idiocracy

{{Infobox film

| name = Idiocracy

| image = Idiocracy movie poster.jpg

| alt = Film poster in the style of Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" depicting an imperfect slob

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Mike Judge

| screenplay = {{Plainlist|

Etan Cohen
Mike Judge

}}

| story = Mike Judge

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Elysa Koplovitz
Mike Judge

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| narrator = Earl Mann

| cinematography = Tim Suhrstedt

| editing = David Rennie

| music = Theodore Shapiro

| studio = Judgemental Films

| distributor = 20th Century Fox

| released = {{Film date|2006|09|01}}

| runtime = 84 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $2.4{{Nbsp}}million

| gross = $495,303

}}

Idiocracy is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film co-produced and directed by Mike Judge from a screenplay written by Judge and Etan Cohen based on a story written by Judge. The plot follows United States Army librarian Joe Bauers and prostitute Rita, who undergo a government hibernation experiment. Joe and Rita awake five hundred years later in a dystopian anti-intellectual society. The cast includes Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, David Herman, Justin Long, Andrew Wilson, and Brad Jordan.

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.

The film was released in the United States on September 1, 2006. Despite its lack of a major theatrical release, which resulted in a $495,000 gross at the box office, the film received positive reviews from critics and has since become a cult film.{{cite news |date=May 4, 2008 |first=Rob |last=Walker |title=This Joke's for You |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/magazine/04wwln-consumed-t.html |work=The New York Times Magazine |access-date=May 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618015448/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/magazine/04wwln-consumed-t.html |archive-date=June 18, 2011 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

Plot

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.

Five hundred years later, a garbage avalanche disturbs Joe and Rita's hibernation chambers. Joe awakens in Frito Pendejo's apartment in previously-occupied Washington, D.C. Asking for help he is laughed at as homosexual by the residents who speak a mixture of "hillbilly, Valley Girl, inner-city slang, and various grunts." He enters a hospital, believing the army administered hallucinogenic drugs to him. Joe realizes the year upon reading a magazine and his hospital bill, but he is arrested at a Carl's Jr. for not having a bar code tattoo and being unable to pay his bill. Joe is sent to trial; Frito represents Joe but alleges he destroyed his apartment. The judge perceives Joe to have a homosexual demeanor, finding him guilty and sentencing him to prison. Rita resumes her job as a prostitute.

Joe is sent to a correctional facility, where a faulty identification machine registers his name as "Not Sure", and takes a simplified aptitude test. He escapes from prison after deceiving a guard by saying he had served his sentence and was scheduled for release. Joe visits Frito, who agrees to guide him to a time machine—located within a large Costco Wholesale store—after Joe promises to create a savings account in Frito's name when he returns to the 21st century, earning him billions in compound interest. With Rita, Joe and Frito enter the store, but Joe is arrested after his bar code is scanned. Joe is taken to the White House and appointed secretary of the interior by president Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho due to extraordinary performance on the aptitude test. In an address, Camacho states that Joe will resolve unfruitful crop yields, dust storms, and a stagnant economy, among other issues, within a week or face imprisonment.

Joe and Rita visit a crop field. Frito gives him a useless map to the time machine. Joe discovers that the country's crops are being watered with Brawndo, a sports drink whose parent company owns the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Communications Commission; the concentration of electrolytes in Brawndo has destroyed natural topsoil, causing dust storms. Despite opposition to his plan in the form of circular reasoning from the Cabinet, Joe convinces Camacho to use water instead of Brawndo in irrigation. Consequently, Brawndo—who employs half of the population—files for bankruptcy, inciting riots as immediate improvement to the crops did not materialize.

At the Extreme Court, Joe is sentenced to public execution in a monster truck demolition derby against undefeated rehabilitation officer Beef Supreme. Rita and Frito discover that Joe's reintroduction of water to the soil allowed crops to grow. Rita pays a cameraman to broadcast the crops on the stadium's Jumbotron, prompting Camacho to grant Joe a presidential pardon. After discovering the time machine is just an amusement ride, a detail Frito was aware of, Joe becomes president and marries Rita, with whom he has three children, who are "the three smartest kids in the world." Frito becomes vice president and has 32 children, "the dumbest kids ever to walk the earth".

