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Macrame_God
Sep 1, 2005

The stairs lead down in both directions.

Directed by: Mike Judge
Starring: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard

In 1987, Paul Verhoeven came out of nowhere with his sci-fi action blockbuster “Robocop”, a grim yet entertaining portrayal of a future where large corporations have taken over almost every aspect of our lives and where the entertainment industry works only to dumb down the masses. The picture was a critical success and earned Orion millions at the box office, going on to being one of the most celebrated and recognized pictures of the 1980’s and even earning a spot on the Criterion Collection. Fast forward now to 2006 where Fox Studios has released “Idiocracy”, an equally, if not more so, grim and entertaining portrayal of our future. “Idiocracy” is Mike Judge’s long-awaited return as director since his 1999 favorite “Office Space” and is arguably is smartest work yet. However, Mike Judge and his film must have rubbed Fox Studios the wrong way (there is, alas, a Fox News joke in the film) and “Idiocracy” has been granted only a diminutive release in a mere seven cities in North America. Truly a shame since it is one of the best films released this year and easily the funniest.

“Idiocracy” begins with Private Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson), an unusually average and painfully naïve everyday man, who is chosen by his government to partake in a military experiment involving cryogenics along with Rita (Maya Rudolph), a beyond-obvious prostitute who only seems to be involved with the whole experiment for the money. The experiment is set for only one year, but is quickly forgotten and the two are left in freezing for 500 years. As they nap, human society as a whole becomes more and more ignorant as intelligent people fail to reproduce and the idiotic masses spawn relentlessly. By the time both Joe and Rita are accidentally awakened, they find themselves living in a world where people are too incompetent to know how to properly dispose of garbage, where sports drinks have replaced water almost entirely, and Fuddruckers, for some strange reason, is now known as Buttfuckers. The people of this bleak future no longer concern themselves with art, culture, or politics as they spend their days eating buttery goop while watching television programs such as “Ow – My Balls!”, a possible “Jackass” parody, and films such as “rear end”, which is 90-minutes of a man’s bare behind (somehow, I can’t help but think Andy Warhol has already made the exact same movie).

As Joe scrambles about his hopelessly dim future, desperately trying to understand how everything came to be, he discovers that even such things as speaking intelligibly has been outmoded by some sort of quasi-redneck, quasi-urban slang drawl (when Joe is arrested for escaping from “St. God’s Hospital” without paying his medical bill he is charged with the crime of “loving poo poo Up”). However, society soon comes to learn that Joe is, alas, the most intelligent man on the planet with an unheard of IQ of 100. Now, the society that has resented Joe for his “pompous and faggy language” looks to him to answer all of their problems, most of which can be solved with the application of pure common sense.

One could almost easily accuse a film like “Idiocracy” of being self-satisfied with its own humor. Mike Judge is relentless in his attack on the entertainment industry, the food industry, and the retail industry as he practically lays the blame on them for the disastrous state that the future is in (the sports drink company in the film outlaws water because it “cuts into their profits”). His portrayal of our government is as equally flattering as he shows our future White House, now transformed into seedy white-trash hovel complete with boarded up windows and an unused above ground swimming pool in the front lawn, being run by professional wrestlers, ditsy blonde bombshells, and preteens who got their secretary positions only because they won some sort of contest. “Idiocracy” is, alas, going to ruffle the feathers of almost anyone who lives within or is somehow responsible for our society as it is today. However, all can be easily forgiven due to the fact that the “Idiocracy” is so drat right. As unsettling and comical as our dimwitted future is portrayed in “Idiocracy”, when I left the theatre, I somehow felt that it was a rather feasible one too.

I’d love to tell you to run out right now and catch “Idiocracy” as soon as possible, but I somehow fear that this may not be an option for many of you. Fox, possibly due to pressure from the many different companies that Judge has criticized in his film, has put “Idiocracy” on a grossly limited release, offering it no real promotion whatsoever. It almost seems as if Fox would much rather lose any money they invested on the film than have it released to the mainstream public. Like our present represented in the film, “Idiocracy” is at a crossroads. On one road, “Idiocracy” is heading into obscurity where it will fade away from the public eye and not resurface again until its quick DVD release where it may only impress a few new people. On the other, “Idiocracy” becomes a sleeper hit and Fox decides to do a complete 180 on the film, giving it a full 2000+ theatre release. The road the film goes down lies solely in our hands. If “Idiocracy” is playing anywhere near you, I urge you to go and see it, and don’t forget to drag your friends to go and see it too. Like our future, all that is required for it to succeed is common sense and genuine effort.

