By the year 2176, a magnetic storm has degaussed all recorded history, causing such valuable documents as the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to be lost.

While attempting to carry their mission, the time travelers dress in period costume (e.g., tight bell bottom pants), attend EST, experience the Sexual Revolution, Pop Rocks, disco, long gas lines, the AMC Pacer, and even drug paraphernalia shops.

Both are foiled by two dimwitted but good-hearted teenage friends, Tommy Sears and Chris Johnson (Steve and Jeffrey McDonald of Redd Kross), who help the time travelers repair their craft and return to 2176, with their 1970s artifacts and a copy of the Constitution, printed on a shirt which was bought off of an EST seminar attendee (Barbara Bain).

[4] Barbara Bain, an actress who portrayed one of the "Be Inc, Seminars" attendees, is the mother of Susie Landau, one of the producers and casting director for the film.

Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh of The Kipper Kids portrayed the CIA agents, Tommy Chong appeared in a scene in a head shop, and Moon Zappa had a cameo as "an archetypal zodiac aficionado."

Reiner complimented Sofia Coppola on her costuming work for the film, noting that she was only seventeen years old during initial production.

"[7] An Entertainment Weekly review wrote that: "References to est and disco, along with someone's mint collection of Kiss posters and other memorabilia, get tossed out willy-nilly; the movie's only unifying force is that smirky irony," and gave the film a rating of "C−".