Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)

The dim-witted teen duo of Beavis and Butt-Head travel across America in search of their stolen television set.

Directors:

Mike Judge, Mike de Seve (as Mike DeSeve)

Writers:

Mike Judge, Joe Stillman

Stars:

Mike Judge, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mike Judge	...	Beavis / Butt-Head / Tom Anderson / Mr. Van Driessen / Principal McVicker (voice)
Bruce Willis	...	Muddy Grimes (voice)
Demi Moore	...	Dallas Grimes (voice)
Cloris Leachman	...	Old Woman on Plane and Bus (voice)
Robert Stack	...	ATF Agent Flemming (voice)
Jacqueline Barba	...	FBI Agent Hurly (voice)
Pamela Blair	...	Flight Attendant / White House Tour Guide (voice)
Eric Bogosian	...	Ranger at Old Faithful / White House Press Secretary / Lieutenant at Strategic Air Command (voice)
Kristofor Brown	...	Man on Plane / Man in Confession Booth #2 / Old Guy / Jim (voice)
Tony Darling	...	Motley Crue Roadie #2 / Tourist Man (voice)
John Doman	...	Airplane Captain / White House Representative (voice)
Francis Dumaurier	...	French Dignitary (voice) (as Francis DuMaurier)
Jim Flaherty	...	Petrified Forest Recording (voice)
Tim Guinee	...	Hoover Dam Guide / ATF Agent (voice)
David Letterman	...	Motley Crue Roadie #1 (voice) (as Earl Hofert)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

confession booth | television | fbi | beavis and butt head | score | 

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Taglines:

Coming to a screen bigger than your TV.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for continuous crude sex-related humor and language, and for a drug-related scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Hindi

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beavis et Butt-Head se font l'Amérique

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,114,233, 22 December 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$63,071,133, 13 April 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,MTV Productions,Geffen Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There's a line in the script that indicates that if President Bill Clinton lost his re-election campaign in 1996, there would be a change to the scene where Butt-head meets Chelsea Clinton. In the regular movie, she's folding clothes. But the scene was written so she could also be packing a suitcase instead with only a minor addition to the scene.

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Goofs

When the duo are on the plane to Las Vegas, the people sitting in the row immediately behind them changes - most easily seen as the man sitting on the aisle seat changing from a man in a vest (who later asks if there is corn in the dinner from another row on the opposite side of the plane) to a man in a business suit

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Quotes

[first lines]
Butt-head: This is cool.

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Crazy Credits

A big band version of Mr. Van Drissen's Lesbian Seagull song plays over the end credits.

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Alternate Versions

A longer cut of the hallucination sequence exists with additional scenes.

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Connections

Spoofs Starsky and Hutch (1975)

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Soundtracks

Lesbian Seagull
Written by Tom Wilson Weinberg
Performed by Engelbert Humperdinck
Produced by John Frizzell

User Reviews

One small step for us, one giant trip for the heroes

Beavis and Butthead was one of the many points in my childhood where I knew, I was unlike anybody else. I was entertained beyond belief by these two dimwits who knew nothing in the world outside of their couch and their television. Seeing this movie young, most likely around ten, I honestly didn't like it. I found it to be "boring" and I hated how Beavis and Butthead left the town of Highland and ventured out into the big world.

I watched it a year later and went on to like it. This is my third viewing. Now I can fully appreciate it. I understood all the jokes, but at the same time I wished the film took place in the town of Highland, I realize that the creators and the director, respectively, had to create a plot that was very large and made to fit an eighty-five minute run time. Not the usual five to ten minute run time the MTV program was used to.

At the time, this movie was the near conclusion to the MTV program that ran for five years. There was rumored to be a sequel for years, and remained in development, but never happened. Fine by me. We got something better. It took fifteen years, but in 2011 it's said that the show will return to MTV with brand new episodes poking fun at music videos and viral videos. I'm skeptical, yet my excitement is through the roof.

Beavis and Butthead Do America is about the two adolescents that go in search of their missing television set. Wandering into a motel, they become mistaken by a drunk named Muddy (Willis) as the men he hired to kill his wife. Saying he hired them to "do his wife," the boys believe they are being payed to have sex with Muddy's wife. The boys don't object, but then become labeled the most dangerous men in America by the FBI who are in search of a mysterious chip they call "the unit." The humor isn't as racy as people would expect. It maintains a PG-13 rating, and uses it neutrally. That comes off as one of its flaws, sadly. Like the South Park movie that boasted an R rating with very foul language and sex references, clearly showed what could be on the big screen differs greatly from Comedy Central. With Beavis and Butthead Do America, it does the same thing it would've done if it were a TV movie. Even The Simpson's Movie went a little further than its FOX limits.

Still, it's worth it for the pleasure of seeing one of the greatest animated duos on the big screen doing what they do best, nothing. The best thing about the teens is they get in trouble, without even trying to get in trouble. They are a victim of bad timing, but somehow avoid every possible consequence. The FBI agent orders roadblocks, they are in the middle of the desert. They order the Dream America bus to stop, they get on a Nun's bus.

My favorite scene is when their "peace'd out" teacher tries to tell them from the bottom of his heart that having no Television actually opens a window of opportunity. He claims people need to realize that we don't need TV to entertain us. After that very near and dear moment, all they pick up is "entert(ain us)." Beavis and Butthead Do America has gotten better with repeated viewings, but is seems it never was "boring." I think being young and dumb, the film didn't sit right with me for the reasons I stated above. After the third time, it was pretty cool.

Starring: Mike Judge, Demi Moore, and Bruce Willis. Directed by: Mike Judge.