STEPHEN HEREK

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5

USA, 1989.  De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, De Laurentiis Film Partners, Interscope Communications, Nelson Entertainment, Soisson/Murphey Productions.  Screenplay by Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon.  Cinematography by Tim Suhrstedt.  Produced by Scott Kroopf, Michael S. Murphey, Joel Soisson.  Music by David Newman.  Production Design by Roy Forge Smith.  Costume Design by Jill M. Ohanneson.  Film Editing by Larry Bock, Patrick Rand.  

Two complete blockheads (Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter) are in danger of failing a high school history class until a magical telephone booth transports them to different eras in time. They meet Napoleon and Socrates (which they pronounce SO-krayts), survive the iron maiden and get back in time to make a presentation in front of the whole school.

It’s totally bogus, dude, but it’s a lot of fun and a great entertainment for the pre-teen set. It was followed by an even more imaginative sequel and propelled Reeves towards the stardom that he would fulfill with Speed and The Matrix. Go-Gos pop star Jane Wiedlin appears as Joan of Arc.