Blu-ray Review: Beavis & Butthead Do America

Blu-ray Reviews, News, Reviews

There are certain movies that were just made to come out during a certain point in time, succeed during that time and then fade away as a memory of said time, and Beavis and Butthead Do America is one of those movies. I was never a big fan of Beavis and Butthead, though its popularity while I was in high school was not lost on me. It had more to do with the fact that I wasn’t really into music or music videos than it had to do with the characters themselves, so when they finally made the jump to the big screen I was there to see what all the fuss was about – and I had fun!

Beavis and Butthead Do America came out in 1996 and it was stupid and funny and I must have enjoyed it enough that if it were randomly brought up in conversation in the years that followed I’d have memories of at least being entertained, even though I had no real way to back that up, be it a quotable scene or even knowledge of the plot outside of knowing that Bruce Willis and Demi Moore voiced some characters. Now, 25 years later, upon revisiting the anniversary edition Blu-ray I realize why: the movie is just really, really bad.

I don’t deny that I enjoyed it 25 years ago, but after watching it again all these years later I understand that what worked then just doesn’t hold up now. Well, that or I was just ridiculously easy to entertain. I’d argue that both are likely true. What’s so hard to watch about Beavis and Butthead now are Beavis and Butthead themselves. They have their signature laugh and chuckle (which anyone who knows them or has heard it is likely hearing inside their head now as they read this) and that may work for a smaller bit for TV; however, when it’s the majority of what you hear for 80-minutes straight it gets exhausting.

And yes, Beavis and Butthead Do America is only 80-minutes long, yet it feels infinitely longer due to the lack of entertainment it brings, as well as the cringe dialogue and out of date jokes that are weaved together to try and tell a story. What’s crazy is that they waited to make this movie until the right time because they wanted to give the characters more dimension, yet there are absolutely zero character arcs for anyone involved in this movie, and I’d argue that Beavis and Butthead have the least growth of anyone.

Their journey begins when they attempt to go and replace their stolen T.V. and end up at a motel where a criminal named Muddy Grimes (Willis) is staying. Grimes thinks they’re hitmen he hired to kill his wife, and they don’t correct him because he says, “You’re the guys who are going to do my wife?” or something close to that, and he continues to say “do my wife” in various ways, and so Beavis and Butthead think they’re going to score – and that’s the entire plot. They go off on a journey to get laid, all while crazy things are happening around them because of their actions, yet they’re completely unaware of it because that’s the joke.

Judge said that he wanted the story to be told through the innocent eyes of teenagers, and that’s who Beavis and Butthead are supposed to represent, but that’s just so far off. This isn’t a coming of age story (“huhu, you said ‘coming’”) and these guys are more flat-out stupid than they are innocent. There’s nothing learned by either of them, and by the end of it they may as well have not taken the journey at all. There are a few chuckle-worthy moments, but as a whole this one can only be recommended to Beavis and Butthead fans who have stood by the duo and know exactly what to expect. If you’re like me and have memories of enjoying it but aren’t sure why, just hold onto the mystery and leave this one in the rearview.

Blu-ray Video and Audio Review

The Blu-ray delivers the movie’s best visuals to date with its 1080p transfer, so fans who do want to upgrade from their old DVDs will be happy to learn it’s worthwhile to do so. The colours are strong, and it’s solid animation that elevates the signature style used in the show, so all around, again, if you’re a fan this gets a thumbs up.

The audio side of things is also solid with its DTS-HD 5.1 delivery. The score and dialogue (however cringe it may be in terms of the writing) come through nice and clearly and never battle it out for superiority, which is always a plus.

Special Features

Audio Commentary — First up we’ve got the audio commentary with Mike Judge and animation director Yvette Kaplan. Judge is the one you want to hear from if it’s got to do with this, and Yvette is a solid co-host. Fans will love to give this a listen if they haven’t already.

The Big Picture — This feature comes in at just under 23-minutes and is pulled from the DVD. It’s got quite a lot of depth to it for those who are interested in the characters, how the film came to be, how it was something the studio wanted to do as a live-action at first, and things along those lines. A solid piece for fans to enjoy once again.

We’re Gonna Score! Scoring Beavis and Butthead — This feature is just under 11-minutes long and focuses on the scoring of the film, which was actually a lot more in-depth than most probably assume.

The Smackdown — This featurette is just a two-and-a-half minute montage of all the violence found within the film.

MTV News Celebrity Shorts, Trailers, TV Spots — Here we’ve got just a bit of extra fluff that round out the special features. The meat and potatoes are the first three on the disc.

Paramount Pictures Presents Beavis and Butthead Do America. Directed by: Mike Judge. Written by: Mike Judge, Joe Stillman, Brian Mulroney. Starring: Mike Judge, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Robert Stack. Running time: 81 minutes. Rating: 14A. Blu-ray Released: Dec. 7, 2021.

Brendan Campbell was here when Inside Pulse Movies began, and he’ll be here when it finishes - in 2012, when a cataclysmic event wipes out the servers, as well as everyone else on the planet other than John Cusack and those close to him. Brendan’s the #1 supporter of Keanu Reeves, a huge fan of popcorn flicks and a firm believer that sheer entertainment can take a film a long way. He currently resides in Canada, where, for reasons stated above, he’s attempting to get closer to John Cusack.