Posted in: MGM, Movies, Orion Pictures | Tagged: alex winter, Bill & Ted, bill & ted 3, Bill & Ted Face The Music, keanu reeves, orion pictures

Bill & Ted 3 Alex Winter, Dean Parisot Talk Exceeding Expectations

Published Fri, 18 Sep 2020 12:15:04 -0500

by Tom Chang

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When Bill & Ted Face the Music was announced, initial expectations were to appeal to the hardcore dedicated fans of the franchise who wanted to see one more "excellent adventure" between the lovable duo. According to star Alex Winter, it's turning out to have a much better response than anticipated. Speaking with Entertainmentie (via Cinemablend) for its imminent UK release, the actor was surprised how well the film would do. The positive response and surprise could also be chalked up to the uncertainty of how the cinema industry has largely struggled amidst a global pandemic. "We had a much bigger response," Winter said. "We just opened in the UK, so it's too early to say – but West, we had a huge response. It was much bigger than we expected. It was way beyond the fanbase. I know it sounds like showbusiness, but we really did not have that expectation. The film was better critically received – this film – by far than the first two. We pretty roundly slayed it by all the critics."

Bill & Ted Face the Music a Perfect Warm Fuzzy for 2020 [REVIEW] — Kristen Schaal as Kelly, Keanu Reeves as Ted "Theodore" Logan, and Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston in Bill & Ted Face the Music. Image courtesy of Orion Pictures

Considering how far the film came from within its 30-year history remaining culturally relevant. The original 1989 film Excellent Adventure was passed up by numerous studio executives before landing a home in the MGM-owned Orion Pictures. "A lot of those critics were writing think pieces a decade later about what importance Bill and Ted had to the culture," he continued. "I was sort of digging up their reviews and sending them [jokes], which is fair enough, part of what makes the idiosyncrasies of the comedy. So, we've had a really good response, and we're really grateful for that. That we really didn't see coming."

The chemistry between Bill and Ted is something director Dean Parisot tells Yahoo that resonates with fans. "They are ludicrous characters, but they also have some qualities that are universal to all of us, I hope," Parisot tells Yahoo. "There's this incredible friendship and their indomitable spirit, in spite of things going wrong. Those things are really universal stories to tell in a comedy." The main arc of the film has the duo played by Winter, and Keanu Reeves go to their future selves for the song that will unite the world. Parisot admitted a significant part of the scenes is improvised. "We stuck to the script, and we did improv once we had got our material from the script," he said. "That last bit with them as old men is complete improv. There are about five others that are just as funny, which we loved. They wouldn't stop. We finally just couldn't afford it anymore and had to pull the plug. It was the very last day of shooting. But they were always coming up with stuff on the set. The entire cast was that kind of cast where you could throw stuff at them, and they would come back with moments that were delightful." Bill & Ted Face the Music is currently in theatres and on-demand.

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