Bill & Ted Face the Music

Dear Mark,

Being excellent to each other has never seemed so important, and Bill and Ted Face the Music is exactly what we need right now. The goofiness is familiar from the original escapades as our protagonists navigate time travel, couple's counselling with their wives, and even a journey to Hell (who knew parallels could be drawn between Dante and Bill and Ted?!). However, this nostalgic sequel has some unexpectedly warm inflections. The tenderness of the father-daughter relationships between Bill and Billie and Ted and Thea is a special space in cinematic portrayals. Billie and Thea dote on their fathers, a sentiment made clear in the extent of their imitation, both in mannerisms and musicality, and in Bill and Ted's reciprocated adoration. Bill and Ted's Bergsonian experience of time is astonishingly metaphysical as the two friends experiment with different versions of their lives, compressing and expanding the experience of time as they move forwards and backwards in a bid to rescue the universe (yes, really). In the ultimate showdown of the Self, they confront guilt, forgiveness and regret with their deathbed selves, a brush with personal mortality providing the perfect context for shifting faith into the beautifully capable hands of the next generation. The surprising guest-appearances along the way, from Death to Dave Grohl, means the journey makes no linear sense whatsoever, and is all the better for it. Strap in and enjoy the ride!

Stay excellent dudes.