Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is one of the few movies that can actually illicit a strong emotional response to me. And you might not feel this movie is capable of doing so when you look at It at face value: it’s a zany time travel adventure with two dim-witted protagonists trying to pass history class. However, it’s always held a much deeper meaning to me, one I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about(this is actually my third attempt to put this into words). And I think the most powerful and dominant theme present in this story is the idea of positive versus negative reinforcement. Essentially, this movie takes our two characters and exposes them to a variety of stimuli, and we get to see how they react, and how they grow. Are all of their flaws rounded out by the end of their presentation? Absolutely not, but they are changed by the positive relationships they are able to build, revealing a much larger potential than we’re led to believe they have at the very beginning. I’ll start by breaking down the negative influences on Bill and Ted’s lives, and from there we’ll explore how positive reinforcement becomes the foundation for their meaningful change.
Character: Bill. S. Preston, Esq.
Bill is more of a lead in my eyes, in the sense that he drives a lot of the actions both characters take. He keeps Ted focused and on track, he calls the shots, he takes the first steps forward. In a lot of ways, he’s brave and passionate…even if he’s not much smarter than Ted. But he has this wide-eyed enthusiasm and confidence that is time and time again crushed by the general indifference of the world around him. This is exemplified in his relationship with his father, Mr. Preston. And I understand that this is not outright negative reinforcement, but anyone whose experienced indifference knows, this is a very cold, very debilitating feeling.
Bill’s father is completely detached from the troubles that(quite literally) will dramatically alter the trajectory of Bill and Ted’s lives forever. I mean really, your son tells you he’s about to fail one of his classes, and your response is to kick him out of his room to have sex with your new wife(who was Ted’s old crush by the way)? This is a man who is unconcerned with how his selfishness is impacting his child’s development. And you can see this impact in the way Bill avoids his home life, in the way he lacks any real focus and drive until the circumstances become extreme. I would even go so far as to say that Bill’s lack of skill with his guitar and his under-performance in school stems from the lack of positive reinforcement from his father. He is unable to grasp the rewards of achievement because his father has essentially undermined his urge for real development.
Character: Ted “Theodore” Logan
I just have to say, Keanu Reeves is a complete sweetheart in this movie, and the experiences he deals with fill me with an even greater feeling of dread because of it. He’s bouncy, he’s always two seconds away from a smile, and he’s always ready to put himself out there and embrace a new journey or idea. Which makes his relationship with his father, Police Captain John Logan, the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen. When Ted and his father are in the same room, this weighty, sinking feeling fills the room with them. It’s in these scenes that we see Ted lose all of the unbridled joy and energy we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, and we watch him become muted, almost timid in a desperate attempt not to further rouse his father’s anger. When Bill gets sent outside by John Logan so he call yell at his son, it takes me right back to that feeling I would get as a child when similar situations occurred in my own life.
Unlike the negative reinforcement formed by indifference that Bill experiences, Ted deals with very direct negative reinforcement. His father outwardly belittles Ted for his inability to achieve, overloads his son with threats, and maintains this general malevolence towards his own blood throughout the entire movie. What makes this particularly sad for me is that we can suddenly see why Ted flows from one distraction to the next, why he’s constantly trying to get a laugh or a smile out of the people around him. I feel as though he needs this type of outlet because his home life is so overbearing and constricting that Ted is filled with a constant need to act out. This negative reinforcement is is the true source of Ted’s inability to actively focus on situations early on throughout the movie; because in the back of his mind, Police Chief John Logan is seething, waiting for Ted no matter where he goes or what he does. The fact that Chief Logan is the real catalyst for the events of the movie only reinforces just how unhealthy his relationship with Ted is.
Also since I forgot to include it, fuck the idea of sending your teenage son to Oates Military Academy in goddamn Alaska because he’s getting poor grades. That’s just unnecessarily cruel.
Characters: Rufus and the historical figures
I decided it would be best to group all of these positive figures in Bill and Ted’s lives together, as they are all an extension of the same idea; that Bill and Ted are not the hopeless, insignificant slackers that they are regarded to be in their lives back in their own time. To Rufus and these historical figures, Bill and Ted are larger than life, they are capable of dramatic change, keen insight, and they are functional problem solvers. The entire context through which we experience these characters takes a dramatic shift. And what I really love about this movie is that Bill and Ted absolutely THRIVE in this new context. To some extent or another, all of these characters represent the idea of positive reinforcement. Rufus gives them the tools they need to change their lives because he knows they are capable of it. The historical figures follow Bill and Ted’s lead(albeit some are less willing than others at first) because they trust their insight and judgement, and they believe these two teenagers are well intentioned. This is unlike anything these two characters have experienced before, and they respond to this newfound faith and support by rising to meet the challenges set before them completely. This to me is so rewarding, that by the time the two of them receive the resounding applause and recognition at the end of their history presentation, I swear it takes everything in me to not get misty-eyed.
And of course, this can just be interpreted as rote storywriting to reach the obvious conclusion, but typically this requires a dramatic change in the characters involved; they make sweeping life changes and become the type of people they were always meant to be, bringing their dramatic improvements back into their lives. In Bill and Ted’s case…not so much. They’re more or less the same exact characters they were at the beginning of the movie, but each one of them has a more accurate self-image. It’s no longer being unfairly distorted by the idea of negative reinforcement, and the positive reinforcement they have received helps them realize that maybe if they want to be great musicians, they should practice and actually learn to play. It’s this acute level of self-awareness that they were unable to face at the beginning of the movie, because negative reinforcement demands you become new at the flip of a switch, and positive reinforcement encourages you to explore the things you want from yourself at your own pace. Rufus and his many gifts are metaphorically a way to supply Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan with the means to create their own version of meaningful change within themselves. These ideas are the heart and soul of this movie, and that’s why it will be a classic in my life until the end of my days.
SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!
Character: Bill. S. Preston, Esq.
Bill is more of a lead in my eyes, in the sense that he drives a lot of the actions both characters take. He keeps Ted focused and on track, he calls the shots, he takes the first steps forward. In a lot of ways, he’s brave and passionate…even if he’s not much smarter than Ted. But he has this wide-eyed enthusiasm and confidence that is time and time again crushed by the general indifference of the world around him. This is exemplified in his relationship with his father, Mr. Preston. And I understand that this is not outright negative reinforcement, but anyone whose experienced indifference knows, this is a very cold, very debilitating feeling.
Bill’s father is completely detached from the troubles that(quite literally) will dramatically alter the trajectory of Bill and Ted’s lives forever. I mean really, your son tells you he’s about to fail one of his classes, and your response is to kick him out of his room to have sex with your new wife(who was Ted’s old crush by the way)? This is a man who is unconcerned with how his selfishness is impacting his child’s development. And you can see this impact in the way Bill avoids his home life, in the way he lacks any real focus and drive until the circumstances become extreme. I would even go so far as to say that Bill’s lack of skill with his guitar and his under-performance in school stems from the lack of positive reinforcement from his father. He is unable to grasp the rewards of achievement because his father has essentially undermined his urge for real development.
Character: Ted “Theodore” Logan
I just have to say, Keanu Reeves is a complete sweetheart in this movie, and the experiences he deals with fill me with an even greater feeling of dread because of it. He’s bouncy, he’s always two seconds away from a smile, and he’s always ready to put himself out there and embrace a new journey or idea. Which makes his relationship with his father, Police Captain John Logan, the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen. When Ted and his father are in the same room, this weighty, sinking feeling fills the room with them. It’s in these scenes that we see Ted lose all of the unbridled joy and energy we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, and we watch him become muted, almost timid in a desperate attempt not to further rouse his father’s anger. When Bill gets sent outside by John Logan so he call yell at his son, it takes me right back to that feeling I would get as a child when similar situations occurred in my own life.
Unlike the negative reinforcement formed by indifference that Bill experiences, Ted deals with very direct negative reinforcement. His father outwardly belittles Ted for his inability to achieve, overloads his son with threats, and maintains this general malevolence towards his own blood throughout the entire movie. What makes this particularly sad for me is that we can suddenly see why Ted flows from one distraction to the next, why he’s constantly trying to get a laugh or a smile out of the people around him. I feel as though he needs this type of outlet because his home life is so overbearing and constricting that Ted is filled with a constant need to act out. This negative reinforcement is is the true source of Ted’s inability to actively focus on situations early on throughout the movie; because in the back of his mind, Police Chief John Logan is seething, waiting for Ted no matter where he goes or what he does. The fact that Chief Logan is the real catalyst for the events of the movie only reinforces just how unhealthy his relationship with Ted is.
Also since I forgot to include it, fuck the idea of sending your teenage son to Oates Military Academy in goddamn Alaska because he’s getting poor grades. That’s just unnecessarily cruel.
Characters: Rufus and the historical figures
I decided it would be best to group all of these positive figures in Bill and Ted’s lives together, as they are all an extension of the same idea; that Bill and Ted are not the hopeless, insignificant slackers that they are regarded to be in their lives back in their own time. To Rufus and these historical figures, Bill and Ted are larger than life, they are capable of dramatic change, keen insight, and they are functional problem solvers. The entire context through which we experience these characters takes a dramatic shift. And what I really love about this movie is that Bill and Ted absolutely THRIVE in this new context. To some extent or another, all of these characters represent the idea of positive reinforcement. Rufus gives them the tools they need to change their lives because he knows they are capable of it. The historical figures follow Bill and Ted’s lead(albeit some are less willing than others at first) because they trust their insight and judgement, and they believe these two teenagers are well intentioned. This is unlike anything these two characters have experienced before, and they respond to this newfound faith and support by rising to meet the challenges set before them completely. This to me is so rewarding, that by the time the two of them receive the resounding applause and recognition at the end of their history presentation, I swear it takes everything in me to not get misty-eyed.
And of course, this can just be interpreted as rote storywriting to reach the obvious conclusion, but typically this requires a dramatic change in the characters involved; they make sweeping life changes and become the type of people they were always meant to be, bringing their dramatic improvements back into their lives. In Bill and Ted’s case…not so much. They’re more or less the same exact characters they were at the beginning of the movie, but each one of them has a more accurate self-image. It’s no longer being unfairly distorted by the idea of negative reinforcement, and the positive reinforcement they have received helps them realize that maybe if they want to be great musicians, they should practice and actually learn to play. It’s this acute level of self-awareness that they were unable to face at the beginning of the movie, because negative reinforcement demands you become new at the flip of a switch, and positive reinforcement encourages you to explore the things you want from yourself at your own pace. Rufus and his many gifts are metaphorically a way to supply Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan with the means to create their own version of meaningful change within themselves. These ideas are the heart and soul of this movie, and that’s why it will be a classic in my life until the end of my days.
SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!
