“Bill & Ted Face the Music” is the long-awaited conclusion to to an unlikely teen comedy franchise that launched the careers of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. The original two movies have over time developed a cult fanbase and have their DNA in numerous slacker comedy duos throughout the ’90s and beyond. But did anyone think it would actually nearly three decades for a reunion to happen? Whoa.
In fact if you ask Reeves and Winter — and we did — they’d say they really didn’t think it would ever happen at all, despite the repeated efforts of producer Scott Kroopf, writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon and director Dean Parisot, to bring all the pieces together over the last 10 years. And the new movie even plays with the idea that we’ve been away from Bill & Ted for so long, with each of them now middle-aged dudes with families who are still underachieving and can’t manage to fulfill their rock and roll destiny.
But it really is a joy to see the innate chemistry Winter and Reeves have on screen together as “Bill & Ted.” Kroopf, who championed as a producer way back in the mid-’80s in developing “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” told TheWrap that together they are “two friends,” but “one brain.” He said that they even always made a point to film both Winter and Keanu together in two shots, rarely as just singles, because you lose that hilarious interplay that’s between them whenever they can’t share the frame.
“Bill & Ted Face the Music” is even more special as its one of the few movies that will help relaunch movie theaters in America and hope to bring audiences back to cinemas amid the pandemic. It’s already a tough sell for some people to even want to go back, but if you do, is it worth keeping your mask on and waiting around just a little longer until the end of the credits?
The answer is yes, “Bill & Ted Face the Music” does have a post-credits scene at the end of the film and gives audiences one last taste of Winter and Reeves together. During the credits though, you’ll hear another take on the title song “Face the Music” that’s performed at the end of the film, as well as an original song by Weezer called “The Beginning of the End” that was featured on the movie’s soundtrack album.
As for the post-credits scene though, and keep in mind there are SPOILERS here for “Bill & Ted Face the Music” if you have yet to see the film, Bill & Ted rock out one final time.
During the film, Bill & Ted visit themselves further and further into the future in the hopes of finding the song that they wrote that will eventually save humanity. “It’s not stealing if we’re stealing from ourselves,” Bill cleverly explains. After encountering increasingly pathetic versions of themselves, they finally meet themselves as they’re elderly and lying on their death beds. And we get to revisit Grandpa Bill & Ted during the film’s post-credits sequence.
“Dude, are you dead yet,” Bill asks Ted. “No, are you?” Bill explains that the Wyld Stallyns have one more thing they still need to do before they go, and they then plug guitars into amps and have a final jam session. “We still got it,” they declare before calling for the nurse.
“Galaxy Quest” director Dean Parisot directed “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” which also brings back William Sadler as Death from “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” and adds to the cast Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Kid Cudi, Anthony Carrigan, Kristen Schaal, Holland Taylor, Beck Bennett and Jillian Bell.
'Dazed and Confused' Stars: Where Are They Now? (Photos)
As cult classic turns 25, take a look at the film's many stars, then and now.
David Wooderson: Matthew McConaughey is now one of the biggest stars in the world, and an Oscar winner for "Dallas Buyers Club," but might never escape his first notable role. The character only had four lines until Linklater cast McConaughey. He then gradually expanded the role into one of the leads, and the actor has since co-starred in Linklater's "Newton Boys" and "Bernie." The character that spawned "Alright, alright, alright" will never be forgotten.
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Mike Newhouse: Adam Goldberg is now an in-demand character actor, perhaps best known for his roles in "Friends," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Fargo."
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Randall "Pink" Floyd: Jason London was never able to replicate his "Dazed" success, instead he appeared in a handful of films ("Zombie Shark") and television episodes ("Major Crimes," "Dallas").
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Simone Kerr: Joey Lauren Adams became the onscreen girlfriend every guy wanted during the '90s, starring in "Mallrats" and earning a Golden Globe nomination for "Chasing Amy" (which also starred fellow "Dazed" alum Ben Affleck). More recently, she had an arc on ABC Family's "Switched at Birth" and appears regularly in indie movies.
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Darla Marks: Parker Posey quickly rose to "Queen of the Indies" status after "Dazed," and is now perhaps best known for co-starring in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind." She's also become a regular in Woody Allen movies like "Irrational Man" and "Cafe Society."
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Mitch Kramer: Wiley Wiggins quit acting to become a video game designer, but still pops up in the occasional low-budget passion project.
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Fred O'Bannion: It's easy to forget that Ben Affleck's career started as the quasi-sadistic bully in "Dazed," but the young actor from Boston used the role to spring into Hollywood.
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Ron Slater:Rory Cochrane's career stalled after "Dazed" and the cult film "Empire Records," but he has started a new phase as a character actor in mid-2000s shows like "CSI: Miami" and "24" as well as movies like "Argo" (directed by and starring Affleck) and "Black Mass."
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Nesi White: In a "blink and you'll miss it" appearance, Renee Zellweger is basically a background character in her first film appearance, but would star the next year in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4" opposite fellow "Dazed" alum Matthew McConaughey. She went on to hits like "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Chicago" -- and win an Oscar for "Cold Mountain."
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Tony: Anthony Rapp went on to originate the role of Mark in the Tony Award-winning musical "Rent" and also appeared in "A Beautiful Mind," sharing many scenes with his "Dazed" co-star Goldberg. Recent screen credits include "The Knick" and a string of indies. He also accused actor Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct.
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Michelle Burroughs: Milla Jovovich would break out as a star just four years after "Dazed" with "The Fifth Element," and would later lead the "Resident Evil" action franchise. She also appeared in "Zoolander 2."
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Kevin Pickford: Shawn Andrews recently starred in "Fix" with Olivia Wilde, but is probably best known for marrying the underage Jovovich after "Dazed," then annulling the marriage two months later.
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Cynthia Dunn: Marissa Ribisi (the twin sister of Giovanni Ribisi) would go on to film appearances in "Pleasantville," "Friends" and "Felicity."
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Richard Linklater’s 1993 stoner comedy turns 25
As cult classic turns 25, take a look at the film's many stars, then and now.