Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

"Beavis and Butthead Do America" is filled with vulgar humour, sadistic or otherwise bizarre characters and a convoluted plot insane enough to make no sense. These are some of the movie's finer qualities. If you didn't like the main duo to begin with then this will do nothing to convince you otherwise. But why should it?

Mike Judge has managed to fill out the 75 or so minutes well without making it drag, and he's done it with style. Since he cannot change the simplistic, constantly sniggering leads he has done the most logical thing he could by surrounding them with a plethora of multi-faceted characters tied together with a conspiracy plot that takes them into other locations where their simple-but-effective double-entendre humour can flourish. Previous characters make a return and are given some development where relevant to the plot.

It all starts inauspiciously enough - the hard rock obsessed teenagers awake one day, still on their couch, to find their beloved television is missing. Not smart enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together to catch the thieves in the act, they try and steal one from their school. Wandering around town ever more desperate, they somehow manage to usurp the television thieves, but not in the way you might expect. This lands them right in the thick of it, and the unassuming pair make their way through. Hilarity ensues on a regular basis.

In my opinion as a would-be critic, we need more films like these. Certainly there are plenty of gross-out movies, some of them also animated (as a side note the animation here is a nice balance between the original show and something more polished) but there are few that can take simple toilet humour and dress it up so well, making it more than just a guilty pleasure to enjoy after a few beers and/or a joint. This is right up there with the finer moments of South Park for such an achievement, and can easily be considered Beavis and Butt-Head's crowning moment of funny and/or awesome.

Overall this is a fun, feelgood comedy which doesn't require all your brainpower to enjoy to the fullest, though an extra watch or two might throw up a few sight gags or subplot references that you missed the first time around for whatever reason(!) The plot seems somehow relevant too, considering that it also deals with an issue that has been a headline grabber in post-9/11 society. But not without a couple of sniggers along the way, of course.

7 stars out of 10: very, very good.

I don't think Beavis and Butt Head Do America is quite as good as the wonderful TV show, but as far as a film based on a TV show goes, it is a worthy one and one of the better ones I've seen. It is a little too short and there are one or two scenes in the middle that could have done with a tighter pace.

The animation is not quite as good as it is in the show, but it is still good and tries hard to stick to its style. The score is infectious and there is also a killer soundtrack. The characters are fun and likable and the story is funny, clever and well structured.

The voices are also great, not just from the leads but also the celebrity voices. But the humour is what drives it, crude, vulgar and yes quite risqué it is quite hilarious and sharp.

All in all, a worthy film even if the TV show is better. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I know a lot of you who have never seen Beavis and Butthead probably think very little of the show based on the low-brow nature of it (I was one of them), but if you give this movie a chance you'll see that it's actually as well written and at times as, dare I say, subtle as King of the Hill.

Beavis and Butthead have their TV stolen and when trying to get it back are mistaken for hit men by drunken drunk Muddy Grimes (Bruce Willis, as I was rather shocked to find out once the credits rolled), who sends them on a mission to 'do his wife' Dallas. Misinterpreting this as any horny teenagers would, B+B head to Las Vegas to carry out the terrible act. But we discover (they don't, however) that Dallas and Muddy are part of international weapons conspiracy and our two teen-aged heroes are being set-up to take the blame.

So, as they take off across the country, causing absolute mayhem wherever they go, the ATF closely follow, giving full body cavity searches to everyone and anyone they meet at the order of head honcho Agent Flemming (the late Robert Stack), who comes out with some brilliant, deadpan one-liners. The set-pieces are wonderful and the mushroom-induced dream sequence by Rob Zombie looks amazing.

Mike Judge's animation style also brilliant. Avoiding bright, primary colors used in shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy and Futurama, he uses mainly softer colors, pencil-effect scenery and water-color backgrounds. It's a sort of calming, easy-going animation style that he's totally made his own.

You should totally check-out this movie. Don't be put off by what you may have heard or may think of Beavis and Butthead. You'll be conning yourself out of loads of laughs if you do.

And look-out for Daria Morgendorfer in the 'Lesbian Seagull' scene.

As much as I love Beavis and Butthead, I never thought they would truly find their way in a feature film. However, they manage better than I expected. The plot may not be good enough to stay interesting throughout, but the dry wit makes up for it all. I was expecting to have a complete burn-out from all the typical trademarks the show brought us, but these guys just make it all so bearable, they can get away with a lot of otherwise groan-inducing moments. The double entendres are really coming from all sides here (heh, I said coming), and still they get me every time. Why do I laugh at a line like "he said anus"? Because it's pretty goddamn funny, probably. Of course this movie also entertains because it's such an outcast among movies, much like the show was an outcast among shows. This is just not like anything I've ever seen, it has an extra quality I can't put my finger on. As far as adaptations of famous cartoons go, this ranks pretty high.

The controversial but highly popular MTV animated series hits the big screen in this surprisingly entertaining and humorous film from the crazed mind of Mike Judge. The two dim-witted teenage friends have their television stolen and set out to find it. However it seems that a chemical weapon of mass destruction has fallen into the pair's hands. Now national security is a major issue as the two go on a long journey to some of the country's most famous locales. The authorities always seem to be two steps behind in this film that has a comedic life of its own. Interesting voice characterizations by Judge, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Cloris Leachman and the golden-voiced Robert Stack all match their animated alter-egos perfectly. 3.5 out of 5 stars.