Revealing mistake: At the end, when all the historical figures are going back into the phone booth, you can see the trap door in the back open and the people go through it. It would be kind of tight to fit all of them in the booth at the same time.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
1 revealing mistake
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Starring: Keanu Reeves, George Carlin, Alex Winter
Other mistake: Beethoven didn't seem fussed nor resentful of Napoleon being part of the group. Historically he temporarily admired him and wrote the Third Symphony inspired by Napoleon's ideals of Europe's new hope of enlightenment but later despised him after he crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804 and furiously scribbled out his name off the title page of his Third Symphony and named it Eroica which he originally titled it as "Bonaparte Symphony" due to his former admiration of Napoleon.
Abraham Lincoln: Fourscore and...[looks at his pocket watch]...seven minutes ago... We, your forefathers, were brought forth upon a most excellent adventure conceived by our new friends, Bill...and Ted. These two great gentlemen are dedicated to a proposition which was true in my time, just as it's true today. Be excellent to each other. And... Party on, dudes!
Trivia: The shots of the French army are from the 1956 film War and Peace.
Question: Is the portrayal of the historical figures and their respective surroundings accurate in any way?
Answer: Not entirely, especially Beethoven. He was supposed to be in the early stages of his deafness, and he showed no signs of resentment towards Napoleon, whom he once admired, until he crowned himself Emperor of France. This caused Beethoven to despise him and rename his Third Symphony to Eroica, which was originally titled "Bonaparte Symphony" when he admired Napoleon.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Yes and no. The basic premises are all right; the years are accurate, and maybe the costumes. Napoleon was at war in 1805, and Joan of Arc was undoubtedly in church at some time during 1429, etc. But everything with the mysterious King Henry and his two teenage daughters in the middle ages is completely fabricated. Although there were four King Henrys during that century, none of them fit the age or family situation seen in the film.
Krista