BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA

From the dregs of television to a screen near you comes the perpetually stupid and inane comedy from MTV, BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA. The whole movie revolves around two virginal nerds trying to “score” with an older, married woman. Crude, vulgar and only marginally better in animation than the TV show, this movie is painful and tiresome to watch.

For those smart enough not to tune into Beavis and Butthead on MTV, here is a primer. Beavis and Butthead are two mid-teenage losers who watch a lot of MTV, snicker, make jokes about sex, and get into trouble. They both have a great misunderstanding about the world around them, and they have no other friends. In BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD DO AMERICA, the two losers get their television stolen. They set out to look for it, and stumble into a seedy motel room where they meet Muddy. Muddy wants the boys to “do” his wife, meaning to kill her, but the boys misunderstand him. They think he is willing to pay them $10,000 to have sex with his wife, Dallas. The boys readily agree, and Muddy sends them to Las Vegas.

The boys meet Dallas, and she quickly figures out that she is dealing with complete idiots. Rather than succumb to their wishes, she sews a vial containing a deadly virus into the pants of Beavis and tells the two to take a bus to Washington, D.C., where she will meet them and “do” them. This is her plan to smuggle a forbidden germ weapon into the Capitol. Hence, the stage is set for the two to get into trouble all across America. The ATF pursues, and the chief tells his brutal assistant to do a “deep cavity search” on every suspect. Arriving in D. C., Beavis and Butthead make their way into the White House, create more havoc and absent-mindedly bring Muddy and Dallas to justice.

This movie gets only two stars for quality because it has a plot, and it has clearly defined characters. There is a beginning, middle and an end. Each character represents a clear, though stereotyped, example ranging from the hippie Berkley-style teacher, to straight talking chief of ATF. Beyond this, there is no noteworthy element in this movie. The animation is crudely drawn and offers no artistry. This movie could have been told with live actors, but these guys are so gross, it would be downright unbearable to see real people subject themselves to the type of language and behavior these two exhibit.

The lack of morality portrayed is deplorable. These guys certainly are not role models and they demonstrate many ideas for dirty jokes and hijinks. They destroy property and care nothing for education. On a religious note, the two sneak into a Catholic church and take confessions from church members in a confessional booth. Beavis tells one member to hit himself and tells another to hate himself. This lampoon of the church would have been unforgivable, but when Beavis and Butthead exit the church, a bolt of lightning strikes them on their heads. God, certainly, was not amused.

If you ever were interested in seeing Beavis and Butthead, don’t initiate yourself by spending the money to see this movie. A little Beavis and Butthead certainly goes a very long way. Five minutes of them on MTV is long enough, but 85 minutes was excruciating. It is hard to imagine that this movie will make any new fans. Many people are offended today by the antics of Jim Carrey, but Beavis and Butthead take the vulgarity of Jim Carrey to a new low level. Almost everybody roots for an underdog and a loser, but Beavis and Butthead are a culmination of all that is despicable and wrong with youth culture today.