Cast

{{Multiple image

| total_width = 420

| direction = horizontal

| align = right

| footer = Left to right: Luke Wilson (pictured in 2016), Maya Rudolph (2012), and Dax Shepard (2013)

| image1 = Luke Wilson (2016).jpg

| alt1 = A photograph of Luke Wilson

| image2 = Maya Rudolph (portrait cropped).jpg

| alt2 = A photograph of Maya Rudolph

| image3 = Dax Shepard Paleyfest 2013.jpg

| alt3 = A photograph of Dax Shepard

}}

Luke Wilson as Joe Bauers / Not Sure – A former librarian in the United States Army and eventually the president of the United States.
Maya Rudolph as Rita – A prostitute and eventually the first lady of the United States.
Dax Shepard as Frito Pendejo – A lawyer and eventually the vice president of the United States.
Terry Crews as Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho – The president of the United States.
Andrew Wilson as Beef Supreme – A rehabilitation officer
Brad Jordan as Upgrayedd – A pimp

Other cast members include David Herman as the secretary of state, Justin Long as Doctor Lexus, Stephen Root as Judge Hector, Anthony "Citric" Campos as the Secretary of Defense, Thomas Haden Church as Brawndo's chief executive, and Sara Rue as the attorney general in an uncredited role.{{cite tweet |last=Rue |first=Sara |author-link=Sara Rue |user=SARARUEFORREAL |number=593838187174170625 |date=April 30, 2015 |title=#TBT a picture from #Idiocracy "IT'S GOT ELECTROLYTES" http://t.co/PT4QKQlzWo |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415023153/https://twitter.com/SARARUEFORREAL/status/593838187174170625 |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/all-for-love/cast/sara-rue|title=Sara Rue as Jo on All for Love|publisher=Hallmark Channel|access-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010213634/http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/all-for-love/cast/sara-rue|archive-date=October 10, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

Themes

The idea of a dystopian society based on dysgenics can be traced back to the work of eugenicist Sir Francis Galton. H. G. Wells' 1895 novel The Time Machine postulates a society of humans who have devolved due to leaving the work to others, while the "Epsilon-minus Semi-Morons" of Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World have been intentionally bred to provide a low-grade workforce. Perhaps the closest predecessor is the 1951 short story "The Marching Morons" by Cyril M. Kornbluth.{{cite web |url=http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/news/1/12221-humankinds-future-social-and-political-utopia-or-idiocracy.html |title=Humankind's future: social and political Utopia or Idiocracy? |last=Tremblay |first=Ronald Michel |date=November 4, 2009 |work=Atlantic Free Press |access-date=2010-05-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727031632/http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/news/1/12221-humankinds-future-social-and-political-utopia-or-idiocracy.html |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://archive.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w146.html |title=Idiocracy Rising |first=William Norman |last=Grigg |date=May 14, 2010 |publisher=Lew Rockwell |access-date=2010-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618070003/http://archive.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w146.html |archive-date=June 18, 2015 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

Production

Early working titles included The United States of Uhh-merica and 3001.{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6783693 | title=So What Idiot Kept This Movie Out of Theaters? (3rd item) | publisher=NPR | first=Thomas | last=Pierce | date=January 11, 2007 | access-date=2007-02-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201182755/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6783693 | archive-date=December 1, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} Filming took place in 2004 on several stages at Austin Studios{{cite web | title = Idiocracy at Austin Studios. Facilities usage. | website=austinfilm.org | publisher=Austin Film Society | url = http://www.austinfilm.org/idiocracy | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008210602/http://www.austinfilm.org/idiocracy | archive-date = 2007-10-08 | access-date = 2010-06-18}} and in the Texas cities of Austin, San Marcos, Pflugerville, and Round Rock.{{cite web | title = Texas Film Commission Filmography (2000–2007) | work=Office of the Governor | url = http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/film/general/00film.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080822033056/http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/film/general/00film.htm | archive-date = 2008-08-22 | access-date = 2010-06-20}} Test screenings around March 2005 produced unofficial reports of poor audience reactions. After some re-shooting in the summer of 2005, a UK test screening in August produced a report of a positive impression.{{cite web | url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/21057 | title=Mike Judge's Idiocracy Tests! (etc.) | publisher=AintItCoolNews.com | work=Eric Vespe quoting anonymous contributor | date=August 22, 2005 | access-date=2007-02-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226123214/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/21057 | archive-date=February 26, 2007 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}

