Bill & Ted 3: Face the Music

[Shaky]

The Princesses got more to do in this film than the previous two combined but yeah, they're basically plot points.

[Hand Solo]

It's 'woke' because they've done the Ghostbusters thing of just remaking the original film but with women, except that was a disaster so they've consigned them to a subplot with exactly the same premise as the original movie so that's EXACTLY what it is. Rufus is replaced with a daughter too, yeah I know Carlin is dead, and the future Leader is now a woman too who happens to be Rufus' wife? Wasn't it a Future Council in the original?

The princesses also had their own subplot this time when they were never major characters except this was cut so I don't know what that's an issue. The premise of the series was Bill & Ted, two dumb slackers actually end up uniting the world with their music, except now they've changed it to the daughters wrote the music instead for woke points. The actresses were fine but they are literally the same characters as Bill & Ted so I don't see the point in a time travel movie when you have multiple iterations of the same characters anyway. May as well have done trans Bill & Ted if we're working with parallel universes and that may have been funnier (waiting for the haha trans people are funny? comments when it's been a movie trope since forever except now nobody acknowledges that, I wonder why?) Would have just been funny seeing Reeves and Winters interacting with themselves as actual women.

Dennis Caleb McCoy isn't exactly a ripoff of Marvin but it's exactly the same joke of a robot with an annoying 'genuine people personality', he looks down a lot and talks under his breathe and actually ends up committing suicide. It was funny he had to constantly use his full name but I see people mentioning he's awkward or insecure, essentially trying to say 'autistic' without saying it? Is that the joke? It's more the same character as Death from the 2nd one, awkward and a bit embarrassing to be around and looks the same as well, but you've already got Death in the movie so I don't really see the point? Also why does he end up in hell? I thought they might explain the personality thing and going to hell with him being a cyborg with human parts, brain or heart or whatever, but they didn't, maybe it was cut?

And I don't know who Kid Cubi is, but why?

I hear 'It wasn't bad. It was fine.' etc, which means it was bad. People are just trying to look past the massive flaws because of goodwill, but it was pretty bad. Not unwatchable my any means, but a mess and just did not work. And this is a Bill & Ted film, you're meant to be euphorically punching the air by the end, not going 'it wasn't bad, it was fine, fine'. They've had almost 30 years to go through different scripts and millions of concepts and they end up with this. Do the studios on OK stuff once it has enough strong female representation, in a Bill & Ted film?

[olliebean]

What came to my mind about the robot was that he was actually a robocop-py type cyborg, whose original human personality was supposed to have been repressed, and his obsession with his name was actually him remembering who he used to be.

[Hand Solo]

What came to my mind about the robot was that he was actually a robocop-py type cyborg, whose original human personality was supposed to have been repressed, and his obsession with his name was actually him remembering who he used to be.

Yes, that's what I was saying. He's a cyborg so once his program to kill Bill & Ted end his personality starts coming back, but he doesn't know quite who he is other than his name so it's all a bit uncomfortable. I think some of that may have been cut, if the princesses storyline was cut.. I mean they steal their booth and a few other things are never explained that confuse the movie and that was cut, so I imagine Dennis' backstory was way surplus to needs.

[popcorn]

I thought the robot was fucking weird because it's obviously so close to the Terminator concept and yet this is never addressed so instead of coming off like a reference or parody it just seems... weird?

[QDRPHNC]

.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Woke stuff.

Can't say I agree with any of the woke stuff, or what you said about Dennis, but that's just a difference of opinion, clearly. However

I hear 'It wasn't bad. It was fine.' etc, which means it was bad.

Hardly anyone's said that, it's been a quite divisive mix of people who didn't like it (which is fair enough when their arguments make sense) and also:

It's good.

They sidestepped everything I was worried about when it comes to belated sequels.

Had a lot of fun.

Utterly silly and occasionally cringe worthy, but loads of fun. I actually roared out several times when it hit the right notes, which is surprisingly often.

I really enjoyed this too, I'm a little bit in shock as to how much so, after seeing that the AV Club rated it C+ (though I ignored the review itself) I had lowered my expectations even further but it turns out I didn't need too. Yes, there's the odd minor issue (

Spoiler alert

the plot line with Elizabeth and Joanna doesn't really go anywhere

[close]

) but it's mostly enormous fun, all of the performances are superb, and it's warmhearted and sweet and lovely and just fantastic in general. 8.2/10

Yep, that was lovely. Maaaaaybe a little too self-indulgent but I think it carries it off.

I think my favourite bit is how

Spoiler alert

even Bill and Ted, have absolutely no time for Dennis.

[close]

Oof.

