't generally keen to pick up on the more subtle self-awareness. It is almost niche, but it is a niche that has grown in recent years as people look more and more for unpretentious fun with a brain that it doesn't feel the need to show off. Little to no historical jokes are made that aren't obvious, and the most clever ones (such as Napoleon explaining his invasion of Russia, which he ultimately lost, to Bill and Ted resulting in Ted saying "I don't think this is going to work", much to his ire) are so subtle you are likely not to notice it without reading some trivia afterwards. Bill and Ted don't bog you down with any of that. It is simply here to have fun.
Part of the reason this works, despite the film's obvious strive towards empty headed enjoyment, is because of the film's heart. Bill and Ted are simply lovable. They want to party and play in a rock band, but their general philosophy on life is to simply be nice and have fun. It may feel reductionist to someone looking for a challenge, but then again anyone looking for a challenge here has been mislead more than any film could possible help. The good nature at show here helps bridge the gap from burnouts somehow being key to a utopian future and a general look at life is commendable, even as it is optimistic. You can argue "Be Excellent to each other" is a lot easier said than done, but you cannot argue that isn't a good sentiment.
Analyzing Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is absolutely ridiculous, and my attempts here make me look the fool, but for those not already predisposed for the joys of clever dumb comedy, I've made my appeal. Bill and Ted are little more than lost labradors, looking to pass a final exam so they can continue to work on their band, and that should be enough for an enjoyable movie. Enjoy it, and party on.
7.0
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