Release

Idiocracy{{'}}s original release date was August 5, 2005, according to Mike Judge.{{cite web | title = Mike Judge Still Not In '3001' | work=Dark Horizons | date = February 28, 2005 | first = Garth | last= Franklin | url = http://www.darkhorizons.com/news05/050228g.php | archive-url = https://archive.today/20080205220006/http://www.darkhorizons.com/news05/050228g.php | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 5, 2008 | access-date = 2010-08-21}} In April 2006, a release date was set for September 1, 2006. In August, numerous articles{{cite web | url = http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1538260/story.jhtml | title = MTV Movie File | work = MTV | publisher = Viacom | first = Larry | last = Carroll | date = August 30, 2006 | access-date = 2007-02-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060814204051/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1538260/story.jhtml | archive-date = August 14, 2006 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }} revealed that release was to be put on hold indefinitely. Idiocracy was released as scheduled but only in seven cities (Los Angeles, Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Mike Judge's hometown, Austin, Texas), and expanded to only 130 theaters, not the usual wide release of 600 or more theaters.[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/about/boxoffice.htm About Movie Box Office Tracking and Terms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815011543/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/about/boxoffice.htm |date=August 15, 2010 }}. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-08-28. According to the Austin American-Statesman, 20th Century Fox, the film's distributor, was entirely absent in promoting the feature;{{cite news | url=http://www.statesman.com/search/content/shared/movies/stories/2006/09/idiocracy.html | title=Was 'Idiocracy' treated idiotically? | newspaper=Austin American-Statesman | first=Chris | last=Garcia | date=August 30, 2006 | access-date=2007-02-09}} while posters were released to theaters, "no movie trailers, no ads, and only two stills",{{cite web | url = https://www.cinematical.com/2006/10/22/indieseen-time-for-mike-judge-to-go-indie | title = Time for Mike Judge to go Indie | work=Cinematical | first = Jette | last=Kernion | date = October 22, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120722032732/http://blog.moviefone.com/2006/10/22/indieseen-time-for-mike-judge-to-go-indie | archive-date = 22 July 2012 | url-status = dead}} and no press kits were released.{{cite web | url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5788260 | title = A Paucity of Publicity for 'Idiocracy' | work = Day to Day | publisher = NPR | first = Nihar | last = Patel | date = September 8, 2006 | access-date = April 5, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180418230009/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5788260 | archive-date = April 18, 2018 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }} Transcript.

The film was not screened for critics.{{cite web | url = https://www.avclub.com/idiocracy-1798202014 | title = Idiocracy (review) | work = The A.V. Club | publisher = The Onion | first = Nathan | last = Rabin | date = September 6, 2006 | access-date = 2007-02-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100825025938/http://www.avclub.com/articles/idiocracy%2C3812/ | archive-date = August 25, 2010 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }} Lack of concrete information from Fox led to speculation that the distributor may have actively tried to keep the film from being seen by a large audience, while fulfilling a contractual obligation for theatrical release ahead of a DVD release, according to Ryan Pearson of the AP.{{cite news | url=http://asap.ap.org/stories/859107.s | title=The mystery of 'Idiocracy' | agency=Associated Press | first=Ryan | last=Pearson | date=September 8, 2006 | access-date=2006-11-25 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929212120/http://asap.ap.org/stories/859107.s | archive-date=September 29, 2007 | df=mdy-all }} That speculation was followed by open criticism of the studio's lack of support from Ain't It Cool News, Time, and Esquire.{{cite web | url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/24374 | title=Open Letter to Fox re: IDIOCRACY!!! | publisher=Ain't It Cool News | first=Eric | last=Vespe | date=September 2, 2006 | access-date=November 1, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411132828/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/24374 | archive-date=April 11, 2014 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}{{cite news | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533437,00.html | title = Dude, Where's My Film? | work = Time Magazine | first = Joel | last = Stein | date = September 10, 2006 | access-date = February 15, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100903224132/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533437,00.html | archive-date = September 3, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}{{cite journal | url = http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0606MJUDGE_84 | title = Mike Judge Is Getting Screwed (Again) | journal = Esquire | first = Brian | last = Raftery | date = June 1, 2006 | access-date = February 15, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090426013155/http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0606MJUDGE_84 | archive-date = April 26, 2009 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }} Time{{'}}s Joel Stein wrote "the film's ads and trailers tested atrociously", but, "still, abandoning Idiocracy seems particularly unjust, since Judge has made a lot of money for Fox."

In The New York Times, Dan Mitchell argued that Fox might be shying away from the cautionary tale about low-intelligence dysgenics because the company did not want to offend either its viewers or potential advertisers portrayed negatively in the film.{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/09/business/09online.html | title = Shying away from Degeneracy | newspaper = New York Times | first = Dan | last = Mitchell | date = September 9, 2006 | access-date = 2006-11-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170118084822/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/09/business/09online.html | archive-date = January 18, 2017 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }} This theory has been given extra weight by Terry Crews, who stars in the movie as President Camacho. In a 2018 interview with GQ Magazine, he talked of advertisers being unhappy at the way they were portrayed, which affected the studio's efforts to promote the movie. He said, "The rumor was, because we used real corporations in our comedy (I mean, Starbucks was giving hand jobs) these companies gave us their name thinking they were gonna get 'pumped up', and then we're like, 'Welcome to Costco, we love you' [delivered in monotone]. All these real corporations were like, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute' ... there were a lot of people trying to back out, but it was too late. And so Fox, who owned the movie, decided, 'We're going to release this in as few theaters as legally possible'. So it got a release in, probably, three theaters over one weekend and it was sucked out, into the vortex".{{cite AV media |author=GQ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM1XfAsGnHI |title=Terry Crews Breaks Down His 10 Most Iconic Characters |work=GQ |via=YouTube|date=12 July 2018 |access-date=7 August 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125003035/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM1XfAsGnHI |archive-date=25 November 2016 |df=dmy-all }}
{{cite web |date=2018-12-07 |title=Terry Crews Breaks Down His Favorite Iconic Characters |url=https://www.gq.com/video/watch/terry-crews-breaks-down-his-favorite-iconic-characters?c=series |website=GQ |publisher=Condé Nast }}

In 2017, Judge told The New York Times that the film's lack of marketing and wide release was the result of negative test screenings.{{cite web |last=Staley |first=Willy |title=Mike Judge, the Bard of Suck |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/magazine/mike-judge-the-bard-of-suck.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=14 April 2017 |date=13 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413193446/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/magazine/mike-judge-the-bard-of-suck.html |archive-date=April 13, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} He added that Fox subsequently decided to not give the film a strong marketing push because the distributor believed it would develop a cult following through word-of-mouth and recoup its budget through home video sales, as Judge's previous film Office Space had.

=Box office=

From a budget of $2.4 million, Idiocracy earned a worldwide total of $495,303; $444,093 domestically, and $51,210 internationally.{{cite web |title=Idiocracy (2006) – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Idiocracy#tab=summary |publisher=The Numbers |quote=$2,400,000}}{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=idiocracy.htm | title = Idiocracy | work = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 2007-02-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070313200900/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=idiocracy.htm | archive-date = March 13, 2007 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }}

Reception

Although it was not screened in advance for critics, Idiocracy received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 71%, with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 52 reviews. The website's "Critics Consensus" for the film reads, "Frustratingly uneven yet enjoyable overall, Idiocracy skewers society's devolution with an amiably goofy yet deceptively barbed wit."{{cite web |title= Idiocracy |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/idiocracy/ |website= Rotten Tomatoes |publisher= Fandango Media |access-date= April 9, 2022 }} On Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web |title= Idiocracy |url= http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/idiocracy |website=Metacritic |publisher= CBS |access-date=2009-09-08 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100616172026/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/idiocracy |archive-date= June 16, 2010 |url-status= live }}