Not sure if it's just because it was a bright spot in an otherwise shitty last couple of months, but I loved that.

Calling something a feel-good comedy can sometimes be damning with faint praise but that's exactly what this was. There was none of the usual cynicism that comes from most modern comedies, just a fun time-travelling plot, some great performances (Keanu Reeves is too good an actor to play Ted convincingly anymore but that just makes it so endearing) and a wonderful cast. If this is going to be a launching pad for a Billie and Thea spin-off, I am 100% on board.

Echoing the opinion that this is good fun. Short, sweet, silly and quite funny. I also loved that it kept the tone of the originals in that it totally works as a kids film as well. I was very young when I used to watch the two B&T movies constantly on VHS and this film felt like you could play it to a young kid and they'd have a good time with it. Dennis was a highlight.

Loved it. Fun, warm-hearted, silly, lots of great performances. I think having Kristen Schaal in it as a straight-person was an odd choice - why bother hiring a comic actor if you're not going to have them do comedy? But other than that, excellent.

I really enjoyed this.

I could go on, but you get the idea now, sure, not everyone thought it was perfect (myself included) but to suggest they really thought it was bad, just because you didn't like the film, is utter bollocks. I have to say, the way you either ignore people when they pull you out on being wrong, or point blank lie about things, is really fucking annoying.

[Hand Solo]

Yeah, well done, you went several pages back through the thread and only snipped out anything that seemingly agreed with you. A lot of the 'positive' comments have obvious caveats or the tone of a desperation to like the film despite its problems. Give them a few re-watches and I'm sure their opinion will alter. You've made shitty statements about me only 'half-watching' the film, despite me seeing it 3 times, and claiming my opinions are 'bizzare', why are you so desperate to personally attack? It's quite telling many of the people earlier in the thread looking forward to this haven't posted any opinion at all since it's been available, maybe it's not worth the bother if you just get attacked for not liking a film you were desperately looking forward to. What exactly have I lied about?

[Sebastian Cobb]

I liked the film but my expectations were quite low. I didn't have to try to like it, or practice some form of mindfulness to trick myself into liking it, as you're projecting onto people who disagree with you though.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Yeah, well done, you went several pages back through the thread and only snipped out anything that seemingly agreed with you.

God, you're so selective when you respond to posts, I clearly said that some people didn't like it, but many did.

A lot of the 'positive' comments have obvious caveats or the tone of a desperation to like the film despite its problems.

Absolute bollocks once again, there's no tone of desperation, you're just imagining things now. Yes, it's not a perfect film, but people can still enjoy something while recognising not everything works.

Give them a few re-watches and I'm sure their opinion will alter.

Wow, so if we watch it again we'll change our opinion so it's the same as yours? Christ, that's egotistical idiocy if I ever saw it.

You've made shitty statements about me only 'half-watching' the film, despite me seeing it 3 times, and claiming my opinions are 'bizzare', why are you so desperate to personally attack?

I was giving you the benefit of the doubt as your opinions were so ill thought out. I mean you said that Dennis was the same as Marvin The Paranoid Android which is laughably wrong.

It's quite telling many of the people earlier in the thread looking forward to this haven't posted any opinion at all since it's been available, maybe it's not worth the bother if you just get attacked for not liking a film you were desperately looking forward to. What exactly have I lied about?

Well "desperate tone" is the latest, but beforehand "I hear 'It wasn't bad. It was fine.' etc, which means it was bad." is an outright lie, and not what people have said.

I really have no issue with people not liking the film, but putting words in to people's mouths, and saying if they rewatch it they'll change their minds and start agreeing with you, well, that's just plain bizarre and extremely arrogant behaviour.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I'm just realising how how great it would have been if Alex Winter had gone with the old crop top for this film.

[QDRPHNC]

I deleted my needlessly cunty reply to this, but there are some things I'd like to respond to.

It's 'woke' because they've done the Ghostbusters thing of just remaking the original film but with women, except that was a disaster so they've consigned them to a subplot with exactly the same premise as the original movie so that's EXACTLY what it is.

Sony's entire marketing strategy was "Ghostbusters but women". Whereas I didn't know Bill and Ted had daughters in this until I sat down and watched it. And from the various versions of the poster for the movie, the daughters are only on one of them.

Also, I thought it was quite a sweet and nostalgic callback, having their kids going on the same adventure their dads went on 30 years ago. But the filmmakers were smart enough not to make it the sole focus of the story.

The princesses also had their own subplot this time when they were never major characters except this was cut so I don't know what that's an issue.

