Bill & Ted vs. Wayne’s World: Which Stoner Comedy Is Actually Better

Encapsulating the late 80s/early 90s comedy scene, these two movies about comedy duos invaded the cultural zeitgeist with quotes, but which is better?

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Bill & Ted and Wayne & Garth, two of the most iconic fictional comedy duos of the late 80s/early 90s come from remarkably similar films: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and Wayne’s World (1992). While these duos’ look and catchphrases were ubiquitous, how do their two original films actually compare in terms of the characters themselves, the music, the storylines, and their memorable quotes?

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was directed by Stephen Herek (Critters, 101 Dalmatians) and follows two high school slackers who travel through time to assemble historical figures to use in their high school history presentation. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, and George Carlin. Wayne’s World, on the other hand, is one of several Saturday Night Live movies that came out in the 90s based on fan-favorite SNL sketches. It was directed by Penelope Spheeris and follows Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) as they fight to save their public access show and Wayne’s girlfriend from a slimy producer (Rob Lowe) who wants to take over the show and exploit it.

Both movies are beloved, particularly in the stoner comedy genre, and they share significant commonalities: they both center around a comedy duo of best friends, they each use heavy metal music as an integral part of their friendships and of the films’ plots, and have each brought comedic catchphrases into the pop-culture zeitgeist.

Bill & Ted vs. Wayne & Garth

The first and most obvious component to consider when comparing the films is the comedic leading men themselves. While both comedy duos represent essentially the same stereotype, just at different times of life, Wayne and Garth have significantly more depth and characterization and move through more dynamic film arcs, while Bill and Ted are much more flat and remain basically the same throughout the film.

Bill and Ted are the burnout high school kids trying to start a band, but they have no idea how to play. They don’t do well in school, they don’t really have any other skills, but they’re just so dumb that they’re loveable. Audiences love Bill and Ted because they’re so innocently positive, but outside of their desire to start a band and failing history class, the film doesn’t really give them much more character depth. They’re funny and enjoyable, but one-note.

Wayne and Garth are basically Bill and Ted but in their 30s. They still live with their parents, they still want to start a band, and they’re still really dumb but funny and endearing. The contrast with Wayne and Garth, though, is that the film gives them more character than Bill and Ted get. The fourth-wall breaks and outside relationships with women and with other friends give the characters more depth and establish them as people within a world rather than just flat stereotypes.

Bill & Ted’s Music vs. Wayne’s World’s Music

Both movies are structured around music, specifically what would have been called heavy metal at the time, but is now usually referred to as “hair metal” or “arena rock.” With both duos spending time talking about bands, trying to start a band, and the infamous music store scene in Wayne’s World, music plays an integral part in both films.

Bill & Ted focuses much more on music as an aspect of the two lead characters’ friendship, as they’re introduced as two metalheads who want to start a band, talking about Eddie Van Halen, and showing off their air guitar skills. The entire premise for the time machine even showing up is that Rufus (George Carlin) is sent back in time to make sure they pass history so they can remain together and create a band that will go on to influence culture for years to come. However, the film obviously didn’t devote as much of their budget to the soundtrack, featuring lesser-known bands like Extreme, Power Tool, and Shark Island. Their one big-name band is Warrant, which is still a smaller name in comparison to some of the bands in Wayne’s World.

In contrast, Wayne’s World uses the movie’s music significantly more, playing Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver” when Wayne looks at Cassandra (Tia Carrere), the infamous Bohemian Rhapsody scene in Garth’s car, and making use of bigger bands (and significantly more “metal”) in the soundtrack, including names like Cinderella, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper himself even makes an appearance when Wayne and Garth travel to Chicago with backstage passes to his concert. Wayne’s World seems to have been written specifically with the music in mind and thus brings bigger, better, and more music to the table. Wayne’s World takes the win by a landslide in this category.

Bill & Ted’s Story vs. Wayne’s World’s Story

The next aspect of the movies to consider is the plot. In Bill & Ted, the two boys travel through time gathering various historical figures to bring back with them in order to ace their history report and not get kicked out of school. If they fail, Ted is going to get sent to military school and the two boys will be separated, never able to start their band, and subsequently never able to save the world with their music. There’s a pretty creative storyline there and some high stakes, at least as far as high school kids are concerned.

In contrast, Wayne’s World follows Wayne and Garth as a producer tries to steal and exploit their cable access show and steal Wayne’s girlfriend. This is a pretty basic plot in terms of complexity and not all that creative; it’s clearly intended as a vehicle for the comedy and the characters rather than the focus of the film, and while that’s fine for what it is, it does make for a less interesting story.

This is the category where Bill & Ted unquestionably surpasses Wayne’s World. With significantly more creativity and interest in the storyline, Bill & Ted is a better story, while Wayne’s World is clearly just a platform designed to deliver comedy to the audience. The plot is less important than the characters, skits, and set pieces, while in Bill & Ted the story is everything.

Bill & Ted’s Quotes vs. Wayne’s World’s Quotes

“Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World, party time, excellent,” goes the refrain that serves as the intro theme for “Wayne’s World,” Wayne and Garth’s fictional cable access show. And that’s only one of the many quotes that’s made its way into the collective cultural zeitgeist because of both of these movies. Bill & Ted has the better quote in, “Be excellent to each other,” which is a life mantra that everyone should live by, plus the famous, “69, dude!” They also have the slightly longer and more obscure, yet still amazingly repeatable, “Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.”

But Wayne’s World definitely has more quotes: “party on,” “schwing,” “No stairway? Denied,” and their response to meeting Alice Cooper for the first time, “We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy!” Bill & Ted also has “excellent” and “triumphant,” but these are somewhat more generic and not as exclusive to the franchise, while “party on” and “schwing” are unique to Wayne’s World.

Conclusion: Wayne’s World is Better Than Bill & Ted

While Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a great film with awesome quotes and a heartwarming, creative storyline, Wayne and Garth are a funnier and more endearing comedic duo, producing an overall more enjoyable film in Wayne’s World. Wayne’s World is a slightly more mature version of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, featuring more grown-up comedy, adventures, and set pieces, which better satisfies an adult audience. It also makes better use of its music, endearing not only metalheads but anyone who enjoys the music of the late 80s. Plus, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey are a tough duo to beat, having come from the intense comedy battlefield of SNL and gone on to create comedy gold in TV and film; their chemistry on screen is amazing, and the writing of both characters makes them endearing and long-lasting for movie audiences.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/bill-ted-waynes-world-stoner-movies-comparison-better/