Idiocracy (2005)

If you are a big fan of Futurama, you might find this movie to be oddly familiar. Idiocracy is the story of a man and woman who are intentionally frozen by the U.S. Army and unintentionally forgotten. They wake up 500 years later to discover that over that time period, the people with the lowest IQs are those who have done the most reproducing, and over such a long period, the country is reduced to complete 'Idiocracy'. The first thirty minutes of this movie are so stupid that I almost stopped watching. I had heard good things though, so I powered through, and for the most part, I am happy that I did. The first thirty minutes are achingly slow and seem to be going nowhere, but the movie picks up when the idiots in the future realize that Luke Wilson is the smartest person on Earth and try to get him to solve the problems that their own stupidity has caused. Wilson is the right actor for this role; the subtle, dry humor mixed with Something About Mary-esque gross out humor is a perfect medium for him. Overall, he does a really good job, and really helps to salvage Idiocracy. The female lead, played by Maya Rudolph, is pretty good too. I find her to be one of the funnier current SNL cast members, and she does not disappoint in this film. The idea behind the movie is an interesting one. As time progresses, it does seem that-well educated people with higher IQs are having kids later in life or not at all, whereas college drops outs and people on welfare are becoming more and more reproductively successful. If that trend were to continue, one does have to wonder what will happen when the uneducated masses rule the country. I am not sure whether or not I can recommend this movie; the end almost makes the beginning worth sitting through. My wife did not catch this one with me, she's not a fan of Futurama or pie-in-the-face humor. If I had to see this film again, I suppose it would not be the end of the world. I give Idiocracy 2 stars.