The Beavis and Butthead movies demonstrate the craft required to write a movie for one note characters.
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My wife and I have a strong affection for Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead, be it their savage takedowns of music videos, the main episode misadventures and especially their two cinematic outings, Beavis and Butthead Do America and Beavis and Butthead Do The Universe. Which sounds impossible. By their very nature Beavis and Butthead episodes are based around a core idea, these two boys are idiots. They do dumb things and create havoc for themselves and everyone around them. Maybe you can sustain a few10 plus minute slapstick heavy snippets, but a full movie? How the hell is that supposed to work?
Pretty simply actually. You're don't make a Beavis and Butthead movie. You make a movie around them.
The Solution
Both of the Beavis and Butthead movies use the same trick. Open with something that for all intents and purposes is bad for the boys, and puts them in a position for the movie to happen to them. In Do America, someone steals their TV so they start searching for a new one. And in Do the Universe they nearly burn down their school, which somehow gets them a ticket to space camp where the plot happens to them.
From there the boys are given a new goal that's overlaps with a big dramatic movie...that they are blissfully unaware of because they think they're about to score.
Their initial mission goes completely off the rails which then turns the plot into a giant race against time conspiracy thriller where the boys get government agents chasing after them.
Again, not that they notice, because what they're actually doing is trying to find that woman who's going to have sex with them or whatever other id they're following in that particular moment.
Why This Works So Well
Reason #1: Lean Into the Episodic Road Movie Approach
Road movies are a comedy staple with good reason. By their nature, road movies are episodic with each stop along the way introducing a funny new situation, character or obstacle to the greater goal. This is where you drop in a cameo role for a famous person, because it's a day of work and you can have them pop off doing something silly.
And as I alluded to before, episodic misadventures are the backbone of Beavis and Butthead as a show.
And as I alluded to before, episodic misadventures are the backbone of Beavis and Butthead as a show.
So as long as you give them a direction, you can roll out one 2-5 minute bit after another as they bumble their way towards scoring.
Do The Universe has a great example. Beavis and Butthead are trying to find a former astronaut turned governor because they believe she will have sex with them. In their attempts to find her, they end up on a college campus and stumble into a women's studies class, with a teacher voiced by famous comic Tig Notaro (the kind of cameo I was just talking about).
When they are then taught the concept of white privilege, the boys immediately misunderstand and cause havoc that lands them in jail and puts them off everyone's radar...where the next bit begins (an extended Cornholio sequence).
When they are then taught the concept of white privilege, the boys immediately misunderstand and cause havoc that lands them in jail and puts them off everyone's radar...where the next bit begins (an extended Cornholio sequence).
Rise and repeat until you run out of gas or solid bits. Back in the background...pure parody of big time Hollywood thrillers
Reason #2: Parody
Another thing I love about these movies is that the plot surrounding Beavis and Butthead is just as absurd as any Hollywood blockbuster, but with a couple of added twists.
The main twist is that Beavis and Butthead are blissfully unaware of what's actually happening. Their single-minded focus on having sex means that what's really going on goes completely over their heads. Including all of the critical plot details like say, that they have a potentially lethal virus sample on their person.
So these two just Mr. Magoo their way through everything, seemingly impervious to the machinations of the plot and other characters.
It also means there's ripe opportunity for comedy, since the boys behavior is so dumb and so frequently goes off course, they can be hard for the feds hot on their trail to track them. Or in the even rarer, but still no less funny examples, side characters find themselves moved by the boys. It's a trick you can only do about once or twice a movie, but it's still very funny to see someone spout off a monologue about the human condition based on the actions of Beavis as Cornholio.
So these two just Mr. Magoo their way through everything, seemingly impervious to the machinations of the plot and other characters.
It also means there's ripe opportunity for comedy, since the boys behavior is so dumb and so frequently goes off course, they can be hard for the feds hot on their trail to track them. Or in the even rarer, but still no less funny examples, side characters find themselves moved by the boys. It's a trick you can only do about once or twice a movie, but it's still very funny to see someone spout off a monologue about the human condition based on the actions of Beavis as Cornholio.
Reason #3: Resolve The Plot, Leave The Boys Desires Unresolved
The final reason this structure works so well is that it means the movie has a plot that can be satisfyingly resolved by the movie's end. In movie one, the bad guys are caught and the virus is contained before it can be spread. In movie two, Beavis and Butthead avoid being murdered and the universe is saved as well. In both cases by total accident. Which the movie needs since their emotional desire, getting to have sex with a woman, cannot and should not happen.
Instead each movie more or less returns the boys to their mean. Their simple stupid existence at their house plopped in front of their TV. Which isn't full satisfaction, but it is...about what they deserve.
Instead each movie more or less returns the boys to their mean. Their simple stupid existence at their house plopped in front of their TV. Which isn't full satisfaction, but it is...about what they deserve.
Conclusion: Play Into Your Characters Limitations/Highlight What Works
A conclusion I keep coming to over and over again as I breakdown why numerous beloved comedies work is that there's actually a lot of thought put into the stupidity.
The movie is a vehicle for jokes, sure, but to maintain interest for an entire run time you need to put some thought into structure (i.e. see how each bit in Dumb & Dumber moves the plot forward) the characters (i.e. see how Jerry is plot and character critical for Liar Liar) and even the basic setup for characters that seem impossible to write an entire movie around (Beavis and Butthead).
In short, you need a solid script to make a comedy classic.
The movie is a vehicle for jokes, sure, but to maintain interest for an entire run time you need to put some thought into structure (i.e. see how each bit in Dumb & Dumber moves the plot forward) the characters (i.e. see how Jerry is plot and character critical for Liar Liar) and even the basic setup for characters that seem impossible to write an entire movie around (Beavis and Butthead).
In short, you need a solid script to make a comedy classic.
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