IDIOCRACY

☆☆ WEEKLY FEATURE MOVIE ☆☆
For educational/research purposes only
Not for profit, fair use law
In 2005, United States Army librarian Joe Bauers is selected for a government suspended animation experiment as the most average individual in the armed forces. Lacking a suitable female candidate, the military hires a prostitute, Rita, by dismissing charges against her and paying off her pimp, Upgrayedd. A scandal involving the officer overseeing the initiative and Upgrayedd forces the closure of the military base under which Joe and Rita were placed in hibernation, suspending the project indefinitely. Over the next five hundred years, average intelligence decreases due to societal expectations, discouraging well-educated individuals from having children as the less-educated reproduce indiscriminately; genetic engineering is forgone in favor of hair loss and erectile dysfunction treatments. As a result, infrastructure deteriorates, low comedy and vulgarity defines culture, and consumerism is left unfettered.
Directed by - Mike Judge
Screenplay by - Etan Cohen, Mike Judge
Story by - Mike Judge
Produced by - Elysa Koplovitz, Mike Judge
Starring - Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews
Narrated by - Earl Mann
Cinematography - Tim Suhrstedt
Edited by - David Rennie
Music by - Theodore Shapiro
Production company - Judgemental Films
Distributed by - 20th Century Fox
Release date - September 1, 2006
Running time - 84 minutes
Country - United States
Language - English
Budget - $2.4 million
Box office - $495,303
The concept of Idiocracy dates back to a concept Judge envisioned in 1996. Judge finished a script with the working title 3001 in 2001, rewriting the film a year later. Filming took place throughout 2004 at Austin Studios and other cities in Texas. Idiocracy serves as a social satire that touches on issues including anti-intellectualism, commercialism, consumerism, dysgenics, voluntary childlessness, and overpopulation. 20th Century Fox was hesitant to promote the film, refusing to grant it a wide release, and did not screen the film for critics. The decision not to market Idiocracy was seen as unexpected, following the success of Office Space (1999), and led to speculation. According to Crews, the film's satirical depiction of corporations made the film financially unviable, while Judge attributed 20th Century Fox's decision to negative test screenings; Judge stated that 20th Century Fox believed that the film would develop a cult following through its DVD release, similar to Office Space.