There are two undisputable facts that shape the ideas of Idiocracy. The first is that the future is going to be at least kind of shitty, but more than likely really, really shitty. The second is that the vast majority people (now and forever) are stupid. The latter idea is probably truer than the first, but when you combine those two thoughts, the working thesis for Idiocracy comes to life.
No, you’re dumb!
There are two undisputable facts that shape the ideas of Idiocracy. The first is that the future is going to be at least kind of shitty, but more than likely really, really shitty. The second is that the vast majority people (now and forever) are stupid. The latter idea is probably truer than the first, but when you combine those two thoughts, the working thesis for Idiocracy comes to life.
Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) is the quintessential average guy. He works in an army library and he is exactly average in every way. Average intelligence, average height-the perfect candidate for a wasteful army experiment in hibernation. Also worthy of a hibernation experiment is a prostitute named Rita. Both are suppose to hibernate for a year and then wake up, but things go horribly (and hilariously) wrong. The experiment director gets busted in a prostitution ring, and his work, including the hibernation chambers of Rita and Joe get swept under the rug. Fast-forward 500 years and Joe finds himself alive in the future. He also discovers that he is the smartest man alive.
See, it seems that the corporate world has forced the extreme mass retardation of world policy. Smart people didn’t want to have kids, dumb people had too many. Multiply this formula by 500 years and the world truly is a bleak place. The most popular show on television is titled “Ow! My Balls!” and language has evolved into a barely-functioning mish-mash of slang and grunts. Joe is horrified, but as the smartest man alive is eventually thrust into solving the world’s problems. It turns out those problems are pretty easy to solve (i.e. using water instead of a sports drink to grow crops).
Idiocracy, first and foremost is a funny movie. Fans of Mike Judge’s first film, Office Space will find a lot to like here. The humor is irreverent and scathing. It’s obvious that Judge doesn’t think much of the average American and sees the corporate world as the face of that stupidity. But, in many ways the idea of a violently stupid future is more terrifying than anything else. The film, while funny, is not really light-hearted. It’s a dark vision of garbage, disease and willful ignorance.
The acting in Idiocracy gets the job done without any major pains or major accomplishments. The script and directing does the heavy lifting, while Luke Wilson’s “You’re kidding” expression gets all the face time it needs. The most hilarious performance belongs to Terry Cruise as the President of the United States, who won office by winning a wrestling championship.
Overall, the movie offers something funny for everyone. It has the appeal of both “intelligent” humor (a nice way of saying pretentious) and physical comedy. It is much like Judge’s other work in Office Space and King of the Hill in that regard.
The most mysterious aspect of Idiocracy isn’t anything to do with the film itself, but with the distribution it received nationwide. Its theatrical release on Sept. 1 was minimal, opening in only seven cities in North America (Portland wasn’t one of them) and even in those markets, it was only around for a couple of weeks. No one knows exactly why the movie was destroyed, but based on the cult phenomenon and DVD sales of Office Space, one would think that it would’ve been marketed more widely. Some have said that due to the anti-corporate nature of the film, Fox decided to basically shit-can it.
Whatever the release problems, Idiocracy is now out on DVD and can be enjoyed for what it is–a funny movie that thinks people are stupid.