Los Angeles Times reviewer Carina Chocano described it as "spot on" satire and a "pitch-black, bleakly hilarious vision of an American future", although the "plot, naturally, is silly and not exactly bound by logic. But it's Judge's gimlet-eyed knack for nightmarish extrapolation that makes Idiocracy a cathartic delight."{{cite web|url=http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-idiocracy4sep04,0,3328767.story |title=Movie review : 'Idiocracy' |date=September 4, 2006 |first=Carina |last=Chocano |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=2010-09-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311203725/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-idiocracy4sep04%2C0%2C3328767.story |archive-date=March 11, 2010 |df=mdy-all }} In an Entertainment Weekly review, Joshua Rich gave the film an "EW Grade" of "D", stating that "Mike Judge implores us to reflect on a future in which Britney and K-Fed are like the new Adam and Eve."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1528246,00.html |title=Idiocracy (2006) |first=Joshua |last=Rich |date=August 30, 2006 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=2010-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123220259/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1528246,00.html |archive-date=November 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} The A.V. Club{{'}}s Nathan Rabin found Luke Wilson "perfectly cast ... as a quintessential everyman"; and wrote of the film "Like so much superior science fiction, Idiocracy uses a fantastical future to comment on a present. ... There's a good chance that Judge's smartly lowbrow Idiocracy will be mistaken for what it's satirizing." Gerald Casale, a founding member of the new wave band Devo, said Idiocracy is "the movie Devo should have made."{{cite web | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/devo-open-letter-devolution-rock-hall-trump-2018/ | title=We Are Drowning in a Devolved World: An Open Letter from Devo | date=December 6, 2018 }}

John Patterson, critic for The Guardian, wrote, "Idiocracy isn't a masterpiece—Fox seems to have stiffed Judge on money at every stage—but it's endlessly funny", and of the film's popularity, described seeing the film "in a half-empty house. Two days later, same place, same show—packed-out."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/sep/08/johnpatterson |first=John |last=Patterson |title=On film: Stupid Fox |date=September 8, 2006 |work=The Guardian |location=UK |access-date=2010-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201214614/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/sep/08/johnpatterson |archive-date=December 1, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} Brazilian news magazine Veja called the film "politically incorrect", recommending that readers see the DVD and wrote "the film went flying through [American] theaters and did not open in Brazil. Proof that the future contemplated by Judge is not that far away."{{cite web |url=http://veja.abril.com.br/210307/veja_recomenda.shtml |title=Idiocracy |date=March 21, 2007 |work=veja.com |publisher=VEJA |language=pt |location=Brazil |access-date=2010-09-16 |quote=... o filme passou voando pelos cinemas americanos e nem estreou nos brasileiros. Prova de que o futuro vislumbrado por Judge não está assim tão distante. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723200812/http://veja.abril.com.br/210307/veja_recomenda.shtml |archive-date=July 23, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}

Critic Alexandre Koball of the Brazilian website CinePlayers.com gave the movie a score of 5 out of 5. Another staff reviewer wrote, "Idiocracy is not exactly ... funny nor ... innovative but it's a movie to make you think, even if for five minutes. And for that it manages to stay one level above the terrible average of comedy movies released in the last years in the United States."{{cite web |url=http://www.cineplayers.com/critica.php?id=1179 |title=Idiocracy (2006) |first=Alexandre |last=Koball |date=April 12, 2007 |work=CinePlayers.com |language=pt |location=Brazil |access-date=2010-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201055810/http://cineplayers.com/critica.php?id=1179 |archive-date=February 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

Home media

Idiocracy was released on DVD on January 9, 2007. It has earned $9 million on DVD rentals, over 20 times its gross domestic box office revenue of under $450,000.{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=homevideo&id=idiocracy.htm |title=Idiocracy (2006) – DVD / Home Video Rentals |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=June 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310044753/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=homevideo&id=idiocracy.htm |archive-date=March 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} In the UK, uncut versions of the film were shown on satellite channel Sky Comedy on February 26, 2009, with the Freeview premiere shown on Film4 on April 26, 2009.

