Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

In this 1989 teen hit that is about two notches below an amoeba in intelligence, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are a pair of "excellent" "dudes"--the two words that comprise roughly half the total dialogue in the film--flunking history (teacher's question: "who is Joan of Arc?" Ted's answer: "Noah's wife?"). Needing to pass a final exam in order to avoid Ted's being sent to military school, the pair are suddenly visited by the mysterious Rufus (George Carlin), who shepherds the lads on a trip through space and time, using a telephone booth to collect historical figures: Napoleon, Socrates, Genghis Khan, Beethoven, Joan of Arc, Billy the Kid, Lincoln, and Freud. Although putting these characters together opens up a world of comic possibilities, the sad fact is that the screenwriters--who apparently didn't even crack an almanac to research their most rudimentary distinguishing characteristics--pretty much missed them all. Worth considering for the low price, the Keanu Reeves factor, and the fact that slacker fans made this into a minor cult hit (followed by 1991's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey), this extra-less disc is an optional purchase. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Sept. 6, 2005—MGM, 3 discs, 271 min., R, $39.99—Making their second appearance on DVD, 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and 1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey come packaged together in Bill & Ted’s Most Excellent Collection, which includes a bonus disc with DVD extras such as “The Most Triumphant Making-Of” documentary (31 min.), “One Sweet and Sour Chinese Adventure to Go” (the 23-minute premiere episode of the cartoon series), “The Original Bill & Ted: In Conversation with Screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon” (21 min.), “Hysterical Personages of Bill & Ted: Biographies of Nine Historical Dudes and One Babe Dressed as a Dude” (16 min.), “Score! An Interview with Guitarist Steve Vai” (13 min.)—an air guitar tutorial featuring champs Bjorn Turoque and The Rockness Monster (13 min.), “The Linguistic Stylings of Bill & Ted” video dictionary (4 min.), three minutes of radio spots, a “From Scribble to Script” story gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a most excellent extras package for a pair of films that represent the nadir of American culture, but are nevertheless extremely popular—or at least were.]