Idiocracy (2006) Review

By Chad Jarrah

When my cousin told me the premise behind Idiocracy, I nodded in approval. Why have I never heard of this movie? When I watched the old trailer for this movie on YouTube, I laughed, and again, I questioned myself: How could I have no recollection of having ever heard or seen anything about this film. Mike Judge’s (director of Office Space) comical answer to George Orwell’s 1984, tells of a horrifying, yet not altogether implausible, vision of humanity.

Idiocracy narrates the story of army private Joe Bauers, played by Luke Wilson. A regular ‘Joe’ in every sense of the word, Bauers is chosen for a top secret army experiment to be cryogenically frozen for one year. The ever compassionate U.S. Army chooses the most average of their enlisted, along with a prostitute named Rita (Maya Rudolph), to minimize their losses in case of a mishap. The army turns out to be correct in both their heartless calculation and the aforesaid mishap as Joe and Rita are mistakenly sent 500 years into the future.

This is where the movie takes a turn for the comically true. The future Joe finds himself in is considerably dumber than the world he left, making him easily the smartest human alive. For all the funny jabs at society Idiocracy offered, there always seemed to be a touch of truth behind it that left me ill at ease. Here are a few comparisons that I found to be noteworthy:

Funny: The names of future Americans. Have you always wanted to name your first born son after your favorite brand of cola, but feel it to be socially unacceptable? Well just wait a couple hundred years and Pepsi Smith may just be the most popular name around. In the film, every future character seems to have sold the rights to their name to some conglomerate company. Frito reluctantly helps Joe get an appointment with Dr. Lexus. It may not matter because Joe is slated to be ‘rehabilitated’ by Beef Supreme and Tylenol Jones. The only one that can save Joe now may be the honorable President of the United States: President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. God Bless America!

But Possibly True: It seems even in current times that big companies have their names everywhere in order to widen their notoriety. Just take a look at most of our current sporting facilities. The Philadelphia Eagles used to play in Veteran Stadium, now they host their season at the Lincoln Financial Center. The Pittsburgh Steelers held their games at an aptly named Three Rivers Stadium, and now they kneel before the merciless ketchup tyrant at Heinz Field. It’s getting so you can’t turn a corner without being inundated with advertising. So it doesn’t really sound that far fetched that some company thirsting to spread their name even further, could eventually make an offer high enough to buy the rights to someone’s name.

Funny: President Dwayne Elizondo “Mountain Dew” Herbert Camacho. Dresses like a professional wrestler with his flamboyant uniform and overly muscled physique. Gives less than inspiring speeches and has a horrible vocabulary.

But Possibly True: President George Walker Bush. Acts like a professional wrestler in terms of his aggressive foreign policy tactics and his ‘war on terror…oh yeah….snap into a Slim Jim!’ Gives less than inspiring speeches and has a horrible vocabulary.

Once the movie was finished I was pleasantly surprised but still, my curiosity was not slaked. Why had I never heard of this movie? Thus began my research. Idiocracy was only released in 135 theaters in the U.S. and with box office receipts of just under half a million dollars. That’s it? More questions arose, leading to more answers. Why had it been released in so few theaters? Some theories pointed at the movie’s anti-corporate message: Law school at Costco, handjobs offered at Starbucks, and the replacement of Brawndo (a Gatorade-like energy drink) for water for practically every use, save toilet water. Powerful corporations may very well have given a complete lack of support to the movie that would make fun of them, thereby making it fail at the box office. After all, no advertising dollars equals no publicity.

The closet conspirator in me was annoyed that such a great movie could get such little attention or praise. As a result I implore anyone who reads this article: watch Idiocracy! And when you’re done, (if you agree) tell your friends how great it is. You’ll not only be entertaining yourself, but you’ll be fighting the power in the process. Viva la Joe Bauers!

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