DVD about GI Who Awakens after 500 Years in Hibernation

by Kam Williams

When the Pentagon tapped Private Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) and a hooker named Rita (Maya Rudolph) as guinea pigs for its top secret hibernation program, the plan was for them to be frozen for only a year. But something goes horribly wrong and due to a bureaucratic oversight the pair end up forgotten for half a millennium. And what is most shocking about the reality they find upon being thawed is how dumb everybody else is by comparison.

So, suddenly, trashy Rita and average Joe are now the two smartest people on Earth, and their adjustment to a reality of a world run by morons is the running joke which underpins Idiocracy. This clever premise comes courtesy of Mike Judge, director of the equally-brilliant Office Space, an underappreciated cult classic which benefited from word-of-mouth after its DVD release.

This cautionary comedy envisions a miserable dystopia where humanity has degenerated instead of advanced, simply as a logical extension of present-day society's values. As a result, we see our heroes frustrated at every turn, whether by the UPC codes on the zombied citizens, by insulting television shows like "Ow, My Balls," by the buckets of fat which serve as junk food, and by the pro wrestler/porn star (Terry Crews) who has become the country's president.

The plot basically has Joe and Rita first finding each other then trying to negotiate their way thru this brave new world of mental midgets. The laughs just keep coming, provided you never tire of the recurring theme of this one-trick pony. A caustic, comical commentary on the prospects of a culture inclined to pander to the lowest common denominator.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity and for sex-related humor.
Running time: 84 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes.