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Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, Anthony 'Citric' Campos ...( see more  see more... ) , David Herman , Brendan Hill , Danny Cochran , Sara Rue , Thomas Haden Church , Earl Mann

When a man wakes up 500 years in the future, he discovers that world is so dumbed down that he's the smartest person on earth.

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58% liked it

51,448 ratings

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74% liked it

38 critics

R, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Mike Judge

Release Date: September 1, 2006

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DVD Release Date: January 9, 2007

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Stats: 8,014 reviews

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Brawndo! Idiocracy not sure & frito Rollin' with the President! Idiocracy (2006) Idiocracy (2006) Scenes for Idiocracy (2006) Idiocracy
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Flixster Reviews (8,014)

  • cowmageddon
    February 7, 2010
    cowmageddon
    It's funnier the 2nd time around.
  • SirPant
    February 4, 2010
    SirPant
    I think it's quite telling of the Fox network not giving this film the attention it deserved, they and many other great corporations will be the downfall of our civilisation. Idiocracy is an intelligent satire that is both funny and frighteningly possible. Great stuff from Mike J...( read more)udge, someone I'd like to see making more live action films. Another Bevis and Butthead outing wouldn't go a miss either ;o)
  • MovieGeek13
    October 12, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    Idiocracy is a film with a concept. Humans are devolving into a bunch of idiots. And if you really think about it, this could happen. Yes, the film is utterly stupid. It would be so easy for an audience to throw up their hands any be done with this movie. But I'm willing to ...( read more)bet that the same kind of people who don't get this movie are the same kinds of people this film is ridiculing. We are becoming a nation of dumbed down idiots. We have to have everything spelled out for us. We don't want to think for ourselves. We hate reading, or anything that forces us to be creative. I can only look to the success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as proof that no one really wants to understand what they're watching. A scene doesn't have to make any sense; as long as there's a big explosion happening, it's got our attention.
    I certainly see a bit of anger in Mike Judge's film. His film viciously condemns the dumbing down of society. We laugh at these people. Sometimes, we can't even laugh, because they are so stupid we almost pity them and their utter stupidity.
    If you've never seen the you tube clips advertising Brawndo and Powerthirst, check it out. They are incredibly funny. The Brawndo advertisements seem like they are tie-ins to Idiocracy, completely stupid, ludicrous, yet hilarious. Idiocracy works because it makes you laugh at these characters. It's all in the name of good satire. .
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 29, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor dif...( read more)ferent traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down."


    As Idiocracy commences, we're presented with a fairly convincing theory regarding the future of the human species. For centuries, science fiction stories have usually portrayed a future world as a crisp utopia of science and advanced learning with flying cars and phenomenal technology. The future has also been illustrated as a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland. These are perfectly believable theories. However, Idiocracy - a film helmed by Mike Judge, a man also responsible for Beavis and Butt-Head and 1999's Office Space - tosses these theories in the toilet and offers an alternate vision of where mankind is headed. According to Judge, in the future humans may have a lower IQ than a muffin.


    Judge's theory may appear outlandish, but think about it... the Jackass flicks are able to reach #1 at the box office while intelligent, provocative movies such as Michael Clayton and Children of Men perish at the box office (still earning a modest profit, but very slowly). One factor Idiocracy brings to the fore is that destitute, dim-witted families screw and breed like rodents while smart, well-off families restrict themselves to one or two offspring. Hence, the smart population may develop into an endangered species before ultimately becoming extinct. Judge's savage attack on American idiocy (which went through many title changes, originally being known as 3001 and Amerikwa) takes the form of an eye-wateringly hilarious hybrid of sci-fi and comedy. Judge's script is pervaded with endless wit and creativity, never becoming preachy in its depiction of the future but ensuring it'd be quite possible to ponder Judge's message about modern man. Mike Judge is simply the perfect guy to produce a movie about a future overrun by morons, as his entire career is built on mining the stupidity of North America for laughs. Idiocracy is loaded with a frighteningly realistic concept...but it's in an amusing wrapper.


    "The years passed, mankind became stupider at a frightening rate. Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly the greatest minds and resources where focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections."


    Private Joe Bowers (Wilson) is the dictionary definition of an "Average Joe". So incredibly average, in fact, that the Pentagon selects Joe to be a guinea pig for their latest experiment - labelled the "The Human Hibernation Project" which will test whether the best men in the military can be frozen indefinitely until they're needed the most. Joe - along with a hooker named Rita (Rudolph) - are cryogenically frozen for the military experiment...only to wake up to a 26th century in which morons have inherited the planet. Suddenly it's discovered that Joe is the smartest person alive, and is recruited to solve all the world's stupidity-caused problems.


    "Comin' up next on The Violence Channel: An all-new "Ow, My Balls!""


    When Idiocracy is boiled down to the essentials, it's an uproarious comedy and a potent bitch-slap of a social commentary. After initially conveying the alarming concept that America's future has fallen into the hands of the moronic and irresponsible, Judge's script begins to attack not only America's commercial sponsorship culture, but the entertainment tastes of the citizens as well. In this future the most popular show on television is called Ow! My Balls!, which is precisely what you'd expect - a string of scenes showcasing a character being repeatedly hit below the belt. Everyone's favourite channel is The Masturbation Network. Winner of eight Oscars in 2505 (including Best Original Screenplay) is Ass - which is just 90 minutes of a flatulent bare butt.


    Judge also proceeds to criticise Gatorade (labelled "Brawndo" here), using the general futility of sport drinks to accentuate the misleading nature of predatory corporations as well as the gullibility of consumers who will believe anything they read. Conversations are now sponsored as well. 2505 is a world where it has become commonplace for citizens to be named Hormel and Beef Supreme. Starbucks is now an establishment that only sells hand-jobs, Butt-F**kers is a restaurant which hosts birthday parties for children, and if a topic doesn't pertain to sex, balls or farting, nobody wishes to discuss it. Idiocracy eventually ventures into the political realm, transforming a presidential address into a wrestling main event and revealing that positions in the White House can be won in competitions! As a satire, Mike Judge's gem is a cold steel blade to the gut. Judge is a brilliant satirist, relishing his opportunity to expose our insatiable need for stupidity.


    This tour de force of satiric savagery is bitingly hysterical, shooting arrows at the Jackass crowd and highlighting the general dumbing down of humankind. Once a viewer tunes into Judge's jaundiced wavelength, one will recognise how drop-dead hilarious this flick truly is. There are levels to the humour here - broad + subversive, and scatological. These two levels are incredibly proficient in allowing a viewer to accept the premise. When, say, a fart joke occurs, the real gag isn't the actual passing of gas but how funny the stupid population finds it. Virtually every scene is full of genuinely hilarious moments, not to mention it's packed with little details, from hairdos to the colossal futility of the law system in 2505 to the latest technological advancements. Subtle visual gags are also hysterical - unfinished highways where cars keep driving off before piling up at the bottom, appalling misspellings everywhere, and a Costco the size of a city. Stupid characters are usually a turn-off, but Idiocracy features characters so completely and surrealistically brainless that it's practically impossible not to laugh.


    "Don't worry scrote. There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick ass lives. My first wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now."


    Luke Wilson's laidback style has never suited him better. As the poor schmuck accidentally sent five hundred years into the future, Wilson is impeccable and oddly appealing. His introductory scenes - establishing him as the laziest, most under-achieving average bloke in the army - are some of the best-written segments of the screenplay. Dax Shepard is also excellent as Joe's astonishingly dumb, dim-witted best friend Frito. It's hysterical watching Dax giving Joe a look of total vacancy. Even Maya Rudolph, who usually signifies the end of all things good (Duplex, American version of Kath & Kim), is a riot as a hooker from 2005 who's convinced her pimp will manage to come forward in time and kick her ass.

    Terry Crews, as well, is an absolute hoot as President Camacho. Also look out for cameos by Judge regular Stephen Root, and even Justin Long.


    As enjoyable as Idiocracy is, it most certainly isn't without its faults. The low budget couldn't accommodate state-of-the-art special effects...and the film is stuck with awful, cartoonish CGI creations (interestingly, some of the special effects were done for free by Robert Rodriguez). The low budget is frequently obvious. Despite being enjoyable, the film is also unable to conceal the almost lethal plot holes. In the future, the technological advancements are frankly amazing; from identities tattooed onto citizens to gigantic cars with advanced gizmos, and even special effects in television programs...not to mention televisions are huge and impressive. But this begs the question: with the world populated entirely by idiots with no knowledge of how to create such technology, how the hell could these technological advancements have occurred? And how could they be so widespread when the morons wouldn't know how to manufacture more of them, let alone repair them when one is broken? In addition to these faults, there are some minor pacing issues. There's also too much narration which indicates plain lazy filmmaking.


    "Unaware of what year it was, Joe wandered the streets desperate for help. But the English language had deteriorated into a hybrid of hillbilly, valleygirl, inner-city slang and various grunts. Joe was able to understand them, but when he spoke in an ordinary voice he sounded pompous and faggy to them."


