Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
Studio: Paramount
Dec 23, 2021 Web Exclusive
Released on December 20, 1996, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is probably the most surprising film to have ever held the record for biggest-ever opening at the holiday box office. It was, after all, the follow-up to an animated MTV show—which had recently ended—about two horny teen boys who mostly sit on their couches and crack fun at music videos, flip burgers at their fast food jobs, struggle to pay attention at school, or dedicate their time to trying (and failing) to “score.” And yet, it opened as the top film over Christmas of ’96, on its way to scoring over $60 million. It was a hit nobody saw coming—the filmmakers thought the producers were pulling a joke on them when they reported on the initial box office receipts.
Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge approached the movie with the belief that it would likely have a longer shelf-life at video stores, and might be something that people would still be watching long after the series had gone off the air. His goal was to create a long-form episode of the series as a feature-length example of what it was about, and he achieved that. Beavis and Butthead Do America is pretty much an installment of Beavis and Butthead, the TV show, with slightly better animation, a longer runtime, and an expanded voice cast.
The biggest thing Do America does is get the boys off of their couch and away from their three or four usual haunts on the show. Their TV is stolen by burglars, and they go out looking for it—and unwittingly get looped into a plot to smuggle a terrifying biological weapon cross-country to Washington, D.C. The boys are innocent, of course, having no idea that germ weapon has been stitched into Beavis’ shorts. They simply think they’re traveling cross-country to score with a hot chick.
Do America boasts an impressive cast of voice actors, many of whom were fans of the show. Judge himself continued to voice most of the regular characters, but he’s joined by Bruce Willis (as a drunken criminal), Demi Moore (his two-timing criminal wife), Cloris Leachman (a sweet, old lady who accompanies B&B for much of their trip), Unsolved Mysteries’ Robert Stack (the FBI agent hot on their trail), Richard Linklater, and even David Letterman. The soundtrack features songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, White Zombie, Isaac Hayes, Ozzy Osbourne, Butthole Surfers, and No Doubt.
Because it was made to mirror the show (and nailed that), it’s not going to win any new fans among those who weren’t already amused by Beavis and Butthead’s television exploits—but those who do enjoy their antics will have a lot of fun here. The new Blu-ray from Paramount offers an improved picture quality but no new special features. At least, those from the old special edition are carried over; although they’re old, it’s interesting to listen to Judge’s rarely-given thoughts on his most famous creation, both in the audio commentary and Making Of documentary.
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