The Daily Stream: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Is The Best Kind Of Stupid
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey"
Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video
The Pitch: Are you feeling stressed right now? Overwhelmed? Perhaps a little Keanu Reeves will help. It always does.
Let's take a journey back to 1991. Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter), and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Reeves) know the future. Their terrible band Wyld Stallyns will create a utopia someday, where everyone lives in harmony through their music. They know this because a time traveler called Rufus (George Carlin) comes back to visit them in the first film in a payphone booth (kids, we used to have to carry quarters to make calls in these things before mobile phones), and takes them on a journey through time.
Now that future is in jeopardy because one gym teacher in the future sends back evil robots to kill the dudes before they win the Battle of the Bands. Yes, you read that correctly: evil robots that look like Bill and Ted. These two dimwits are kidnapped while they try to propose jointly to their former princess girlfriends. The robots kill them in the desert, leading a hooded figure to find them. This is Death (William Sadler), and he's the best.
If none of this makes sense to you, or you're concerned about your mental state after reading, you're right on track. The entire thing is ridiculous, and it just gets weirder from there. It's goofy and stupid, and you will love every second of it. There is a reason that "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and this, its sequel, got a third film decades later.
Why it's essential viewing
There is something endearing about these two idiots. The idea that a utopia could be created because of some silly-but-good-hearted bros wearing stupid outfits is the happiest thing I can think of right now. I just like the idea that people who aren't perfect, rich, intelligent, or articulate could create a peaceful world. Of course, they have some adventures to go on before they do.
William Sadler's Death is one of my favorite characters of all time. He appears in his traditional form, with a scythe, a hood, and a pale face. He challenges the guys to a game for their souls. What do they pick? No game of strategy here. No profound riddles or deep thoughts. They give Death a melvin (yanking his underwear into his butt crack, in case you aren't familiar with the term) and challenge him to party games like Clue and Twister.
The adventures they all go on include a trip to heaven, where God sends them to meet the Stations; aliens who look like rejects from a parody of "The Lord of the Rings" or something, who only say "Station." Groot has nothing on these guys, who also play instruments, because of course they do.
Look, I'm not recommending this if you're more likely to watch art films than "What We Do in the Shadows." However, if you prefer the latter or need to decompress after watching something dark and depressing, this will delight you. I mean, Primus shows up in the Battle of the Bands. Jim Martin, the lead guitarist of Faith No More at the time, is introduced as "Sir James Martin, head of Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center."
Enjoy the stupidity and be excellent to each other.