RATING: 5.0

PROS: Incredibly funny and extraordinarily intelligent
CONS: No real significant flaws

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/

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Leroy 2
Sep 30, 2001
RATING: 5.0

PROS: Hilariously funny.
CONS: none

Leroy 2 fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Sep 10, 2006

Vishass
Feb 1, 2004

Rating: 4.0

Pros: Funny, excellent satire, fantastic art direction
Cons: Some sections fell a little flat. Sort of amusing, but not that great.

PineappleClock
Oct 10, 2001
Rating: 5.0

Pros: Excellent satire, Carls Jr: gently caress you, I'm eating!
Cons: Not Office Space 2

Im not sure i didnt catch the credits, but was Milton the judge?

Velnich
Feb 8, 2006
I gave it a 4, but a 3.5 might have been more appropriate. It was entertaining and clever, but just didn't "feel" like a feature film and the ending left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

It's a good jab at the whole Fox TV/Nascar crowd and it's a movie I'd recommend to pretty much anyone. A good or great movie, but definitely not perfect or excellent.

JodoKaast
Apr 18, 2001

An All-in-One and One-in-All of limitless being and self

PineappleClock posted:

Im not sure i didnt catch the credits, but was Milton the judge?
Yup! Although he more closely resembles his News Radio persona, I feel. But he's a great actor.

I definitely give this movie a 5.0 out of 5.0. I was laughing consistently and constantly throughout the entire movie. I can't even remember the funniest parts; I'm definitely going to have to go back through and watch it many more times.

While not quite as potentially cult-classic as Office Space, I think it's simply because this movie can and will be enjoyed by just about anyone in any position, instead of just people who understand/have to deal with the whole office lifestyle.

See this movie any way you can!

Ah Yes
Jan 8, 2006

goofy boots
I watched this movie earlier this week, and I found it to be pretty funny. Some parts did fall a little flat, but it had some pretty funny moments, especially the opening showing how civilization ended up that way.

Gluehead
Jan 19, 2006
Idiocracy is a classic, possibly better than Office Space, and proves Mike Judge is easily one of the funniest men alive. Everyone needs to see this.

mickey
May 22, 2005

by elpintogrande
All the scenes with government/politics/police were loving hilarious. The joke about Fox News was not so far off - I've seen news blurbs around here with action whooshing sounds between snippets. We're getting there.

Bruegels Fuckbooks
Sep 14, 2004

Now, listen - I know the two of you are very different from each other in a lot of ways, but you have to understand that as far as Grandpa's concerned, you're both pieces of shit! Yeah. I can prove it mathematically.
Rating: 5/5

PROS: Extremely funny movie, probably Mike Judge's strongest film effort to date.

CONS: Vulgar. A little too plausible.

Ville Valo
Sep 17, 2004

I'm waiting for your call
and I'm ready to take
your six six six
in my heart
As ridiculously mediocre as the main character. It didn't get a single laugh from me, but it never felt slow or boring either. Sure, everyone in the future is stupid, but if we're laughing at them laughing at fart jokes, aren't we just as bad?

2.5/5

ddraigcymraeg
Nov 22, 2003
nought
I bought the DVD last night, and after watching it Im glad I was able to support Mike Judge. This film is not perfect, and it's evident from the deleted scenes that the film's editing probably recieved as much resistance as its release.
Idiocracy is essentially critiquing our current society as a whole and where it is headed. It doesnt just attack the 'NASCAR crowd', but everyone, including 'average' careless joes, uptight selfish yuppies, corporatism, mindless consumerism and the ever increasing police state.
The moronic people of the future potrayed by Judge do seem surprisingly plausible, since all he's basically doing is taking current trends and extrapolating them, albiet in a mainly intelligently humorous way. There is a lot of vulgarity, but you are meant to laugh *at* the stupidity of the humor as much as with it, though at times it does get a little flat.
This vulgar stupidity created some uneasyness in me since a lot of it is recognizeable in today's society and entertainment, and Im positive this is exactly what Mike Judge intended. The stoopid humor is offset quite well by some good jokes and subtler, intelligent observations. I especially liked the ending time machine stuff.

This is an original (for Hollywood), very funny at parts, non-PC comedy. It will make you think about where we could possibly be headed as a society, if you have ever thought about such things like dumbing down. Im hoping there is a directors cut released eventually, which may happen since this is set for cult statis.
Even though at times it does fall a little flat, it more than makes up for it in other areas, 5.0/5.0. I thoroughly recommend watching it after a few beers with friends :-)

btw, the idea for this movie was probably inspired by the short story "The Marching Morons" written by the late great sci-fi write Cyril Kornbluth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marching_Morons

ddraigcymraeg fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jan 10, 2007

ahawks
Jul 12, 2004
I downloaded a torrent of this, because I saw it on Digg and assumed it was authorized for free distribution since it never hit the theaters. If it's out on DVD, I will definitely think about buying it.

Way too plausible. It made me look at my own habits and those of my society and compare them with those of 50 or 100 years ago.

When I watched the movie, I didn't evaluate it as a major movie, as I would have if it were at the theaters. Instead, I sort of viewed it as an indy film or something, which made its sometimes-mediocracy a lot more tolerable.

I'd still give it a..

3.5/5

DBlanK
Feb 7, 2004

Living In The Real World
It had its moments, but overall this movie just did not feel like anything I would ever recommend to another person. It left me many times thinking "was that suposed to be funny", or "thats so idiotic its anoying"... maybe that was the point. Probably would be a good movie to watch at a frat house while your brain is impaired, but in my opinion thats about it. (3.0)

Ramseyk
May 30, 2005
hi
Oh my God, I fell in love with this movie immediately. I had moderate expectations since I like Luke Wilsons acting (I love the way he acts stunned at everything), and I really enjoy Mike Judges blunt style and writing.

The humor is great, if you're looking for something low-key and subtle, look elsewhere. This movie never strove to be a really intertwined comedy that pays off well in the end, its pretty much a more in your face 40-Year-Old-Virgin type movie with hilarious stereotypes and obvious social commentary. If you enjoy that humor this movie is for you.

I personally, adored the film. The jokes are perfect and are plentiful and you find yourself looking all over the movie for little hints and details. I don't think I've ever laughed this hard at the president of the United States.

Whats nice is the ending, and Joes (Or Not Sure, lol) little inspirational speech, which puts the movie into perspective. Its not subtle, but drat it feels good to have a movie be blunt sometimes. It might not be some modern praised work of art, but I love the interesting take and original ideas that pertain to our society.

In the end, if you're looking for a very original comedy, go see this. If you're looking for a very funny movie, go see this. If you're looking for Office Space 2 then look elsewhere.

Pros: So funny. Good story.
Cons: Story takes a little bit to get going.

5

MrDingleDangle
Apr 15, 2005

The win of a lifetime, twice.
I thought the first half was hysterical, but wish it went someplace, it seemed like the farther into the movie the less laughs, but I definitely will recommend it to people

4/5

stevebennett
Sep 11, 2001
HEY AI LAMBORGHINIS ARE "SLOW". ALSO, CORN SINGS AND THERE'S ELF SEMEN ON MY CHIN.
I thought it was hilarious, for about 30 minutes. After that, I could not wait for it to end.
Pros: funny
Cons: for about 30 minutes
2.5/5

ataridc
Aug 30, 2005

I gave it a 5 because I thought it was one of the funniest movies I've watched in a very long time. Honestly, my major complaint was they seemed to want very unlikeable characters to become endearing by the end, yet they spend the whole movie damning the world for its stupidity(and rightfully so). It felt kind of awkward and tacked on. Other than that, I laughed almost nonstop.

Soft Shell Crab
Apr 12, 2006

Maybe I'm stupid or something but I didn't like this at all. The plot is so weak and free of any tension or direction that the movie becomes sort of "this could happen" scenario with jokes that I didn't find that funny. It's a critic of current times and as such it's all right but as a full lenght movie that is supposed to go somewhere it just bored me to death.

lauratiny
Mar 20, 2005

Ville Valo posted:

As ridiculously mediocre as the main character. It didn't get a single laugh from me, but it never felt slow or boring either. Sure, everyone in the future is stupid, but if we're laughing at them laughing at fart jokes, aren't we just as bad?

2.5/5

completely agreed.

there were some "heh heh" moments for me but overall I found the movie kind of stupid. No way is it even CLOSE to being better than Office Space. The jokes were just too simple and boring and right after I saw it, I remarked to my friends, "That was the longest short movie I've ever seen." It just dragged. Also I hate Maya Rudolph.

Pros: It gave a scary view of what could be the far future in our country. It wouldn't be surprising if it turned out that way. There were a few good laughs. And I love Luke Wilson.
Cons: Slow. Dumb. Maya Rudolph.

1.5/5

SgtScruffy
Dec 27, 2003

Babies.


I just finished seeing it with my roommate, and I thought it was funny for the first 3/4, and then the last 1/4 wasn't that good, though the Time machine, with dinosaurs everywhere in history made me crack up.


Overall, a funny movie, worth a rental - I wouldn't say that it was funnier than Office Space, though. I think part of the things that made me not like it as much is that, and I feel like a pompous douche for saying this, it is far too plausable.

Overall, 4/5

Zero Karizma
Jul 8, 2004

It's ok now, just tell me what happened...
Eh. After months of hype, I was disappointed by Idiocracy. It's okay, but the future is pretty one-note dumb. Which was funny in the first scene with Dax Sheperd and was then overplayed into infinity. It's a solid 3.5, but nothing spectacular.

Pros: Some funny moments and a good but ham-fisted premise. Easy to recommend, but I can't imagine wanting to watch this more than once.

Cons: That joke with the Time Machine was directly loving lifted from Futurama.. Still funny though.

ZetsurinPower
Dec 14, 2003

I looooove leftovers!
I thought the first half was really good. The rest of the movie kind of put the jokes aside in an effort to wrap up the plot, which really made the movie suffer in my opinoin (the plot is not its strong point).

ChuckMaster
Jul 13, 2006

Evil baby bunnies cannot be fed solid food until after the first week.
Pros: Nice jokes on stupidity. Gives an interesting account of where society can head if pandered to the lowest common denominator. Satire out the rear end. It's a nice movie to watch after calling tech support and being told to check your computer plug.

Cons: The movie is really the same joke. The characters aren't as likable as Office Space. The narration made the movie feel very much like a cartoon. Secondary roles are very weak.

3.0/5.0

Coffey
Sep 9, 2003

by T. Finn
It kinda reminded me of The Stupids in that it was so painfully ignorant, you couldn't help but laugh at it. I guess I didn't really give the movie a fair chance because I don't think too highly, intellectually, of the person whom recommended it to me.

I think a lot of the underlying points, admittedly, went over my head. I guess I'm one of the "average Joe's" that this movie mocks. The vulgarity thing also went right over my head. I just thought it was going to be a stupid stoner film ala Half Baked.

That being said, I did laugh at several scenes and I plan on watching it again now because of this thread. I despise Dax though.

2.5/5
"Welcome to Costco: I love you."

zimboe
Aug 3, 2012

FIRST EBOLA GOON AVOID ALL POSTS SPEWING EBLOA SHIT POSTS EVERWHERE
I'm literally retarded
There is a scene a- long shot- of a fractured freeway bridge with the ocassional car plunging off the edge into a huge pile of ruined cars below.

My favorite scene. TOO STUPID TO LIVE in spades.
AHAHHHAHAHHAHAHYH!

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

Battler, the literal stupidest man on earth. Why are you even here, Battler, why did you come back to this place so you could fuck literally everything up?
*dances into thread*

While Mike Judge's writing and directorial effort has many moments (usually presented as sight gags) that when put together come very close to being the dangerously cutting satire against corporatism that surprisingly many people call it, when taken as a whole the work is too blinded by its searing hatred and bald contempt for poor and non-white people to be anything more than a pretty good raunchy comedy.

Final verdict: Pretty funny for a first watch, but it ain't no Brazil.

*dances out of thread*

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Elentor
Dec 14, 2004

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
I like this movie on a conceptual level. The execution, not so much. I'm happy that it exists, if for no reason other than being able to see how well or poorly it ages as culture marches forward.

3/5

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