History Film / BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure

* Beethoven enjoys playing modern synthesizers at the mall - and also how the writers overlooked his early loss of hearing.

* SoreLoser: Napolean does not take losing at bowling very well, and he flips the table when Ted questions his military strategy.

Premiering in 1989, the first ''Franchise/BillAndTed'' film features Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Creator/AlexWinter) and Ted Theodore Logan (Creator/KeanuReeves) as two air-headed rocker kids from San Dimas, California. They're so focused on their wannabe rock band Wyld Stallyns -- not to mention so stupid- that they're in danger of failing history class and being held back. To make matters worse, Ted's authoritarian police chief father says that if that happens, Ted will be shipped off to a military academy in Alaska, breaking up the band.

The film was followed by two sequels, ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'' in 1991 and (much later) ''Film/BillAndTedFaceTheMusic'' in 2020.

--> ''Dude, you made it through the first film's tropes! [[AirGuitar Excellent!]]''

* SanDimasTime: The TropeNamer. To create a "ticking clock" for the plot, it's established that the boys only have one night of their subjective time to get their report done. They can't spend years gallivanting through time before getting around to it.

* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Played straight, for obvious reasons. Notice that in almost every scene Freud appears in, he's holding some kind of phallic object -- a cigar, a corndog, etc. [[OedipusComplex And then there's Bill's attraction to his "Mom."]]

* OedipalComplex: Name-dropped by Bill when Freud offers to psychoanalyze him:
-->'''Bill''': No thanks, dude. Just a minor Oedipal Complex.

** An [[WhatCouldHaveBeen early version of the script]] had them time-traveling using a 1969 Chevrolet van, though the writers decided this [[ItsBeenDone too closely resembled]] ''Film/BackToTheFuture''.

* ItsBeenDone: Amusingly DoubleSubverted in the film's production. The time machine was originally going to be a 1969 Chevrolet van, but when they realized the similarities to [[Film/BackToTheFuture another time travel science fiction film]], they decided to change it... to a phone booth. As ''Series/DoctorWho'' was not very well known in America at the time, this was a complete accident.

Premiering in 1989, the first ''Film/BillAndTed'' film features Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Creator/AlexWinter) and Ted Theodore Logan (Creator/KeanuReeves) as two air-headed rocker kids from San Dimas, California. They're so focused on their wannabe rock band Wyld Stallyns - not to mention so stupid- that they're in danger of failing history class and being held back. To make matters worse, Ted's authoritarian police chief father says that if that happens, Ted will be shipped off to a military academy in Alaska, breaking up the band.

Premiering in 1989, the first ''Film/BillAndTed'' film features Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Creator/AlexWinter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Creator/KeanuReeves) as two air-headed rocker kids from San Dimas, California. They're so focused on their wannabe rock band Wyld Stallyns - not to mention so stupid- that they're in danger of failing history class and being held back. To make matters worse, Ted's authoritarian police chief father says that if that happens, Ted will be shipped off to a military academy in Alaska, breaking up the band.

** Rufus ''never divulges his name''. Bill and Ted learn it from their future selves, who learned it from their future selves, etc.

The first ''Film/BillAndTed'' film features Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Creator/AlexWinter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Creator/KeanuReeves) as two air-headed rocker kids from San Dimas, California. They're so focused on their wannabe rock band Wyld Stallyns - not to mention so stupid- that they're in danger of failing history class and being held back. To make matters worse, Ted's authoritarian police chief father says that if that happens, Ted will be shipped off to a military academy in Alaska, breaking up the band.

** The iron maiden (the torture device, not [[Music/IronMaiden the band]]) is generally believed to be a myth. There's no solid evidence that it was ever ''actually'' used in the middle ages; stories about the device were likely concocted in [[NewerThanTheyThink the 19th century]] to support the narrative that the middle ages were an uncivilized age of barbarism and violence.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] is depicted as being very short, which is a myth.

The first ''Film/BillAndTed'' film features Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Creator/AlexWinter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Creator/KeanuReeves) as two air-headed rocker kids from San Dimas, California. They're so focused on their wannabe rock band Wyld Stallyns, not to mention so stupid, that they're in danger of failing history class and being held back. To make matters worse, Ted's authoritarian police chief father says that if that happens, Ted will be shipped off to a military academy in Alaska, breaking up the band.

