1989

Director: Stephan Herek

Genre: Adventure comedy

This movie is currently at a 6.9 rating on IMDB. I must demand that it remains at this rating for the rest of time. Because: 69 dude!

Why did I choose to review this movie? Does it have any cultural significance almost thirty years after its release? Well, let me ask a question, how do you think Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un would react if Bill and Ted appeared before them, abducted them, and asked them to speak at a high school auditorium in the future? Do you think these leaders would have a good time in a futuristic mall? And if the answer to that question is no, ask yourself why.

These leaders are not good people. They are childish, ignorant, and are potentially impacting our future in a negative way. The world today is shit. Everyone is selfish, awful, and unsure of what to think and what is real. 

Genghis Khan is a horrible person. He raped countless women, and killed countless innocent people. Bill and Ted abduct him using a twinkie, take him to San Dimas, where he enjoys himself inside a sports supply store in the mall. And I'm laughing at him. Why is that?

This movie may seem silly from a distance. You may think about it and say to yourself how dumb these two characters are and how one dimensional the world is. But I don't think this viewpoint is accurate. I believe we are conditioned to view everything as pessimistic. Because the media we consume expects us to constantly be angry at the latest misdeed we witness. Everyone wants us to be negative, and that makes us refuse to be happy. And that's why when we encounter something as truly delightful as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, we dismiss it. 

This movie presents us with a very rare optimistic view of humanity. We take these historically awful people like Napoleon and Genghis Khan, put them in silly settings, and see that, deep down, these people want to have fun and live a good life. The issue is that the setting they live in does not allow such a life. But Bill and Ted give them a chance. 

I think it's possible that all of us want to live a good life and be good people. We want to be excellent to others and party on, dudes. 

It's so easy to be pessimistic and nihilistic. To hate everything and everyone around you. There are so many reasons. What's truly hard is to love life and look past everyone's flaws to the actual human underneath. Bill and Ted miraculously do not have this problem. They trust, admire, and respect everyone they meet. They see past the mask of history and violence, and effortlessly look beneath to the real human. 

Now, you could argue that this is because of Bill and Ted's naivety, but consider an alternative. That Bill and Ted are not stupid idiots, but optimistic dreamers. All they want is to make music and have other people enjoy what they've made. They envision a wondrous future, and we witness a world where their vision becomes a reality. That is most triumphant. 

Imagine being approached by people like Bill and Ted when you are at your darkest moment. Seeing two dudes say ridiculous words to each other like "bodacious" and "Non-triumphant" and then having them do air guitars and smile at each other. Wouldn't this make you smile too? Wouldn't you want to follow these guys and help them out? 

The world we live in is harsh, uncaring, and most bogus. But it is also hopeful. Life doesn't have to be a miserable experience. We can wish for a better future. We can be nice to other people, and see improvements in our personal lives as a result. Maybe if you take bad people out of a bad setting, you can relate to them as humans, other than ideas. Maybe the future doesn't have to be a terrible place. 

And that, my friends, would be a most excellent adventure. 

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