Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

Beavis and Butthead have always been tricky to love. The humour in their shows is often slow, and obviously childish. But with this great feature film, we get plot and constant laughs as they make their way across Amurhka casing trouble and destroying everything in their path!

Of course, they don't know any better, and with the FBI hot on their heels we are thrown into a full length chuckle that never tires.

I remember seeing it on the big screen upon release, and now, to see it again on DVD almost 20 years later (oh dear god), is quite enjoyable!

Check it out and switch the brain off.

huh huh... anus

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.

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.

I remember reading Roger Ebert's review of this review and how profound it was. He remarked that it's mistakenly thought that "Beavis And Butt-Head" is a show that takes pride in the stupidity of its main characters and this wasn't the message. He said, "I believe Mike Judge would rather die than share a taxi ride to the airport with his characters...". These are guys you're supposed to laugh at, not with. They are manifestations of creator Mike Judge's anger at ignorant people. They're not relatable at all, although I guess they're not technically bad people.

I've seen some episodes of the newer show and this was quite faithful to it. The animation does seem to be the same as the TV show. What matters is that this movie has a lot of great lines and jokes and that's what it's made for. I was kind of getting a Blues Brothers vibe from this as it features two guys causing all this trouble around the country, including a car pile-up. I didn't root for them like I did the Blues Brothers, oh no. That would again, be missing the point. ***

Animated MTV characters Beavis and Butt-Head made their feature film debut with this very funny movie that actually does a good job of sustaining itself for 81 minutes, with a pretty good story and plenty of the kind of humour that us B & B fans love so much. It's gleefully lowbrow stuff, and that's just the way we like it.

Our favourite antisocial horn dog teenagers wake to discover that the most important item in their lives, their TV set, has been stolen, and their search leads them to a shady character named Muddy (voiced by Bruce Willis). Muddy offers them $10,000 to do his wife Dallas (voice of Demi Moore), and B & B readily accept after misinterpreting the word "do". They become embroiled in an elaborate plot to steal a powerful biological weapon, all while following the quintessential B & B agenda: trying to score!

B & B's assorted adventures include making life miserable for cranky old neighbor Tom Anderson, causing havoc at places such as the Hoover Dam, the appearance of the legendary Cornholio (who, of course, just needs TP for his bunghole), encountering two very familiar looking former Motley Crue roadies, hallucinating in the desert, and having some eventful plane and bus rides. (It's just so priceless that B & B, upon seeing that they'll be on a bus full of nuns, can't see past the fact that their fellow passengers are chicks.) The colourful cast of characters also includes Agent Flemming (in an inspired bit of casting, Robert Stack voices this part), an ATF agent obsessed with cavity searches. Cloris Leachman plays the aged "slut" on the plane & bus, and Eric Bogosian, Richard Linklater, and David Letterman (billing himself as Earl Hofert) round out the various pop culture figures supplying voices.

And everything is set to a kick ass soundtrack that begins with a "Shaft" style number co-written by Isaac Hayes and B & B creator Mike Judge. Other artists heard include the Red Hot Chili Peppers, White Zombie (Rob Zombie also supplies the artwork for the hallucination sequence), AC/DC, Rancid, LL Cool J, Ozzy Osbourne, and Butthole Surfers.

If you're a fan of the TV series, you're sure to enjoy "Beavis & Butt-Head Do America". It's extremely agreeable from start to finish, and doesn't overstay its welcome. It delivers more laughs than a lot of live-action comedies.

Eight out of 10.