IDIOCRACY: The "Most Funny" Movie of 2006

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 5:06pm

Mike Judge's view of future America is beyond bleak; bleaker, it could be argued, than the vision of futuristic England in CHILDREN OF MEN. This is a world where stupidity and ignorance has been allowed to run rampant, due to extreme overpopulation of today's dumbest denizens. A world where corporations own and control everything and all public services, even hospitals, have fast-food counter layouts.

The number one TV show is "OW! MY BALLS!" on The Violence Channel.

The number one movie is called "Ass", which is just 90 minutes of a giant farting ass on the screen. (It won eight Oscars, including Best Screenplay)

Crops are irrigated with a Gatorade-like sports drink called BRAWNDO that "Has what plants crave! It has electrolytes!"

Into this world walks Joe (Luke Wilson) who, while only an average citizen in his own time, has now become the smartest man in the world. He finds it difficult to communicate with anyone, however, because his ordinary voice and speaking style is deemed "too faggy" by the future citizens.

This is probably one of the most incisive, biting, and funniest satires "released into theatres" in 2006. The quotation marks are a reference to its sordid raping by the Fox company which sought to bury the film by releasing it into only a small handful of theaters without a trailer, TV spots, or any other sort of promotion aside from one very vague poster. Could this be a reaction by the monolithic Fox corporation to punish Judge for daring to make fun of monolithic corporations like Carl's Jr. (whose slogan in the future is "F*** you, I'm eating!"), Starbucks (in which a "latte" has an entirely different meaning), and Costco (which recieves probably the harshest treatment out of any company in the entire film)?

Do not let Fox's mercy killing of this film scare you. This film is vicious. This film is biting. This film goes further than any similarly themed satirical comedy released in 2006 went. This includes TALLADEGA NIGHTS which poked at its targets with a soft tree branch instead of the sharp-edged dagger used by Judge in IDIOCRACY. This even includes BORAT, which aimed to deal more exclusively with one aspect of what Judge is talking about.

IDIOCRACY drives its stake in and it hurts. It's even better than OFFICE SPACE and, over time, should enjoy a huge cult following. This film is going to be big.

Updated On: 1/3/07 at 05:06 PM

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 5:13pm

because his ordinary voice and speaking style is deemed "too faggy" by the future citizens.

That sounds familiar.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 5:22pm

I enjoyed this film for what it wanted to be. But, when art lacks aesthetic as much as this one does, it also loses its audience. And then, what is the point of satire?

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 5:42pm

How big is Maya Rudolph's part? I'd like to see her get more film roles. She can make me my stomach hurt from laughing just from all the crazy kind of looks she can shoot with her eyes in skits on SNL.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 5:50pm

She's one of the main characters, so her part is quite large.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:54am

It's got electrolytes!

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 12:51pm

I saw it - it was OK - and Cruel gave away all the good bits - so now there's really very little reason to see it if you haven't already.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 4:09pm

Sorry, but I was pretty unimpressed. It had the potential to be far funnier, but it sorta sat there and took the easy route.

[Salad_Fingers85]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 7:08pm

I really liked the idea but the movie wasn't anything special to be honest, it was sort of... gross, i guess for a lack of a better term

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 7:11pm

There were some funny bits -- as someone else mentioned, most of which are mentioned in the first post -- but, in the end, it didn't especially accomplish much beyond its punchlines.

Enjoyable, sure, but nothing daring, remarkable or especially scathing.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:39pm

A remarkably toothless satire, I thought. It backs off from the grimmer implications of the premise, and winds up almost completely gutless. Surprising, considering how sharp Judge is with OFFICE SPACE.

[kasim]

Posted: 7/16/07 at 9:59am

While i like the movie ... there are MANY MANY MANY boringgggg parts to get through.

The first parts great ... then anything with hte Prez

[colored by esteem]

Posted: 7/16/07 at 10:21pm

Idiocracy is amazing.

Mike Judge is a prophet!
Just tonight on the NBC evening news, they closed the broadcast with a segment @ new emergency room check-in procedures. It is a scene/procedure that is eerily reminiscent of the film!
People touch childlike pics of bodies showing where their ailments are - this is the info then passed along to the medical staff.

Aye yay yay.

I hope everyone rents this awesome flick.