This live-action movie from Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill, as well as the 1999 cult favorite Office Space) mimics Matt Groening's Futurama in trying to mine laughs from the notion of a dolt hibernating far into the future. The dullard in this case is supremely “average” soldier Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson), a government test subject who is accidentally kept on ice for 500 years. Joe awakens to find himself in a society in collapse because the human race has “devolved” intellectually as a result of dumb people breeding far more quickly than smart ones. In this world of drooling idiots (where—for instance—the president is a Smackdown wrestler and the top TV show is titled Ow! My Balls!), Joe seems comparatively intelligent, and is therefore tasked with solving the nation's problems. Presumably, Judge means all of this to be a commentary on the dumbing down of America, but the endless stream of dopey slapstick humor, sexual jokes, and scatological gags are so puerile and gross that the film is less of a satiric commentary than an illustration of the problem. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include five deleted scenes (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a paltry extras package for a disappointing satire.] (F. Swietek)
Idiocracy
Fox, 84 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Jan. 9 Volume 22, Issue 1
Idiocracy
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