I'm having a hard time reconciling your perception of the movie as cynically going after the woke dollar, when every published review I've read makes a point of saying how short-changed the princess characters were by their "subplot", which involved them turning up in a few scenes and then leaving almost immediately.

The premise of the series was Bill & Ted, two dumb slackers actually end up uniting the world with their music, except now they've changed it to the daughters wrote the music instead for woke points.

One of the themes of the film was that Bill & Ted have been focusing on writing this song to the detriment of their families. So it makes a fair bit of sense that they come to realize that their kids are the key to the song.

The actresses were fine but they are literally the same characters as Bill & Ted so I don't see the point in a time travel movie when you have multiple iterations of the same characters anyway.

It's a fairly well-worn trope, isn't it? A character's kids being mini versions of them.

I'm not grasping how this being a time travel movie is causing it to be a sticking point for you.

May as well have done trans Bill & Ted if we're working with parallel universes and that may have been funnier (waiting for the haha trans people are funny? comments when it's been a movie trope since forever except now nobody acknowledges that, I wonder why?) Would have just been funny seeing Reeves and Winters interacting with themselves as actual women.

But wouldn't you accuse them of them doing it for woke points?

Dennis Caleb McCoy isn't exactly a ripoff of Marvin but it's exactly the same joke of a robot with an annoying 'genuine people personality', he looks down a lot and talks under his breathe and actually ends up committing suicide. It was funny he had to constantly use his full name but I see people mentioning he's awkward or insecure, essentially trying to say 'autistic' without saying it? Is that the joke?

No, I don't think awkward and insecure are code words for autism at all.

Also why does he end up in hell? I thought they might explain the personality thing and going to hell with him being a cyborg with human parts, brain or heart or whatever, but they didn't, maybe it was cut?

How does the SWAT van end up in hell? Because it's funny?

And I don't know who Kid Cubi is, but why?

You're confused when movies have people you don't know in them?

Kid Cudi is a very well-known rapper. My kid recognized him immediately.

I hear 'It wasn't bad. It was fine.' etc, which means it was bad. People are just trying to look past the massive flaws because of goodwill, but it was pretty bad. Not unwatchable my any means, but a mess and just did not work. And this is a Bill & Ted film, you're meant to be euphorically punching the air by the end, not going 'it wasn't bad, it was fine, fine'. They've had almost 30 years to go through different scripts and millions of concepts and they end up with this. Do the studios on OK stuff once it has enough strong female representation, in a Bill & Ted film?

I liked it a lot. The weakest of the three, but still very enjoyable. It failed in some aspects, but the things it needed to get right, it got right.

[Sebastian Cobb]

i keep getting caught out by the edit bug

[jake thunder]

Was shite. Looked like a Netflix.

[jake thunder]

*a net flick

[Noodle Lizard]

I liked it and am more or less happy it was made, even if I probably won't watch it again. It helps that I have a tremendous affection for the original films, so it could basically run on autopilot and keep me relatively entertained. I'm very grateful they didn't do the cynical thing of making it all meta and irony-poisoned, it held the tone of the originals pretty well and didn't feel like it was trying too hard.

Objectively, though, it's a bit of a fucking mess and Keanu Reeves came off more like John Wick on heavy medication than any Ted I remember. The daughter characters were likable enough - probably a smart decision to include those "young" characters as it ameliorates the slight dissonance caused by seeing Bill & Ted in their late 40s. Death was the highlight, natch.

I agree with whoever said Kristen Schaal was wasted in her role, and I'm not even a big fan of her shtick to begin with. It was just a very underdeveloped character that I don't think was even especially necessary - probably would've been fine with a short bit of George Carlin getting the Oliver Reed treatment.

Still, even with all its pretty obvious faults, it was a good and fun thing to watch and doesn't defecate all over the legacy of the originals or anything.

[C_Larence]

The person playing Ted's daughter did a head movement at one point that was so perfectly like young Ted and I thought that was nice. That's pretty much all I've got to say about this, it was fine.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I think this film and subsequent discussion has made me realise I've mixed them up, always thought Winter was Ted.

[Ferris]

I think this film and subsequent discussion has made me realise I've mixed them up, always thought Winter was Ted.

Disgusting

[sirhenry]

The person playing Ted's daughter did a head movement at one point that was so perfectly like young Ted and I thought that was nice. That's pretty much all I've got to say about this, it was fine.

Then she did it again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb]

[C_Larence]

Then she did it again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[nb]and again[/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb][/nb]

You're right, there was just one I caught that I thought was perfect. Think it was around the Hendrix/Armstrong bit. Also, their pronouns are they/them!

[dissolute ocelot]

Kid Cudi is a very well-known rapper. My kid recognized him immediately.