Spin-offs

In August 2012, Crews said he was in talks with director Judge and Fox over a possible Idiocracy spin-off featuring his President Camacho character, initially conceived as a web series.{{cite web |url=http://movieline.com/2012/08/06/idiocracy-movie-spin-off-terry-crews-president-camacho/ |title=Idiocracy Spin-Off In The Works? Terry Crews Talks |last=Yamato |first=Jen |date=August 6, 2012 |work=Movieline |access-date=2012-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809214356/http://movieline.com/2012/08/06/idiocracy-movie-spin-off-terry-crews-president-camacho/ |archive-date=August 9, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} A week before the 2012 elections, he reprised the character in a series of short sketches for Funny or Die. Before the 2016 presidential election, Rolling Stone published an article stating that Judge and Cohen would produce Idiocracy-themed campaign ads opposing Donald Trump's presidential campaign if given permission from Fox to do so.{{cite magazine |date=June 4, 2016 |author=Daniel Kreps |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/idiocracy-team-ready-anti-donald-trump-campaign-ads-20160603 |title='Idiocracy' Team Ready Anti-Donald Trump Campaign Ads |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=November 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212044338/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/idiocracy-team-ready-anti-donald-trump-campaign-ads-20160603 |archive-date=December 12, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} Crews later told Business Insider that the ads would not go forward as planned, but that they would have featured Camacho wrestling in a cage match against the other candidates.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/terry-crews-says-no-idiocracy-anti-donald-trump-ads-2016-7|title=Terry Crews says there won't be any 'Idiocracy'-themed ads attacking Donald Trump after all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818091046/http://www.businessinsider.com/terry-crews-says-no-idiocracy-anti-donald-trump-ads-2016-7|archive-date=August 18, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all |publisher=BusinessInsider.com|access-date=August 18, 2017 |first=Jason |last=Guerrasio |date=July 20, 2016 |work=Business Insider}}

Legacy

Image:Trump-WomensMarch 2017-1060585 (31638091963).jpg presupposing Idiocracy as a "documentary"]]

During the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, the film's co-writer Etan Cohen{{cite web|url=http://www.ifc.com/2016/03/idiocracy-writer-predicts-future|title=Idiocracy Writer Shocked How Well the Movie Predicted the Future|work=IFC|access-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308050859/http://www.ifc.com/2016/03/idiocracy-writer-predicts-future|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} and others expressed opinions that the film's predictions were converging on accuracy,{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/donald-trump-idiocracy/|title=Is Donald Trump the Herald of 'Idiocracy'?|date=March 1, 2016|work=Collider|access-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309190958/http://collider.com/donald-trump-idiocracy/|archive-date=March 9, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=https://www.good.is/articles/idiocracy-writer-didnt-know-he-was-nostradamus|title=Idiocracy Writer Admits He May Have Predicted the Future|work=GOOD Magazine|date=February 26, 2016|access-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308051127/https://www.good.is/articles/idiocracy-writer-didnt-know-he-was-nostradamus|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/movies/the-idiaccuracy-of-idiocracy|title=The idiaccuracy of Idiocracy: When life imitates art for better or for the actual worst|first=David|last=Berry|date=March 1, 2016|work=National Post|access-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307235240/http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/movies/the-idiaccuracy-of-idiocracy|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/arianelange/donald-trump-idiocracy-coming-true-screenwriter-says |title="Idiocracy" Writer Says Donald Trump Made The Movie A Reality Faster Than He Ever Imagined |quote=Idiocracy screenwriter Etan Cohen talks to BuzzFeed News about his 2006 movie "coming true" with the 2016 election and the anti-Trump ads he's working on with Camacho himself, Terry Crews. |first=Ariane |last=Lange |work=BuzzFeed |date=June 3, 2016 |access-date=November 16, 2020}} a sentiment repeated by director Judge during the elections that year.{{cite web |date=August 19, 2016 |last=Friedman |first=Megan |title=Director Mike Judge Says It's 'Scary' How Idiocracy Has Come True |url=http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a47841/mike-judge-idiocracy-2016/ |website=Esquire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820174614/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a47841/mike-judge-idiocracy-2016/ |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |access-date=19 August 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} At the time, Judge also compared Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump—who was later elected president—to the film's pro wrestler-turned-president Camacho. When asked about predicting the future, he quipped, "I'm no prophet, I was off by 490 years."{{cite web |url=https://time.com/4327424/idiocracy/ |title=We have become an Idiocracy |last= Stein |first= Joel |author-link=Joel Stein |magazine=TIME |date=May 12, 2016 |access-date=November 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127100108/http://time.com/4327424/idiocracy/ |archive-date=November 27, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

Comparisons have been made between the film and Trump's first presidency.{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mike-judge-trump-makes-idiocracy-look-optimistic |title=Mike Judge: Trump Makes 'Idiocracy' Look 'Optimistic' |first=Matt |last=Wilstein |date=August 14, 2017 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |website=www.thedailybeast.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924170541/http://www.thedailybeast.com/mike-judge-trump-makes-idiocracy-look-optimistic |archive-date=September 24, 2017 |url-status=live|df=mdy-all }}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/donald-trump-for-president-idiocracy-is-coming-true/ |title=Donald Trump for president: Idiocracy is coming true |first=Tim |last=Stanley |date=November 9, 2016 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |newspaper=The Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614023740/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/donald-trump-for-president-idiocracy-is-coming-true/ |archive-date=June 14, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-idiocracy-the-new-paradigm-of-fools_us_58e12241e4b03c2b30f6a77f |title=Trump's Idiocracy: The New Paradigm Of Fools |first=Jim |last=Moore |date=April 2, 2017 |website=The Huffington Post |access-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011000249/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-idiocracy-the-new-paradigm-of-fools_us_58e12241e4b03c2b30f6a77f |archive-date=October 11, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} An article for Collider pointed out the ways in which Trump's positions echoed the political decisions of the characters in the film in areas such as science, business, entertainment, environment, healthcare, law enforcement, and politics.{{cite web |url= https://collider.com/donald-trump-idiocracy/#garbage-avalanche |title= Is Donald Trump the Herald of 'Idiocracy'? |first= Dave |last= Trumbore |date= September 1, 2016 |website=Collider |access-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160309190958/http://collider.com/donald-trump-idiocracy/#garbage-avalanche |archive-date= March 9, 2016 |url-status= live |df=mdy-all }} Internet memes have spawned comparisons to Trump and characters in the film.{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/vindicated/2016/11/win-or-lose-trump-has-proven-idiocracy-painfully-prescient.html |title=Win or Lose, Trump Has Proven Idiocracy Painfully Prescient |first=Adam K. |last=Raymond |magazine=New York |date=November 8, 2016 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613084545/http://nymag.com/vindicated/2016/11/win-or-lose-trump-has-proven-idiocracy-painfully-prescient.html |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web|url=http://flavorwire.com/537887/who-said-it-presidential-hopeful-donald-trump-or-idiocracy-president-camacho|title=Who Said It: Presidential Hopeful Donald Trump or 'Idiocracy' President Camacho?|date=September 16, 2015|access-date=June 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613084721/http://flavorwire.com/537887/who-said-it-presidential-hopeful-donald-trump-or-idiocracy-president-camacho|archive-date=June 13, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/22/watch-trump-s-rnc-speech-is-a-lot-like-the-idiocracy-state-of-the-union|title=Watch: Trump's RNC Speech is a Lot Like the 'Idiocracy' State of the Union|first=Nathan|last=Place|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=July 22, 2016|access-date=June 13, 2018|via=www.thedailybeast.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518234857/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/22/watch-trump-s-rnc-speech-is-a-lot-like-the-idiocracy-state-of-the-union|archive-date=May 18, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}