Things look bleak for the two until help literally drops from the sky. The time traveler Rufus (Creator/GeorgeCarlin) lives in a utopian future built upon the peace-bringing philosophies popularized by the music that these two good-natured dunderheads will eventually create. Rufus offers them the use of his time machine -- disguised as an ordinary phone booth -- so they can [[FieldTripToThePast do the research needed]] to create a final report for history class that will let them scrape by with a D. When a brief trip to France causes Napoleon to follow them back to the present, Bill and Ted decide to stage the ultimate oral report by getting famous historical figures themselves to present it. Their carefree jaunt through time gives them the passing grade they need to stay together... and the mental focus they need to create the music that will produce the philosophy that will lead to the future that... well, you get the idea.

* HelpingYourselfInTheFuture: As part of the StableTimeLoop of the movie's plot, Bill and Ted meet their future selves at the Circle K, who try to give them advice about their upcoming excellent adventure. Of course, most of it flies right over their past selves' heads, but at least they tried...

** Ted hands his backpack to Billy the Kid when they arrive in Medieval England. When they were seeing the princesses, Billy pulls a football out of the backpack and starts a game of catch with Socrates.

** Similar to the above, when Bill and Ted learn from Deacon that he ditched Napoleon, they speak to him through a fence while he's playing in a baseball game. In a wider shot, it reveals that the fence ends two feet to their right and they could have easily walked past it to speak to him.

** When Bill, Ted, and Billy the Kid escape from the wild west saloon, a cowboy is carrying a sack and moon walking as they run to the phone booth.

* GottaPassTheClass: The titular duo are on the verge of failing history, and Ted's father threatens to send him to military school if that happens, threatening to end their friendship and their band the Wyld Stallions. This kicks off the plot, as a time-traveler from the future shows up to prevent this by giving them access to time travel that will allow them to pass their final.
* GratuitousPrincess: Bill and Ted have a time machine in which they can bag any historical babe they wanted. They pick up two princesses who don't really do anything but look hot.

** It seems to be a common ability here. Where did Billy the Kid get the lariat he used on Freud? Kind of hard to say. Another example, Genghis Khan enters the booth carrying only a club, which he later discards; in an even later scene, he has a pole-axe weapon, and no explanation where it came from. Also, Joan of Arc is somehow able to change out of her armor before she and the others are arrested, and then change back ''into'' it after the duo spring them, with no explanation of where she put it. Hammerspace is really the only explanation.
** Of course, there's also the booth itself. Not exactly something that could fit nine (and later ''ten'') people easily (although Ted did say they were "running out of room" when there were only nine). They eventually have to tilt the booth onto its back and travel through time standing up through the open door in order to fit everyone comfortably.

* HistoricalInJoke: Napoleon has a great day at Water Loops in San Dimas, which seems to affect his strategy for the taking of Waterloo. After he explains his plans, in which he mentions a "water slide," Ted tells him that he doesn't think it's going to work, referencing Napoleon's famous defeat there.

* HollywoodHistory: Consciously and unashamedly.

* HypocriticalHumor: When Bill and Ted get drafted into Billy the Kid's poker game, Bill gently admonishes Ted to "have a poker face, like me." He then looks at his cards and immediately exclaims, "Whoa, three Aces, dude!"
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Genghis Khan is impressed by the military potential of modern sporting equipment. He dons some football armor, arms himself with an aluminum baseball bat, and charges off on a skateboard. And he proves adept enough with the bat and skateboard that the mall guards only manage to subdue him because he fell down in the ice rink.

* IOweYouMyLife: Billy the Kid, who later returns the favor.
* IronMaiden: The Royal Ugly Dude threatens to put Bill and Ted in the Iron Maiden, which they do confuse with the [[Music/IronMaiden heavy metal group]].

* ItMakesSenseInContext: Happens at least twice in the film:

* ItsBeenDone: Amusingly DoubleSubverted in the film's production. The time machine was originally going to be a 1969 Chevrolet van, but when they realized the similarities to [[Film/BackToTheFuture another time travel science fiction film]], they decided to change it... to a phone booth. As ''Series/DoctorWho'' was not very well known in America at the time, this was said to be a complete accident.

* LikesOlderMen: It turns out Missy has a thing for older guys, obvious after marrying Bill's dad but she also remembers the history teacher fondly.

* MacGyvering: The phone booth antenna takes some damage from a knight's mace, which made the time travel ride a lot more bumpy and they were being diverted to the wrong place. After landing in 1 million BC, Bill manages to repair the antenna with a soda can and bubblegum.

