Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.Two seemingly dumb teens set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
Videos13
Amy Stoch
- Missyas Missy
- (as Amy Stock-Poynton)
- …
Kimberley Kates
- Princess Elizabethas Princess Elizabeth
- (as Kimberley LaBelle)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
In the small town of San Dimas, a few miles away from Los Angeles, there are two nearly brain dead teenage boys going by the names of Bill S, Preston ESQ. and Ted Theodore Logan, they have a dream together of starting their own rock and roll band called the "Wyld Stallyns". Unfortunately, they are still in high school and on the verge of failing out of their school as well, and if they do not pass their upcoming history report, they will be separated as a result of Ted's father sending him to military school. But, what Bill and Ted do not know is that they must stay together to save the future. So, a man from the future named Rufus came to help them pass their report. So, both Bill and Ted decided to gather up historical figures which they need for their report. They are hoping that this will help them pass their report so they can stay together. —John Wiggins
time travelreference to star warsabraham lincoln characterjoan of arc characternapoleon bonaparte character456 more
- Taglines
- History is about to be rewritten by two guys who can't spell...
- Genres
- Certificate
- PG
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaAlex Winter claimed that he gets two types of letters from teachers; positive ones from history teachers for encouraging students to learn about history, and negative ones from English teachers for affecting the way students speak.
- GoofsWhen Bill and Ted pick up Genghis Khan in Outer Mongolia, the screen card says it's 1209. During the report, Bill says they picked him up in 1269. Genghis Khan died in 1227. In 1269, the Mongol Empire was ruled by Kublai Khan, Genghis' grandson.
- Alternate versionsIn the Television version, there are a few minor dialogue edits. For example, in the scene where Ted falls down a flight of stairs in a suit of armor and a "medieval dude" run the suit through, Bill says to the man who did that "You killed Ted you medieval Dickweed", the Dialogue is changed to "You killed Ted you medieval 'Bonehead'"
- ConnectionsEdited from War and Peace (1956)
- SoundtracksI Can't Break Away
Written by Mitch Bottler and Gary Zekley
Published by Colgems - EMI Music Inc. and Teenie Bopper Music
Performed by Big Pig
Produced by Nick Launay
Courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.
Top review
A surprisingly gnarly comedy!
June 8, 2002 was an 80's renaissance for me. Playing an emulated ColecoVision on my PC, listening to Huey Lewis, Prince, and Men At Work, watching the A-Team on TNN, and seeing this film from 1989. I still enjoy the decade of feathered mullets, jerri-curled hair, acid-washed jeans, skinny ties, dominant pop music, and terrible fashions. The 90's will never have that to live down (except terrible fashions, but not as bad).
When Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure became the surprise hit of 1989, it made a star of everyone's favorite Lebanese-Canadian-U.S. rock 'n rolling actor, Keanu Reeves, who is one of the top stars at the box office today and one of the few likeable people in Tinseltown. It seems that he still carries a bit of Theodore "Ted" Logan in all his movies.
He and Alex Winter (an indie film dynamo) play Bill and Ted, a couple of 80's California dudes who want to start their own rock band (Wyld Stallyons). However, both are flunking in high school and will be expelled unless they get an A+ in history. To make matters worse, Ted will be sent to the military by his father, therefore squashing their dreams of rock stardom. Enter Rufus (George Carlin), a man from the future who plays Clarence to the boys George (shades of It's A Wonderful Life) who gives them a telephone booth. With it, they decide to use it to collect great historical figures and bring them to San Dimas, California to show them how mankind has evolved.
Surprisingly, the film holds up today. Bill and Ted are truly likeable boneheads and both Reeves and Winter deliver fine performances. Carlin is funny in his appearances, showing that he doesn't need trash-talk to be entertaining. The dialogue is truly amusing, probably because no one talks like that any more. The only weakness is that it's an 80's film, so if you didn't grow up in that era, you might not understand why there's music playing throughout the film, or why everyone looks and dresses so weird (yes, that's how everyone looked in the 1980's). The DVD version is quite nice, but it only has a trailer as a bonus. Still, a must watch, and much better than all the copycat films (including the horrible Dude, Where's My Car?). Party On!
When Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure became the surprise hit of 1989, it made a star of everyone's favorite Lebanese-Canadian-U.S. rock 'n rolling actor, Keanu Reeves, who is one of the top stars at the box office today and one of the few likeable people in Tinseltown. It seems that he still carries a bit of Theodore "Ted" Logan in all his movies.
He and Alex Winter (an indie film dynamo) play Bill and Ted, a couple of 80's California dudes who want to start their own rock band (Wyld Stallyons). However, both are flunking in high school and will be expelled unless they get an A+ in history. To make matters worse, Ted will be sent to the military by his father, therefore squashing their dreams of rock stardom. Enter Rufus (George Carlin), a man from the future who plays Clarence to the boys George (shades of It's A Wonderful Life) who gives them a telephone booth. With it, they decide to use it to collect great historical figures and bring them to San Dimas, California to show them how mankind has evolved.
Surprisingly, the film holds up today. Bill and Ted are truly likeable boneheads and both Reeves and Winter deliver fine performances. Carlin is funny in his appearances, showing that he doesn't need trash-talk to be entertaining. The dialogue is truly amusing, probably because no one talks like that any more. The only weakness is that it's an 80's film, so if you didn't grow up in that era, you might not understand why there's music playing throughout the film, or why everyone looks and dresses so weird (yes, that's how everyone looked in the 1980's). The DVD version is quite nice, but it only has a trailer as a bonus. Still, a must watch, and much better than all the copycat films (including the horrible Dude, Where's My Car?). Party On!
helpful•8215
- BlackJack_B
- Jul 8, 2002
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Dudes
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $40,485,039
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,167,651
- Feb 20, 1989
- Gross worldwide
- $40,508,994
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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