    Here's what happened to Idiocracy: Fox test screened the movie with a reportedly catastrophic reaction. Unsure with what to do with Judge's little film, Fox granted it a tiny theatrical release - not even bothering to create posters or a trailer - before dumping it on DVD (even though legions of Mike Judge fans were highly anticipating it). As audiences began watching it on DVD, conspiratorial murmurs were sparked, talking about how good the movie is and that the studio just didn't get it. Or perhaps Fox grew nervous on account of Judge skewering big commercial industries. Fox is the pet of Rupert Murdoch, after all, who's the captain of industry and baron of big business. Nevertheless, studios release dozens of indefensible films every single year. Especially when compared to some of the diabolical dirge rushed into cinemas each year, Idiocracy was undeserving of its treatment. It isn't the unfunny flop one would expect...the jokes are usually dumb, but the final result is subversively intelligent. Funny? Yes, and it's also a potent wake-up call to a very probable future. Be sure to stay until the end of the credits.
  • phubbs1
    April 5, 2009
    phubbs1
    Weird, rubbish and ultimately not funny, dont bother.....ever.
  • liam174
    February 8, 2010
    liam174
    This movie made me laugh my ass off every second. Don't know why it didn't get a cinema release outside the U.S. Standout scene is the "ow my balls" TV program. Hilarious.
  • jxxx84
    February 4, 2010
    jxxx84
    Recommende by MsNightwatch
  • mikeleo1965
    February 1, 2010
    mikeleo1965
    One very dumb movie, like it was made for the people in the movie. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
  • pinnakvinna
    January 30, 2010
    pinnakvinna
    This was an easy-to-watch comedy and it had some funny scenes. Luke Wilson stars as a man who wakes up 500 years in the future only to find out that all the Earth's citizens have turned dumb. He discovers that he's actually the smartest person on Earth and he goes on a quest to i...( read more)mprove the situation. This movie is packed with flat jokes and funny situations, I laughed so many times at these dumbed down people, it is scary to imagine if the world we live in would be like this.
  • psychounlesched
    January 29, 2010
    psychounlesched
    Not much of a comedy, this movie is based on a prediction regarding a stupid distant future (500 years).
    Personally I think that age has already began.

View All Idiocracy Reviews

Critic Reviews

January 18, 2007
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

An intermittently amusing -- and sometimes lazy -- satire that plays like a so-so episode of Futurama. full review

September 4, 2006
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

The theatrical release of Mike Judge's new comedy Idiocracy is one of the most egregious travesties of modern cinema. full review

View more Idiocracy reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • ReapersHeart
    May 1, 2008
    ReapersHeart
    i hadn't heard about it till just the other day it was on HBO and i caught maybe 20 minutes of it, but i thought it was funny from what i saw, and we ended up buying it and gonna watch it all, I know i'll like it!
    and i like Luke Wilson so i have no problem with the casting
  • GlowInTheDarkPurpleEvenBetter
    January 11, 2008
    GlowInTheDarkPurpleEvenBetter
    I want to see this movie. Is Dax a main person?
  • pixygiggles
    November 5, 2007
    pixygiggles
    I couldn't even finish watching this film because it disgusted me so bad. It kind of reminded me of one of those cheesy B-flicks. What's even worse is the fact that it describes the world we live in right now, not the future. Stupid humans, when are we going to learn.
  • kayz78
    August 3, 2007
    kayz78
    Is this what will happen to the world if we keep electing Presidents with the last name of Bush??
  • Hellshocked
    April 2, 2007
    Hellshocked
    It is not dumb comedy. It is a very smart film about a very dumb society (ours). It falters a bit during the last 20 or 30 minutes, but up until then the jokes are sharp and on-point. The opening narration is worth the price of admission alone, and yes it is eery how close the "future" is, given the state of things, and how no one really seems to care. The film is seething with outrage through the seams.
  • CanadianToker
    February 13, 2007
    CanadianToker
    This movie is awesome. Luke Wilson is great, Dumb comedy but really funny if you like dumb comedy
  • SDphotoggirl
    January 12, 2007
    SDphotoggirl
    It is definitely worth a watch and the funny comes from knowing people, or encountering people in real life, who are just like the morons in this film.

    It can be a bit scary because you can see how this could happen in the future so be aware you may have that reaction instead of finding it funny.
  • Taknighteverlasting
    November 29, 2006
    Taknighteverlasting
    So what is people actually think? It seem most people agreed with it being funny but too real that it actually scare the shit out of some people (what kind of realism are we talking here?)

    Is the movie worth a watch?
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Idiocracy Trivia

  • "Idiocracy" heralded a different turn of human events in relation to evolution and Darwin's theories. What was the year of the Great Garbage Avalanche that put humanity back on the right track?  Answer »
  • Which movie stars Luke Wilson and Mya Rudolph?  Answer »
  • How far into the future did Luke Wilson travel in Idiocracy?  Answer »
  • In the movie "Idiocracy" What year is it when Joe and Rita wake up from the Hibernation program?  Answer »
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