From Mike Judge, one of the creative minds behind Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill and Office Space, comes an outrageous sci-fi comedy that'll make you think twice about the future of mankind.
Meet Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson). He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But when a government hibernation experiment goes awry, Bowers awakens in the year 2505 to find a society so dumbed-down by mass commercialism and mindless TV programming that he's become the smartest guy on the planet. Now it's up to an average Joe to get human evolution back on track!
Filled with razor-sharp sarcasm and outrageous sight gags, Idiocracy will make you laugh out loud whether you're an absolute genius or a complete idiot!
Given that Office Space is a bona fide cult classic, it comes as some surprise that Mike Judge's follow-up wasn't more heavily promoted. Granted, this live-action comedy is a darker, more pointed proposition, but it's unfortunate that few theater patrons got the opportunity to, well, judge for themselves. In Idiocracy, the King of the Hill creator visualizes what would happen if Devo's proposition--that mankind is in the process of devolution--came to pass. The catalyst: the overeducated start having fewer children while the undereducated have more. Enter Joe (Luke Wilson), a military librarian with no family and even less ambition. The Pentagon chooses him for a top-secret hibernation project due to his extreme "average-ness." They select Rita (SNL's Maya Rudolph), a prostitute, for the same reason. When the experiment goes haywire, the two emerge 500 years later--rather than one. Now it's 2505 and they're the brightest people in the over-polluted land. Everyone else is, basically, Beavis and Butt-head. Yes, the satire couldn't be less subtle, but the premise gives Judge license to make as much fun of junk food pop culture as dystopian classics like 1984 and Planet of the Apes. Wilson wisely plays it straight, even if the actors who surround him sometimes succumb to excess. And the effects may be cheesy, but that just adds to the fun. Idiocracy features former footballer Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) as President Camacho and Dax Shepard (Punk'd) as Joe's futuristic friend Frito. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Don't bother:
If you're thinking of renting this movie because you're curious to see just how stupid a movie can be, save yourself the trouble: it really is that bad. I managed 20 minutes before I hit fast forward followed very quickly by delete.
Idiocracy:
Not as funny I as though it would be. Some funny scenes, but gets a little boring and stupid at times.
Smart start, moronic ending:
I made the mistake of telling my boss, when I was only a third of the way through this movie, what a smart satire it was of modernity. The poor guy went out and bought a copy and, unlike me, watched it all the way through. When I saw him next, he wanted to know what I thought was so funny. Though "Idiocracy" has many moments of clarity and brilliance, had I watched farther than I did, I would have understood his point. "Idiocracy" tells the tales of Joe Bauers, played by the ever-amiable Luke Wilson --... more info
Warning: Don't eat while watching:
I love Mike Judge's Office Space, which I also own, so ordered Idiocracy, sight unseen. My kids had just arrived for a visit the day it arrived, so I put it on. I made the mistake of trying to eat while watching..not recommended as I nearly choked. Luke Wilson makes a great "normal guy" foil and I'm a fan of Maya Rudolph from SNL. I kept belly-laughing for a week afterward. Like Beavis and Butthead, it's more a Juvenalian (way harsh) than Horatian (witty and kindly) satire Oh, yeah; if you have younger... more info
