Idiocracy (DVD, 2009)

Idiocracy gives new meaning to the term "dumb comedy."

In 2005, the somewhat dim but kind-hearted Pvt. Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson, My Super Ex-Girlfriend) takes part in a U.S. Army experiment testing out a process for putting people in a state of suspended animation. His companion in the project will be a common streetwalker, Rita (SNL's wonderful Maya Rudolph), whom Joe accepts at her word when she tells him she's an artist and her pimp is her boyfriend. That's the kind of nice guy Joe is. He wants to believe the best in everybody.

Joe and Rita are supposed to sleep for a year, but budget cuts leave the pair forgotten, and instead they wake up in 2505 to discover a United States that has completely lost its way intellectually. Corporate sponsorship has taken over everything, an Ultimate Fighting champion is in the White House, and people are as stupid as they can possibly be--so much so, that Joe has now become the smartest man in the world. Led by his court-appointed "lawyer," Frito (Dax Shepard, Punk'd), Joe goes looking for a time machine, navigating an absurd society and jumping from one fantastically ludicrous frying pan to hilariously ridiculous fire after another.

There's not much more explanation needed than that. Idiocracy is the latest film from Mike Judge, the creator of "Beavis & Butthead" and the director of the comedy classic Office Space, so there's no better man to helm a film about a future overrun by morons. His entire career is built on mining the stupidity of North America for laughs. As with his TV work and his other film, the genius of his technique is the fact that he is able to pull off two levels of entertainment: the straight-up comedy on the surface and the subtle social satire that is underneath. You can watch his programs and laugh a lot, and then when you're done, if you want to think about what Judge is saying about modern man, you can. His approach is almost insidious, the way it hides a message in an amusing wrapper.

Inexplicably, 20th Century Fox has up until this point tried to act like Idiocracy doesn't exist. Though highly anticipated by the legion of Mike Judge fans, this movie never got a proper release. Allegedly, it had a limited roll out last September, but did it play anywhere near you? I know Idiocracy never hit my town. It's a bizarre move, because Idiocracy is really funny. I laughed a lot, which I can't say about most studio comedies I saw this year. Unlike other "bad boy" comedies, like the limp School for Scoundrels, Idiocracy doesn't wuss out either. It maintains its edginess through and through, right up to the hidden scene after the closing credits. Beyond the silly jokes and toilet humor, I even enjoyed some of the wordplay. It actually takes a very smart writer to create dialogue for someone who isn't too bright.

So, rest assured, if there's anyone stupid in the Idiocracy scenario, it's whoever at Fox decided we wouldn't want to see this movie. Together we can show them we're not as dumb as they think we are, and we know a good comedy when we see it.


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It's sort of 'Blade Runner' meets 'Planet of the Apes' meets 'Beavis & Butthead' *LOL* It's a hilarious, yet cautionary tale of what can happen w/humanity if the "brain-drain" epidemic of society (currently happening)is left unchecked.

If I hadn't read the LA Weekly,I probably never would've known about this gem. This film was horribly treated by Fox.Like an ugly stepchild locked in the cellar. Instead of supporting their own feature,or even giving it a fair chance,it seemed that in fact Fox was pulling out all stops to make this film "go away". This movie had virtually no publicity/advertising & it was NOT "playing at a theater near me" in fact it was over an hour's drive (but worth it)!!You know, now that I recall, there wasn't even a poster for it inside the theater!!!Just a blank display case with a piece of masking tape in the center labelled 'Idiocracy'.How lame is that? There have been other comedies by Fox that have been lavished w/far too much publicity & (undeserved) attention,and IMO they're not even 1/2 as good as this film.I can name a few:School for Scoundrels,Big Momma's House 2*cringe*,Epic Movie, Date Movie, et al. WHY the suppression,one wonders?? From what I read,this film was considered 'controversial'(??)particularl​y by the test market reviewers.WTH?? Crotch,fart&violence-based humor are all too commonplace in comedies(especially nowadays)and it's no revelation that it's crude,primitive& just plain stupid...So why does it seem then,when it's placed within the context of being the prevalent entertainment of choice for stupid PEOPLE, one's delicate panties get into a twist??I think it fits to a T! Timeless!! Hmmmm....Could it be perhaps the shoe FITS for some?Uncomfortably well?That's my best guess as to why anyone would consider this film controversial...