* MegaMealChallenge: Apparently an ice cream dish called the Ziggy Pig is one of these. After Napoleon Bonaparte finishes it, the garishly dressed employees make pig noises and give him a sticker. In spite of his initial annoyance, he wears the sticker prominently alongside his medals for the rest of the movie.

* MoodWhiplash: When Bill believes that Ted has been killed by medieval knights, the scene is played for maximum drama and Bill acts extremely heartbroken/vengeful. There are no jokes in this scene other than his BuffySpeak, but even then it's drenched in anguish. Ted is revealed to be alive and the movie returns to being the comedy-romp that it is, but for that moment, the laughs came to a screeching halt.

* MyFutureSelfAndMe: As below, the future boys stop in the recent past to give themselves a pep talk, including the line from Future Ted, in response to Ted's, "No way!": "Yes way, Ted!"

* TheNotSoHarmlessPunishment: The guys enthusiastically embrace the King's order to "put them in the JustForFun/{{I|ThoughtItMeant}}ron [[Music/IronMaiden Maiden]]" with a positive "EXCELLENT!"

* OddFriendship: Of the historical figures brought together by Bill and Ted, the ones who get the most focus as friends are... Socrates and Billy the Kid? See ThoseTwoGuys.
* OedipalComplex: Name dropped by Bill when Freud offers to psychoanalyze him:

* PaidHarem: In Outer Mongolia, Genghis Khan was surrounded by beautiful slave girls. One of them hand-feeds him and he pulls her to him in the middle of it. Then the two start to make out, right before Bill and Ted shows up.
* ThePowerOfRock: The music of Wyld Stallyns ushers in a worldwide golden age of peace, harmony, and awesomeness.

* TheQuietOne: Joan d'Arc speaks in prayer, but otherwise doesn't address anyone. Not that anybody speaks French (except Napoleon, and events keep those two characters apart.)

** Zigzagged in the Old West bar, where Bill and Ted, who are obviously teenagers, are given beer at the Saloon, given a lampshade by Ted. At that time, pretty much anyone older than ten could drink, especially out in the outer regions like New Mexico Territory. However, a bartender most certainly would never give the beer to two strangers without getting money first.

* RetroactivePreparation: How to break historical figures out of jail 101: distract the guard with a recording played from a tape recorder, find the key to the jail, do the jailbreak... and after all is said and done and you have all the time in the world, create the tape recording, then go back in time to plant it in the right place at the right time, and also steal the key and hide it where your past self will find it.

** Ultimately averted since Bill's not nearly as good at fighting as an actual castle guard, and a thankfully still-alive Ted saves him by coldcocking the guy.

* SinglePreceptReligion: The (future) Church of Bill and Ted has but one single commandment [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVXGC896Jdw "Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes."]]

** Ted's dad is scouring for his keys in an early scene, even blaming Ted for losing them. Bill and Ted later use the phone booth to go into the past to steal the keys so they could use it now, and they realize that's why the keys were missing in the first place.
* StockholmSyndrome: Seriously. None of the historic figures seem to mind being abducted by two nutty teenagers.

* ThoseTwoGuys: Besides the titular characters, Socrates and Billy the Kid kind of develop into a duo. They also qualify as a FatAndSkinny pair.
* TimeyWimeyBall: Parodied like everything else. Okay, the boys have to leave on their journey, but their time moves at the same pace as them so they can't just spend comparatively weeks worth of preparation using time travel when they have to accomplish their history report by the next day. And when they are in a jam trying to get that accomplished, they figured that they could use the time booth to manipulate things to their advantage ''now'', which they would have to recreate after they finished their history report... And it ''works''.

* UnfazedEveryman: Billy the Kid of all people. He quickly comes to terms with the fact that time travel exists, and soon after being whisked away from his original time period (although he certainly would have been happy to be anywhere other than being chased by an angry mob) he not only is perfectly friendly with Bill and Ted, but even picks up on their SurferDude slang.

* VisualPun: When Sigmund Freud is trying to chat up the girls at the mall and being shot down in the process, you can see the corndog he's holding go from being 'erect' at the beginning of the conversation to being 'limp' at the end. It's an appropriately "Freudian" symbol.

* TheWildWest: Where the boys abduct Billy the Kid.

* YouAlreadyChangedThePast: One of the signs that Bill and Ted are clever if not book smart is their recognition of this trope; they realize that to solve a problem in the present, they can use their time machine to plant helpful items in the past, and then they'll be there for their present selves to discover - and they keep reminding each other that once this is over, they have to go back and place all that stuff!