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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Synopsis of Movie
“Be excellent to each other… And party on, dudes!”
Fun-loving, guitar-playing, history-flunking airheads Ted “Theodore” Logan and Bill S. Preston, Esquire, first came on the scene in 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. A time-tripping romp, the movie had the appearance of a teen comedy, but its silly humor and good-natured charm won over kids of all ages.
San Dimas, California, residents Bill and Ted live a relatively happy life (ignorance is bliss, after all), but their dreams of garage band glory are threatened by the fact that they’re flunking history. Ted’s dad, a hard-nosed cop, has threatened to ship Ted off to an Alaskan military school if he doesn’t pass his classes, and the only way they’ll pass is if Bill and Ted ace their final oral history report the next day. There doesn’t seem to be much hope (the two still think Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife), but a surprise visitor from the future just might have the miracle they need.
Cool dude Rufus, who arrives in a time-traveling phone booth, tells the boys that one day their music will be the foundation of a peaceful, prosperous civilization, but none of that can happen if they don’t pass. Rufus loans them the booth, and they’re off to do a little hands-on research. Soon, however, they hit upon an even more ingenious solution: they decide to “borrow” a few famous faces from the past to liven up their presentation.
After several nearly disastrous stops, the phone booth is packed with everyone from Genghis Khan to Joan of Arc to Socrates (“So Crates”) to Abraham Lincoln. Everything points to an easy ‘A,’ but modern-day San Dimas is no place for a gaggle of historical luminaries. Before you can say, “Bogus!,” the gang is in a heap of trouble with the law, right before the big report.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure wasn’t exactly highbrow entertainment, but nobody seemed to care. The sight of Napoleon terrorizing a local water park and Genghis Khan skateboarding through a sporting goods store with a hockey stick for a club more than made up for any lack of educational content. Before long, wannabe Bills and Teds were spouting off “Excellent” and “Bogus” and playing air guitar wherever they went.
Made on a small budget, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was a clear hit, helping propel Keanu Reeves (Ted) and Alex Winter (Bill) to stardom. The underachieving twosome returned to the big screen two years later for Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and the excellent adventures continued in both a Saturday morning cartoon and a prime time series. Most excellent!
Movie Release History
1989 - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure1991 - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Movie Sub Categories
live-actionsci-fi/fantasy
comedy
Movie Studio
OrionCast
Ted "Theodore" Logan Keanu ReevesBill S. Preston Alex Winter
Rufus George Carlin
Napoleon Tony Camilleri
Billy the Kid Dan Shor
Socrates Tony Steedman
Freud Rod Loomis
Genghis Khan Al Leong
Joan of Arc Jane Wiedlin
Abraham Lincoln Robert V. Barron
Beethoven Clifford David
Captain Logan Hal Landon Jr.
Mr. Ryan Bernie Casey
Missy/Mom Amy Stock-Poynton
Mr. Preston J. Patrick McNamara
Deacon Frazier Bain
Princess Joanna Diane Franklin
Princess Elizabeth Kimberley Kates
Ox Will Robbins
Randolf Steve Shepherd
Buffy Anne Machette
Jody Traci Dawn Davis
Bartender Duncan McLeod
Tattooed Cowboy John Clure
Bearded Cowboy Jim Cody Williams
Old West Ugly Dude Dusty O'Dee
Kerry Heather Pittman
Daphne Ruth Pittman
Bowling Alley Manager Richard Alexander
John the Serf James Bowbitch
Evil Duke John Karlsen
Mother at Waterslides Jeanne Hermine Herek
Waterslide Attendant Jonathan Bond
Music Store Salesman Jeff S. Goodrich
Girl at Mall Lisa Rubin
Student Speaker Marjean Holden
Aerobic Saleswoman Claudia Templeton
Aerobic Instructor Carol Gossler
Mall Photographer J. Donovan Nelson
Store Clerk Marcia Darroch
Police Psychiatrist Steven Rotblatt
Stupid Waiter Ed Solomon
Ugly Waiter Chris Matheson
Neanderthal #1 Mark Ogden
Neanderthal #2 Tom
Security Guard Ron Althoff