Official Synopsis:
Our intrepid adolescent heroes wake up to find their beloved television stolen, and embark on an epic journey across America to recover it, and, who knows, maybe even score. On the way they encounter a murderous smuggler of a deadly virus and his treacherous wife, an FBI agent with a predilection for cavity searches, a couple of rather familiar looking ex-Motley Crue roadies, Mr. Van Dreesen singing "Lesbian Seagull", a little old lady and of course Mr. Anderson and his trailer. Can the Great Cornholio save the day? Uh-huh. Huh-huh.
Our Take:
Beavis and Butthead Do America is one of those rare pop culture juggernaut tie-ins that actually managed to capitalize on the popularity of the property while it was still red hot. So often, a TV show or some other popular media entity gets made into a movie, except by the time it happens, the popularity has waned and the movie flops. (The Power Rangers Movie, for example.) But Beavis and Butthead managed to hit screens while the show was still popular (although the duo would fade out of the limelight not long after) and became a huge hit, one of the highest grossing non-Disney animated films ever at that point.
Surprisingly, the film is pretty funny. I remember seeing it in the theater (I was a big fan of Beavis & Butthead back then), but despite the attempted DVD renaissance that MTV and Paramount are trying to orchestrate, my love of the duo has all but disappeared. The movie still makes me laugh in places, though, and I can't deny it does still hold some entertainment value.
Now, to cap off the recent three-volume Mike Judge Collection, Beavis and Butthead Do America has been released as a Special Collector's Edition.
* Commentary - Mike Judge and animation director Yvette Kaplan sit for a commentary track.
* The Big Picture (22 minutes) - A retrospective making-of feature, featuring interviews with Mike Judge.
* We're Gonna Score: Scoring Beavis & Butthead Do America (11 minutes) - An interview with composer John Frizell.
* The Smackdown (2 minutes) - A montage reel of characters getting slapped.
* MTV News Celebrity Shorts (3 minutes) - Brief interview segments about the film with Jennifer Tilly, Steve Buscemi, and Snoop Dogg.
Beavis and Butthead fans will celebrate the return of Cornholio in a pretty solid special edition, but those who haven't seen a B&B cartoon in years may want to rent this one first before dropping the full purchase price. It might not be as funny as you remember.
Overall Picture:
Movie: C+
DVD: B
- Mike Spring
Editor
|
|