Granted,there ARE a few plot holes and such,a couple of parts of the film that stretch the limits of belief,but the appeal still remains(as does the realistic possibility of where society might be headed).Also,Mike Judge uses ALOT of visual satire...Not that this is bad,it's just that many of the gags here are in the details.Real subtle blink-and-you-miss-it kind of stuff.Paying attn isn't too critical,but the story would lack much of it's humorous punch!

As for the people who contend that the concept is pure ridiculousness,that there's no possibility this would ever happen,it appears to me that they're not very aware of the world outside their "domistiles"*lol*...​Or that they've never ever set foot in a Wal-Mart!!*LOL*Top 5 things one needs to do to believe are:1)Note the kinds of families that shop there *shudder* 2)Simply work in customer service or speak w/anyone who ever has(I can personally attest MY experiences).3)Pick up any publication & notice spelling/grammatical errors become gradually more common even among the more popular books,mags & local newspapers.4)Remember that our public schools are failing our children (or is it vice versa??)at a frightening rate, and 5)Need I remind you that we, as a nation, elected President Chimpy McFlight-Suit not once, but 2 TIMES?!?!WTH?? It's taking root amongst us little by little...It's already happening!

Lastly, I'm sorely disappointed that there were no"Speshal Feetures"aside from a handful of deleted scenes,which were ok.If you see just 1,see the"Museum of Art"it SHOULD have been in the movie.Lord knows WHY that was cut!!I really was looking forward to viewing some sort of commentary/BTSinterviews*sigh*

Stupid people breed more than smart people. Mike Judge (of Beavis & Butthead and Office Space fame) takes this premise to its logical conclusion in a film about what will happen to humanity when the educated and intelligent all die out.


An army librarian and a hooker are put into stasis in a government experiment, and are forgotten about. They do not awaken until five hundred years later, when a giant garbage mountain has an avalanche, spilling them into a futuristic city where everyone speaks in a sort of hillbilly-hood hybrid of almost-English. They realize quickly that they need to find a way home.


This movie is better social commentary than comedy. The humor is uncomfortable, as this alternate reality does not seem so far distant from our own. Anti-intellectualism and a cult of violence reign supreme, and people interact for sexual purposes only. Not so different from today.


Though the laughs are more for the kids and the truly crass of the world, the educated adults can enjoy watching, too, because someone finally said it. This is where the world is headed - a tyranny of the masses, where professional wrestlers are presidents, and a prostitute can be the second-smartest person in the world!


All teasing aside, I really did enjoy the movie more for the social commentary than for the humor, but it does have some really great moments. The film does not come anywhere near Office Space, but it definitely beats Beavis and Butthead Do America.


Highly recommended.

If you like Mike Judge, (Office Space, King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead...)Then you will love this movie. It is a completely hilarious movie, but it will also leave you thinking and concerned about the future of the human race. I rented it one time and after watching it, ordered it the next day.
There is no uncomfortable sexual content, there are however a lot of innuendos as well as colorful language (hence the R rating).
This movie jumped right up to my top ten favorite comedies, and it is a whole lot of fun to quote (if you run with a movie quoting crowd). The only thing that I did not like about the movie is the fact that the end has a very inadequate solution to the main problem. Just know going in that it is not what you might consider "intellectual" humor, and I think that anyone could enjoy the film.

Mike Judge's portrait of a dumbed-down America 500 years hence was deemed too nasty to release by Fox, which sat on the film for two years before releasing it with no fanfare or ad budget. But it's absolutely worthy buying, and savoring. On second viewing, I picked up on dozens of subtle jokes I missed the first time. Pay particular attention to the corporate signs. Pretty amazing that Carl's Jr. allowed itself to be satirized -- Costco, too.