| "Ever think about doing a column on movies that don’t age well?" asks Jason Lewis, Fast Forward’s esteemed entertainment editor. "You know – stuff you loved as a kid, but you see it again, and it’s crap."
I immediately think of Disney’s The Cat From Outer Space (1978), a film that I did indeed love as a kid, but which I suspect contains nothing that might interest me as an adult. I have recently been warned not to indulge in any misplaced nostalgia by viewing Cat again, and I instinctively suspect this advice is sound.
Clearly, Jason’s suggestion has possibilities. "Neat idea. What movies did you have in mind?" I ask, curious about which flicks dumped Jason in a disappointment ditch the second time around. "Well, I just rented the Bill and Ted movies again and, man, were they bad. The only thing I still liked was Bill and Ted playing Battleship with Death in Bogus Journey."
I’m surprised, and tell him so. No argument on the sequel, which was never anything very special (despite some terrific moments, such as the aforementioned Battleship game), but the original Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) a letdown? Surely not. Ah well – that’s the nature of film appreciation, I suppose. Everybody’s got their own opinion, and all are equally valid. We chat amiably for a while and the phone conversation comes to an end.
Still, something feels unfinished – some vague call to duty. Perhaps my esteemed editor could learn to appreciate this old favourite once again? That is, after all, my job. I’m not a film critic, I’m a Video Vulture. Instead of telling readers which films are worthwhile and which ones aren’t, I try to prepare them for maximum enjoyment of the film in question. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for in a movie – maximum enjoyment?
If you’re reading about a film, chances are you’re interested in watching it and are looking for an excuse to do so. In my experience, just about any film can be enjoyed if you approach it in the right way – my job is to find that way and tell people about it.
So then – Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. A silly comedy about two goofy metalheads acquiring a time machine and getting help with their schoolwork from a plethora of historical personages. Why does it still make me smile? Admittedly, low expectations are a key element to appreciating this flick. The surprise we feel at how much we wind up liking these two idiots is one of the joys of watching. (If we already like them at the start, it’s not the same.) The film also makes clever, original use of its time-travel conceit. At one point, the boys get out of a jail cell by reminding themselves to go back in time later on and steal the key. I thought that was brilliant. Time-travel movies have been around for decades and that’s the first time anybody’s thought of doing that. Maybe they aren’t such dopes after all.
Most importantly, the film is actually about something – hope. Bill and Ted, for all their buffoonery, are symbols of hope for the future. They naively believe that their music can really make a difference. If this were the real world, they’d discover a few years later that this dream is nonsense – after all, people have been using music to try and promote peace and love for ages now, and it’s never accomplished a damn thing.
The thing is, this is not the real world. It’s a fantasy. A time-traveller (George Carlin) shows up and tells the boys that their musical message of peace and love actually does change the world for the better, bringing about an end to war, crime and human suffering. Their youthful idealism won’t be quashed after all – it is destined to flourish. Heavy, dude.
OK, so this all leads up to a gaggle of famous historical figures helping Bill and Ted with their homework. Sure, it’s just adolescent wish fulfillment, but that’s what we’re here for, right?
Bill and Ted are all about potential. The main joke is that even though they’re destined for great things, they’re just a couple of ordinary bozos right now. That’s why it’s vitally important not to show them actually being good at the guitar – a pitfall the sequel falls victim to. If we’re to believe that these two dingbats can really save the world, it has to be based on faith alone, with no actual evidence of competence (or even intelligence) on their part.
Hope that puts this movie’s virtues in perspective. If I’ve changed anybody’s mind about this flick, I’ll be satisfied. And if there are any The Cat From Outer Space fans out there who can change my mind about that little epic, I anxiously await your correspondence. |
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