Idiocracy

You can read all kinds of references into the world of Idiocracy. A futuristic world populated by pampered, self-indulgent morons spoon-fed by the technology of a bygone era: this idea has its precedent in H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" amongst other satires.

Early in the film, a narrator explains the quick degradation of humanity over five hundred years, but does not fill in the gaps of where all the futuristic technology came from in the meanwhile. Most of the criticism of this very fun (and funny) film seems to surround this omission, and the resulting complaint that the world isn't "realistic". As if "realism" has ever been a necessary quality of satire. Is "Brazil" realistic? How about "Futurama" or "Transmetropolitan"? Hell, how about "Gulliver's Travels"? I thought not. "Idiocracy", while maybe not as pointed as the best of the genre, hits the same notes and generally does so successfully.

Besides, I didn't find the futuristic technology to be a problem. It is pretty easy to figure out that Mike Judge is satirizing the current trend toward automation and simple product interfaces, so that even total idiots can use them. As in "Brave New World", the society in the film seems to have reached a point of automated self-sufficiency at some point in the past (apparently created by the now-extinct 'smart people' in order to placate an increasingly stupid populace), leaving the remainder of humanity free to indulge all the worst, most selfish impulses they can come up with, and grow even stupider. The film just happens to take place during the last gasp of humanity, as everything begins to fall apart for good. It may still be "unrealistic", but if so, it's a remarkably well-presented brand of unrealism.

The stupid people take up most of the screen time, of course, but they're just the victims -- they don't know any better. Mike Judge saves his real hate for the intelligent people in power who are dead by the time the film begins, but who are very much alive right now, in the 21st century. People like scientists who chase "hair growth and prolonged erections" for no other reason than the possibility that they'll turn a profit on their snake-oil treatments. People like politicians who let corporations simply purchase the FDA and FCC. People like media executives and their yuppie stooges who promote stupidity -- who enable the destruction of all culture, morality and health to make a quick buck.

After all, who is really to blame, the Morlocks or the Eloi? The Paris Hiltons of the world, or the brilliant executives and advertisers that put her on TV and lowered our cultural standards enough to leave her there? This is all implicit in "Idiocracy", though. A line here, a hint there (witness the hilarious auto-doctor which literally does all the work in the health care system). It's one of the few aspects of the movie that's NOT pounded into the ground by the unnecessary narrator. It's just there for the viewer to pick up, or not, but it is one of the most interesting themes in a movie that's much smarter than any other comedy of the year.

Pity that so many people will leave the film thinking it's just an excuse to show rear ends farting and people being hit in the groin. Not that that stuff isn't funny too, and maybe it IS a little pandering. But in "Idiocracy", it's just not as simple as it seems.

... it's impossible not to see that this "fantasy" movie was, sadly, prescient.

Mike Judge placed the action some 500 years in the future. Looks like his clock ran free for a while -for it's been only 12 years, and we're almost there... Suffice to say, if a real life Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho ever runs for President, I'll have to give him a minimally serious consideration.

But no electrolytes for me, thanks.

I saw this sometime back in 2009-10, and thought it was kind of fun, but completely over the top and ridiculous. It felt like a wafer thin plot used to run one cheap joke after the other, all based on roughly the same premise. That humanity's race towards stupidity, in 500 years time, has reached maximum peak.

Well... Guess what...

It is now August 2020 and I just saw this again, for the second time in my life. It turns out Idiocracy has transformed into some sort of Kafka'esque nightmare! When watching those first ten minutes after Joe wakes up in 2505, when he's walking around trying to get his bearings in the sea of morons, getting assaulted because he sounds smart, I wasn't thinking "this is beyond ridiculous" (like I did 11-12 years ago). Now I just couldn't help feeling totally frustrated about the whole situation, and empathetic with Joe. My wife, who was seeing it for the first time, reacted with a blunt "This is a total nightmare!".

Don't get me wrong now. This is still a great comedy, it has just gone from an over-the-top ridiculous one, to a prophetic piece of commentary on current society. It was of course just that even back in 2006, but it was just NO WAY to imagine how far (or low) we would have come in a mere 14 years. I think Mike Judge's estimate of 500 years is far too generous. We'll reach Idiocracy in no more than 100 - unless we manage to blow ourselves up before that, which actually seem far more likely.

It turns out that Idiocracy was not actually a Sci-Fi, Adventure Comedy movie but rather a documentary about the year 2020 by a time traveler.

IDIOCRACY (2006). When this film came out, it was looked at as a broad satire of how infantile our culture could become. Now? Events may already overtaken it and made it seem too mild!

Mike Judge's tale is a riff on Woody Allen's SLEEPER where a man from the present ends up in a future he doesn't recognize. An "average Joe" (Luke Wilson) circa 2005 wakes up centuries in the future to find a world so dumbed down that he's the smartest man around! Joe meets up with Frito (Dax Shepard) and Rita (Maya Rudolph) and they end up in the orbit of the boisterous President Camacho (Terry Crews). Together they try to upgrade the intelligence of the American public - good luck with that!

Judge and Etan Cohen's screenplay is a bit scattershot at times, but it is fitfully hilarious too. The most popular show on TV is "Ow! My Balls!" about the various way a man's marbles can be whacked. Costcos are the size of cities and junk food is not only king - but, often the full meal. Again - is this really "centuries from now?". The supporting cast include Thomas Haden Church as Brawndo's CEO and uncredited bits by Sara Rue and Stephen Root.

Fox was so scared of the film it was barely released. Even when theaters requested the rights to show the movie, they were often denied. Of course, this only made the cult surrounding it only that much stronger.

Now, sit back, take a big swig of Brawndo and enjoy the future! Er...the present....? Past?