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Rating: * * * * (Out of 5)

17 years after its release, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is still a most excellent cult comedy classic. There are obvious flaws but the movie has so much charm that makes it easy to overlook those minor imperfections.

Our two heroes, Bill S Preston, Esquire (played by Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (played by Keanu Reeves), are two simple-headed, easy going, high school kids who dream of becoming famous rock stars, though neither one even knows how to play the guitar. However, they will become famous rock stars, as Rufus (played by George Carlin) tells us from the future. Their band, Wyld Stallyns, will become the most influential band in the world; their music will end war; it will bring harmony, and it will change the world. The problem is that Bill and Ted are about to flunk their history class, and if that happens, Ted will be sent to military school, and Wyld Stallyns will not exist. So the future depends on our two idiot heroes giving a most triumphant final oral presentation on important historical figures in order to pass the class. Since Ted thinks that Caesar was "a salad dressing dude" and they think that Socrates is pronounced "So Crates", it does not bode well for the future. As they say themselves, ''We are about to fail most egregiously".

The night before the oral presentation, when Bill and Ted are at a convenient store, a phone booth appears out of nowhere. As Bill observes, "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K!" Out steps Rufus from the phone booth to tell them that the booth is actually a time machine. It is to help them do their history report. Here is where the fun begins as Bill and Ted travel through different historical periods and interacting with various famous historical figures such as Joan of Arc, Beethoven, and Genghis Khan.

Even though the screenwriters, Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, could and should have made the historical figures a little bit more than just foils, it is still highly amusing to hear Ted say, "Come on So Crates!" or them call Sigmund Freud, "Frood". The funniest moments in the film are also some of the silliest. You have to give credits to Matheson and Solomon for coming up with a scene that has "So Crates" and Bill the Kid hitting on girls at a Mall food court.

The film itself is no masterpiece. Director Stephen Herek's narrative approach is a straightforward one, which sometimes seems a bit underwhelming. But there is no question that the film works because of the chemistry between the two leads. Their excellent exchanges, with amusing uses of superlatives, have inspired a generation of dudes. It is also obvious that Bill and Ted are the inspiration of Mike Meyers' Wayne and Garth. Keanu Reeves has of course gone on to much bigger things. Speed and the Matrix trilogy made him one of the biggest action stars in the world. However, Ted "Theodore" Logan remains his most likable and most charming role.

Watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure today, it is noticeable how innocent the film is, but it is part of the charm. Compare it to recent teen comedies, there is not much sexual references in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, even though there is one hilarious line Ted says about Bill and his step mother. The teen comedy genre has evolved into something quite different. If the film was made today, it would probably be too tame to attract its target audience.


''Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure'' has been rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested''). It includes some mildly vulgar language. Directed by Stephen Herek; written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon; director of photography, Timothy Suhrstedt; edited by Larry Bock and Patrick Rand; music by David Newman; production designer, Roy Forge Smith; produced by Scott Kroopf, Michael S. Murphey and Joel Soisson; released by Orion Pictures. Running time: 90 minutes. This film is rated PG. Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman, Rod Loomis, Al Leong, Jane Wiedlin, Robert V. Barron, Clifford David, Hal Landon Jr., Bernie Casey, Amy Stock-Poynton, J. Patrick McNamara