Also Kid Cudi has done quite a bit of work as an actor, generally in best friend/ensemble roles so he's not Will Smith, but he was in the excellent James White, Westworld, and some other stuff I've not watched. I've no idea why you'd be so offended at him, but it's hardly as though he's been selected out of all the people in the world to annoy you.

[Nobody Soup]

another "it was ok.".

I deeply love the originals from a 13 year old kid who liked metal who the films were directly aimed at and occasionally it was properly funny. the first scene was really good and there were bits and pieces of funny bits.

but it also felt like it lacked the joy of the originals where you could tell the writers had sat around going trying to cram as much nonsense as they could for the pure fun of it. There were loooong stretches of just straight up plot points that wasn't funny or interesting. they basically de-metaled the whole thing, they could have put one ridiculous hair metal guy in the super band, the daughters were shitely written, which is fine, I expected them to be. They wanted them to be funny, dumb losers but gave them nothing dumb or funny to do.

[TheBrownBottle]

I enjoyed it well enough - there was enough laugh-out-loud moments to make it worthwhile, and it's as fundamentally sweet matured as the first two.  Winter & Sadler were excellent, I enjoyed the daughter's performances and their adventure (though I'm not sure if their characters are as believable as '20s slackers as B&T were as late '80s slackers - I'm far too old to ascertain that).  Neither Mrs BB nor me had heard of Kid Cudi, but both of us assumed he must be famous (and he is - 16m record sales apparently).  That's our fault rather than the film's, in fairness.

Minor gripes - I've seen reviews suggesting Reeves 'dialed-in' his performance - which is unfair, as it seems to be a labour of love for him.  But he doesn't nail playing Ted again - Ted was the more happy-go-lucky, constantly smiling of the two - he isn't that here.  It could be argued that the character has grown since then - but the point of the film is that he hasn't.   Didn't enjoy the cyborg / robot character - found him far too cringeworthy.  The princesses' story seemed to drop away without comment - a pity, as the scenes with them was some of the better stuff early on.

Otherwise, I thought it was a decent way to spend an hour and a half.  If I wasn't laughing I was smiling.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Yeah, it was pleasant viewing, with plenty of laughs, even if it never fully caught fire. We watched the first two during the week and they were significantly funnier than I had remembered, which didn't help this new one.

The main problem was that it all felt rather overstuffed. Having three separate time travelling plots was blatantly silly. I liked the robot well enough, but I can't help but feel it would have been more elegant if it was The Grim Reaper stalking them (for some comically petty reason). It would have tied in with the passing the torch theme (even if Bill and Ted are a bit young to be contemplating death - again) and given more weight to the eventual reconciliation.

they basically de-metaled the whole thing

That was probably inevitable. With today's pop culture, it's tough to imagine a guitar band, much less a metal one, uniting the world. It would more likely be Beyonce, or Pharell Williams.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Glitch fix

[Custard]

I saw this last night and loved it. It's been a long time since I left a movie theatre feeling unequivocally cheerful.

It was a bit rough around the edges, and cringy and cheesy, but in a weird way that was also its strength. Even watching the originals as a 12 / 14 year old, they had bits that were kind of lame, but that was all part of the charm. It was wonderful that they recognized that and had the guts to embrace it in our much more cynical time, without taking the easy route of making it dark, or meta, or ironic, or mean-spirited.

And Dennis wasn't depressed, he was insecure. And he also gave me one of the biggest laughs of the film, the first time this bad-ass looking robot shows up and immediately

Spoiler alert

starts getting the shit kicked out of him by a bunch of prisoners

[close]

. Second biggest laugh was near the end,

Spoiler alert

Death in the background absorbed in noodling on his bass, oblivious to how shit the rest of the band sounds

[close]

.

The 12 year old I was watching it with loved it just as much as I loved the original at his age. In a word: delightful.

Haha yes, both very funny moments. Death and Robot made me laff a lot

I really enjoyed this, after finally watching it a year after it's release. Found the whole thing sweet, fun, and entertaining. A worthy sequel for a series that didn't really need one

[Replies From View]

Anyone seen Bogus Journey lately?  It isn't that great.  I'd even say Face the Music is better than the second film.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

We watched it before seeing the new one last year and unanimously agreed that it was the best one. To echo a point from Red Letter Media, it's great that it doesn't just repeat the first film. It's proper belly laugh funny, too.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I love all three, perhaps its due to nostalgia reasons but I think I'd place them in order of their release, but do love the second film an enormous amount and as Claude says, it's great that it doesn't repeat the first film when it would have been very easy for them to do that.