Rated PG-13 for some language.
Now Available on VOD and Select Theaters In 1989, dim-witted yet good hearted teens Bill S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) dreamed of being totally awesome rockstars in a band they called the Wyld Stallyns. Their dream becomes more important than they could’ve ever realized when they discover that their music will one day unite the world and create a utopian paradise. Using a time-traveling phone booth, their mission to achieve this dream takes them across all corners of time and space. But time has passed. Both Bill and Ted have tried numerous times to write their prophesied song, but all attempts have ended in failure. They’re starting to believe that maybe they aren’t meant to unite the world, and are only meant to look after their now adult daughters Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Bridgette Lundy-Paine). But the future isn’t about to give up on them yet. When a messenger named Kelly (Kristen Schaal) comes for them, Bill and Ted learn that not only are they destined to unite the world, but are also destined to save reality from falling apart. With only hours left until the destruction of all existence, they decide to travel through time and take their amazing song from their future selves. Meanwhile, Thea and Billie are also time traveling, putting together a band of famous musicians throughout history. In this time when we’re practically at each other’s throats all the time, the return of the duo who just want us to “be excellent to each other” seems like a dream come true. A third installment in this film series is something fans of the original have been wanting since the sequel back in 1991. After years of trying to get it off the ground, this new film finally made it to theaters, and it couldn’t have been better timed. Unfortunately, while Winter and Reeves are still a most excellent duo, their long-awaited return leaves something to be desired. Bill & Ted Face the Music has some genuinely hilarious moments, and is mostly saved by the titular duo who still work well together even in their 50s. However, they’re let down by a script that tries to juggle several different plotlines and doesn’t really seem to know what to do with any of them. The main story, as said above, involves Bill and Ted attempting to take their legendary song from their future selves. However, no matter how far they go, they encounter selfish versions of themselves that are more interested in regaining fame and fortune rather than saving the world. This is the funniest story of the bunch, as it allows us to spend more time with the characters we know and love. One of the side plots follows their daughters attempting to form a band for their dads to play the song with; which sends them on their own time-traveling adventure. While this story does have its share of funny moments, it’s let down by its unwillingness to be goofy in its portrayal of history. The first film never portrayed historical figures correctly, merely using them as jumping off points for comedy. That issue permeates throughout this film, as it seems unwilling to embrace the inherent goofiness that made the first two films what they are. Everything in this film is played much more seriously, and their new batch of historical figures are portrayed more accurately. This causes the film to lose some of the heart that made the earlier films so enjoyable. And while Reeves and Winter are still great together, their younger counterparts aren’t as great. Bridgett Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving don’t have the same lovable chemistry as Bill and Ted, and while Lundy-Paine looks like she’s having fun, Weaving not so much. She looks rather uncomfortable trying to act like her free-spirited father. To be honest, her roles up to this point have been more serious, so it’s understandable she wouldn’t easily just “let it loose” with a role like this. It all comes crashing down in the final act, when the characters all reunite to play the song that will save all of reality. Their mission to put it all together is an almost incomprehensible series of loud noises, overly-complex time travel logic, subplots that just end with no genuine resolution, and jokes that mostly miss the mark. For being the epic event the series has been reaching for since the beginning, it was disappointing how sloppily executed and underwhelming it was. Bill & Ted Face the Music is a sequel that deserved to get made, and with all the original stars, writers, and the director of Galaxy Quest making his long-awaited return, the final result is sadly less than the sum of its parts. It isn’t as absurdly funny as its predecessor, and focuses on too many storylines for its 92 minute runtime to handle. It may be worth seeing if you love the first two and want to see where it goes, but maybe wait for the rental price (currently $19.99) to go down. You’ll find more hilarious good times in the most excellent Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure than in this movie.
0 Comments
Rated PG-13 for some language and rude humor.
Now Streaming on HBO Max Herschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen) doesn’t live a remarkable life. He hails from the country of Schlupsk in 1920, where he works as a ditch digger. Though he doesn’t have much money to his name, he finds happiness in his growing relationship with the young Sarah (Sarah Snook). They marry, and collectively decide that their dreams can’t be accomplished living in their poor homeland. So, the couple is off to America to make something of the Greenbaum name. Herschel gets a very low paying job killing rats at a pickle factory. He has confidence that their family will become more powerful as time goes by. But things change when a factory accident causes him to fall into a vat of pickles mere seconds before the whole facility is shut down. Believed dead, he is simply left there to lie with the pickles. But Herschel isn’t dead. 100 years later, he is released from his briny prison having not aged a day. The pickle brine somehow preserved his body for the last century, and now he finds himself in the ever-changing metropolis of modern-day Brooklyn. He is able to locate family, and to his shock, he only has one surviving relative; a computer programer named Ben (also Rogen). Faced with an era he can’t even begin to understand, Herschel is forced to catch up with the times, or be left in the dust. An American Pickle isn’t quite as sharp or wacky as its premise may suggest, but aside from all the missed opportunities, it’s a very funny and rather sweet little comedy. It certainly has its fair share of flaws, but the overall feeling of happiness is manages to generate is enough to outweigh its problems. It’s no joke that I had a smile on my face for much of the runtime, something that most movies aren’t able to do. Seth Rogen is really the main draw here. His dual performance as Herschel and Ben Greenbaum is very entertaining to watch. He really nails playing two polar opposite characters at the same time. Even though his accent as Herschel is a bit hard to understand sometimes, he still manages to wring some of the biggest laughs from the movie. There was something so joyful about watching him discover the wonders of modern life. Even though someone from the past discovering the future isn’t new, Rogen’s portrayal made it seem fresh. The humor is also thanks to the film’s writer, Simon Rich. The young comedian and author is known for wacky and surreal humor that satirizes modern society, like his television series Man Seeking Woman on FX or Miracle Workers on TBS. Here he gets many swings at the idea of our rapidly changing society and obsession with all things “vintage” and “ironic.” It is quite hilarious watching modern social media people think Herschel is just acting old to be hip, even though he’s dead serious. But for all its jokey potshots at society, the film is surprisingly more serious than expected. A story about a man preserved in pickle brine for 100 years should be a crazy and colorful comedy. In actuality, the film is much more tame and dramatic than you might expect. A lot of the story focuses on the ideas of grief and loss. It really feels like an indie film rather than a studio comedy, especially with its visual presentation. While this may seem like a missed opportunity, and parts of me did wish it was more comedic in its execution, this is actually one of the film’s biggest strengths. In a world where young people either mock the old ways, or embrace their own modern version of them, it’s nice to have a film that makes fun of this. Herschel thinks the way he does because, before he was brined, that was the normal. It’s not his fault that his mindset is so culturally outdated, yet everyone gangs up on him when he says something that sounds offensive. It’s nice to have a film that doesn’t make him the villain because of how outdated he is. It’s all about his personal journey to understand the world he’s in, but of course he’s going to hold onto his old thoughts, because to him, he lived in that world only yesterday. So many movies today are quick to point the finger at anyone we may think isn’t being respectful of all cultures, and that makes them seem niche and mean-spirited. This movie is neither. An American Pickle is a successful first feature outing for HBO Max. It’s much more serious in nature than one might think going in, and that may end up putting some people off. But despite this, it still manages to get major laughs thanks to Seth Rogen’s dual performance, some really witty satire from Simon Rich, and some surprisingly heartwarming moments that may bring a tear to your eye. If you have HBO Max, definitely stream this one. It’s worth your time. |