Rocks In The Attic #1251: David Newman – ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (O.S.T.)’ (1989)

A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of seeing all three Bill & Ted films, back to back, on the big screen. Auckland’s Academy Cinemas are pretty good at rolling out the occasional double- or triple-bill. Last year, they played the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy on a Sunday afternoon; this year it was the turn of Bill & Ted. And these opportunities come around so rarely, you have to jump at the chance of seeing them. In fact, due to the film coming out on streaming at the height of the COVID pandemic, I think this might have been the first public screening of the third film, BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC, in New Zealand. 

The first film, BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, is pure class and holds a special place in my heart. It works so well because it’s such a simple premise – school kids travel back in time to find historical figures to help with their history report – and avoids the messy over-plotting of its sequels. This soundtrack score, by David Newman, is a nice addition to the loud and raucous needle-drops that take centre-stage throughout the film. 

I didn’t like the second film, BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY, back in 1991, and I still don’t like it. I was initially unimpressed with the third film when it came out during lockdown in 2020, but upon seeing them back to back it’s clear that the second film is the weakest of the bunch. Sure, there are great moments, but it’s just trying to do too much, something that really jars after the simple, straightforward premise of the first film. It also doesn’t help that BOGUS JOURNEY simply isn’t as funny as the first film. The stuff with Death is great, but they really don’t get going with him until halfway through the film. Structurally, the writing is weak, and usually with comedies, the jokes can paper over some of those cracks, but not here.

I was unimpressed with FACE THE MUSIC when it came out in 2020, one of the first big films forced to come out on streaming when you really got a sense that it belonged in the cinema. 

Four years later, getting to see it on the big screen was a real treat, and it was nice to measure up to those films without a thirty year gap. 

It’s clear now that this third film is the strongest film after the sequel. It almost gets lost in its overplotting, but nowhere near as overcooked as the second film, and the comedy in this is much better than that film too – particularly in the storyline following Bill and Ted. The scene with them when they go to see Death and ask him to join the band – full of jokes around non-amicable band splits – is absolute gold.

Even though it was a lift of the events of the first film, I really enjoyed the sub-plot with the two daughters although maybe that storyline could have been its own film. They’re very good at aping their on-screen dads, particularly Brigette Lundy-Painel playing Ted’s daughter – who does a perfect 1989 Keanu Reeves impression. 

It was also great to see Erinn Hayes as Ted’s wife; I’m a huge fan of her work on things like MEDICAL POLICE (and it doesn’t hurt that she’s a knockout). There’s a joke in that series about silent discos that I think about daily and chuckle to myself. 

Hit: America The Beautiful

Hidden Gem: Future Bill & Ted Leave