Movie Info
Movie Name: Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
Studio: Paramount Pictures/MTV Films/MTV Productions
Genre(s): Animated/Comedy
Release Date(s): December 15, 1996 (Premiere)/December 20, 1996 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Beavis and Butt-Head are about the rock the US
Tragedy has struck. Beavis and Butt-Head’s TV has been stolen by robbers and now there is nothing to do. When they encounter a hitman at a hotel, he mistakes Beavis and Butt-Head for assassins to silence his wife forever as an international incident begins to develop. Beavis and Butt-Head are travelling across the country in the hopes of scoring. As they experience the wonders of the country, all they want is a good TV and a hook-up.
Directed by Mike Judge, Beavis & Butt-Head Do America is an animated comedy. The film is a big screen adaptation that was released during the initial run of MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head (1993-1997). The film received positive reviews and was a box-office success.
Beavis & Butt-Head was a show that I always sought out. We didn’t have cable and anytime I went to a house with cable, I found myself watching the show. While big screen adaptations are often weak since they extend a small concept for too long, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America bucks that trend and provides a film that is better than the series.
Are you challenging Cornholio?!?!
Beavis and Butt-Head generally had a thinly planned story peppered with Beavis and Butt-Head watching music videos (and mocking them). The movie is simply a story and it plays on the stupidity of the characters…but also all of America too. The adults who Beavis and Butt-Head encounter also feel like sheep who are just following the script of life. They see the sights of America but out of obligation. At least Beavis and Butt-Head are genuine when they are more interested in the auto-flushing urinals than Old Faithful.
The challenge for viewers could be Beavis and Butt-Head themselves. They are just like their TV counterparts which includes voices that could grate on some viewers. It is also unnerving to hear Tom Anderson who is the voice of Mike Judge (as he was on the original series…Judge also voices Beavis, Butt-Head, Mr. Van Driessen, and Principal McVicker), but now that voice (and pretty much the character design) is more closely tied to Hank Hill from King of the Hill. The movie also features Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Cloris Leachman, Robert Stack, Greg Kinnear, and David Letterman.
American heroes
The movie is also very much set in 1996. This means a lot of the jokes are based in 1996 and even stuff like President Clinton are worked into the plot. If you were alive at the time, a lot of the jokes will land, but if you are going back to watch the film, it is a nice throwback to the 1990s.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is a fun animated feature. The movie hasn’t necessarily aged perfectly due to its topical nature, but it is still fun and funny. Beavis and Butt-Head are kids you went to school with…they feel real despite their cartoon nature. It is a fun ride that still explores the American psyche…which has only gotten more extreme.
