Idiocracy

Play trailer

Idiocracy

R

2006

1h 24m

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In 2005, average in every way private Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) is selected to take part in a secret military experiment to put him in hibernation for a year along with a woman named Rita (Maya Rudolph). The slumbering duo is forgotten when the base they are stored on is closed down and are left in stasis until 2505. When they finally wake up, they discover the average intelligence of humans has decreased so much that Joe is now the smartest man in the world.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Frustratingly uneven yet enjoyable overall, Idiocracy skewers society's devolution with an amiably goofy yet deceptively barbed wit.

Read Critics Reviews

Reihan Salam

Slate

Apr 9, 2020

Idiocracy is easily the most potent political film of the year, and the most stirring defense of traditional values since Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France.

Go to Full Review

Bilge Ebiri

Village Voice

Oct 4, 2016

The whole film has a drab, somnambulant rhythm. Intentional or not, this is part of its genius.

Go to Full Review

Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

May 7, 2009

If the world is going to hell in any number of handbaskets -- as Judge so acutely demonstrates that it is -- you might as well hitch a ride in his.

Go to Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Nov 20, 2020

D

Crappy film.

Go to Full Review

Peter Schom

IGN Movies

Apr 9, 2020

4/10

While dumb people are an easy target, Judge makes a mistake in only working variants of this one riff.

Go to Full Review

Lucy Barrick

Radio Times

Apr 9, 2020

3/5

Although Wilson's everyman is a bit too much of a blank slate to really care about, the gaudy visuals and cynical gags more than compensate.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Nelly L

@RT35187793 4 days ago

Watched twice. 1x in 2020 and 1x in 2024. Eye-opening literally and metaphorically. Wonderful job displaying a dystopian world. We should all turn off our AC, use a smaller fridge, and charge our devices less. Wear more natural fibres (E.g. cotton), and drink more plain water. Overconsumption has gotten to us. Not just US but also Singapore, where I’m from. Singapore is a lovely place and nothing like this movie, but I see traces of idiocracy here too — overweight people on the streets waddling around, shoppers swarming over piles of cheap clothes, students buried to their phones…… All in all, I realised I keep resorting to politically correct statements for fear of being judged in a negative way. I should change that. However, just by saying that means I am conforming to society’s norms. Also, define "normal", what does "normal" mean? Not the Oxford definition or AI Google summary. Someone tell me what’s normal.

See more

Farah R

@Farah Sep 12, 2026

This is both a comedy for its outrageously silly humor, and a horror for its accuracy in foreseeing the future. The songs were all there and we really did nothing to prevent the decline of human intelligence.

See more

Jamar J

@DennyDawg Sep 11, 2026

Prophecy with comedy...Foretold Trump!@

See more

Robert P

@Superbad Sep 9, 2026

Idiocracy = a 3.5 star movie!

See more

Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Sep 8, 2026

Definitely a product of its times & I’m so thankful we aren’t in that time anymore with movies like this that are culturally pervasive. I understand the hyperbole of it, but I still find it too stupid to give me anything more than a random few chuckles. A high concept comedy that falls apart under its own weight by focusing on all the wrong things that make the premise interesting. There’s an argument that everything bad about this is done on purpose yet there is no excuse for how hideous this movie looks. A few good one liners but making every joke about how dumb people are puts into question if Judge is really just as dumb.

See more

Michel V

@RT94842287 Sep 8, 2026

It just tells the truth of our society…

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Mike Judge

Director

Luke Wilson

Pvt. Joe Bowers

Maya Rudolph

Rita

Dax Shepard

Frito

Terry Crews

President Camacho

David Herman

Secretary of State

The Watch

16%

39%

The Watch

Watchlist

The World's End

89%

72%

The World's End

Watchlist

Iron Sky

42%

37%

Iron Sky

Watchlist

Absolutely Anything

20%

37%

Absolutely Anything

Watchlist

Brazil

98%

90%

Brazil

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 20 Most Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Movies From 20th Century Fox

24 Times The Government Overspent Your Money (In Film & TV)

Critical Consensus: "Crank" Is Well-Ranked; "Illusionist" Is Magic, "Crossover" Is An Air-Ball, "Wicker Man" Gets Burned

View more photos

Synopsis

In 2005, average in every way private Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) is selected to take part in a secret military experiment to put him in hibernation for a year along with a woman named Rita (Maya Rudolph). The slumbering duo is forgotten when the base they are stored on is closed down and are left in stasis until 2505. When they finally wake up, they discover the average intelligence of humans has decreased so much that Joe is now the smartest man in the world.

Director: Mike Judge
Producer: Mike Judge, Elysa Koplovitz
Screenwriter: Mike Judge, Etan Cohen
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R (Sex-Related Humor|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 1, 2006, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 4, 2016
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $438.7K
Runtime: 1h 24m
Sound Mix: Dolby, DTS

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings