Idocracy is HILARIOUS (1 Viewer)

[Bob_L]

[Oops. Should be "Idiocracy"]

Man, Fox is throwing this movie out with the garbage, releasing it in only 150 theaters in seven cities with NO trailer and NO advertising.

But if you liked "Office Space," you'll enjoy this latest film by Mike Judge as another instant cult classic.

In the present time, a J6P becomes the victim of a hibernation experiment and wakes up 500 years in the future. Instead of a utopian paradise, he finds a future that has been shaped by the lowest-common denominators of society, a dumbed-down distopia in which the most popular show on TV is "OW! My BALLS!" and the court system works like the Jerry Springer Show.

I just loved this and laughed as hard as I've ever laughed in a theater. If you like Judge's work, get out and see this. You'll have a good time and, perhaps, show some of the Idiocratic execs at Fox that there is still a market for small, genuinely funny movie satires.

 

[ThomasC]

Wow. No official website, no trailer, nothing. This is unbelievable, especially since 20th Century Fox is the distributor and Mike Judge is, by no means, a no-name director. What the fuck, Fox?

 

[Ravi K]

ThomasC, it just wasn't that well made. It has its plusses, but it also has quite a few minuses. It certainly does not have the assuredness of Office Space.

A movie like this needs a normal hero to contrast the craziness around him, but Luke Wilson is average to the point of being bland and uninteresting. Maya Rudolph isn't that interesting either. And there are certain logistical things I wondered about. If these people are so stupid, how do they have electricity? How does stuff get built? Are all the futuristic gadgets a remnant from a smarter time? Who is responsible for all the product placements? Is there a secret elite keeping people stupid for their own purposes? Is the whole world like this?

Some of the satire was pointed and pretty funny, such as the lampooning of certain mega-chains and the cheapening of politics. It went further than I thought a major Hollywood movie would, but its not coupled with an interesting story or characters.

You'll probably agree with the satire and you might even laugh here and there, but you won't necessarily enjoy the movie or care about what happens.

 

[RyanAn]

I work at a theatre and I remember last year we got a calendar featuring movies from Fox coming soon and got so jazzed that this was finally coming out. Needless to day - it has not gotten a chance among the countless die-hard Mike Judge fans like myself.

It's something I'd like to have the chance to see and I'll be searching for the DVD or resort to other means if I have to.

ry

NOTE: To refrain from legalites, I mean "move to another city" instead of "other means."

 

[Mark Schmitt]

Just saw this tonight and I thought it was hilarious. Never mind the logistical inconsistency and revel in its portrayal of stupidity. I feel dumb after watching it, but in a good way.

Too bad Fox screwed everybody out of this one, so when the DVD comes out, definitely check it out.

 

[Travis_S]

Even if it's not that good, I can't belive the dump job this movie has gotten. I mean, is it that much worse than the other crap that has come out this year? Unfortunately I can't say since it's not playing anywhere near me. Oh well...

 

[Brian D H]

I just read that Fox tested a number of trailers and couldn't get one that worked. Evidently the visuals are so bland that they couldn't get enough to make a compelling trailer. Fox considered filming new material just for the trailer, but decided it was more cost effective to simply dump it.

So, if I read this correctly it's more of a failure on the part of the Fox marketing department. Seems strange to me. Why not simply a few print ads with "From the man who brought you Office Space and Beavis and Butt Head..."

 

[Shane Gralaw]

It's certainly funny in parts - no one can do stupid jokes better than Judge. The funniest bits are just the frustrating conversations (like the Oval Office discussion on using water for plants). Tonally, it feels like a rough cut and the narration seems a really awkward device used to gloss over exposition that perhaps they did not have the money to actually shoot. Still, it's not any worse than a lot of Wayans comedies and works as a mild satire.

 

[Patrick Mason]

I never thought I would say this, but: as is, this movie deserved no better a release than it got. This movie is an absolute mess, and was painfully unfunny and difficult to sit through.

Perhaps if the movie had been allowed to be finished (which, as the special effects, editing, and constant omnicient narration attest, it was not) it COULD have been funny...

But I doubt it. When it comes down to it, watching an entire world populated with morons is more tedious than funny. There was no real "razor sharp satire" as I had been lead to believe. Most of the characters, including the lawyer and the President, simply annoyed the crap out of me.

Though we'll likely never know what Mike Judge had intended with this film, it seems likely to me that it never would have risen above being a complete misfire for him. I hesitate to ever recommend NOT seeing a film under any circumstances, but sadly my verdict on this one is Avoid At All Costs. Hopefully Mike Judge will get another shot at recapturing that Office Space magic, but this was never going to be the film to do it. Not by a long shot.

My two cents,

Patrick

 

[TonyD]

so no trailer is viewable for this movie?

 

[Mark Schmitt]

No trailer was released. But one exists.

And I can't disagree with Patrick any more.

Of course, I always like a nice helping of stupid with my comedies. And the whole point of it was to be over the top, to stress how stupid these people actually became.

 

[Sam Posten]

This is among the top 5 funniest movies I have ever seen and deserves to have gotten a better release than it did. HIGHLY recommended!

 

[dpippel]

Idiocracy is not only hilarious, it's prophetic.

 

[Jason Charlton]

"Go away. 'Batin!"

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Well, this movie certainly turned into a basic-cable staple.


What happened to Fuddrucker's?!?!?!

 

[Greg.K]

Am I the only one highly amused that the movie name in this thread has been misspelled this whole time?

 

[dpippel]

It's either intentional or ironic, one of the two.

 

[TonyD]

Sam brings one back from the sleeping.
It's a really stupid and funny movie. I didn't remember posting the question ten years ago about not getting a trailer for this.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

It's either intentional or ironic, one of the two.

Note the OP's comment when he realized the mistake.

 

[dpippel]

Irony it is then.