Idiocracy, 2006
Idiocracy, 2006
Directed & Written by Mike Judge
Cast:
Luke Wilson ... Joe Bauers
Maya Rudolph ... Rita
Dax Shepard ... Frito
Anthony 'Citric' Campos ... Secretary of Defense
David Herman ... Secretary of State
Justin Long ... Doctor
Randal Reeder ... Secret Service Thug
Brendan Hill ... Secretary of Energy
Thomas Haden Church ... CEO of Brawndo
Terry Crews ... President Camacho (as Terry Alan Crews)
Michael McCafferty ... Officer Collins (as Mike McCafferty)
Luke Wilson, as Joe Bauers, and Maya Rudolph, as Rita, star in Idiocracy as accidental time travelers to the year 2506 in a stupid, stupid America. The only television show is one that shows a guy getting hit in the gnards over, and over, and over. "Water" fountains spout energy drinks. Carl's Jr. is now much like an ATM machine that can also take your parental rights away from you. The United States are now under the (somehow believable) control of a WWE wrestling champion whose cabinet is comprised of a 12-year-old who won a contest and other similarly uneducated individuals. Joe and Rita find themselves negotiating a world where every word means nothing and everything--literally--is an advertisement.
That's pretty much the first half of the movie. I zoned out for the second half. There was something about a drought because the energy drink company put water out of business. Then some other stuff happened, and some of it was a little funny. And then the movie ended.
I got that it was commentary on the dumbing-down of American media, politics, education, technology, etc. But ultimately, it felt like an ill-founded, unfunny (as usual) Saturday Night Live skit that went on way, way too long and then fizzled out. It definitely doesn't live up to Office Space or any of Mike Judge's other work.
Idiocracy is an okay movie. It's not one I'd buy, but I'd watch it again if it were on TNT or USA or something. I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to rent it again either, but it was only a half-waste of my night watching it. That's because I only half-watched half of it. Does that make it a quarter-waste of my night?
Overall: C-