'Idiocracy': Dumb and Dumber

"Idiocracy" (Rated R; List price: $27.98)
Release Date: Jan. 9

"Idiocracy" came to so few theaters and left so quickly, it's no wonder that fans of director/writer Mike Judge threw a hissy fit.

Judge's film follow-up to the 1999 cult favorite "Office Space" was released in just 130 cineplexes last September, missing major markets like New York and Washington, D.C. completely. It seemed that Fox, the studio behind this satire about the increasing crassness of American culture, wanted to get rid of the flick as inconspicuously as possible, a tactic that had just the opposite effect. Journalists and bloggers balked at the lack of a marketing campaign, suggesting that perhaps Fox feared the impact of the movie's many barbs at corporate America. Critics -- at least the few who actually got to see "Idiocracy" -- gave it mixed, but many positive reviews. Slate.com even dubbed the comedy "The Movie Hollywood Doesn't Want You to See."

Now that the DVD of "Idiocracy" is available, the Mike Judge-faithful can finally, well, judge it for themselves. My advice: Don't get your hopes up. The basic plot of "Idiocracy," which focuses on a stunningly average man (Luke Wilson) who gets cryogenically frozen and awakens in 2505 to find he's the smartest guy in a very stupid America, is promising. But the execution sputters. The dumbing-down of the U.S. of A certainly makes ripe fodder for parody, but the jokes -- water fountains that spew sports drinks, a House of Representatives now called "the House of Representin'" -- aren't particularly inspired. Despite the occasional chuckle and the best efforts of a strong supporting cast -- including Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews of "Everybody Hates Chris" and, in a brief cameo, Thomas Haden Church -- "Idiocracy" plays like a weak "Saturday Night Live" sketch desperately searching for a payoff. "Office Space" it ain't.

If you're expecting the DVD's extra features to delve more deeply into the controversy about the movie's theatrical release, think again. All we get are three minutes' worth of deleted scenes that reinforce what a disappointment this comedy is. Either Judge -- whose humor was so spot-on in "Space," as well as his TV efforts "King of the Hill" and "Beavis and Butthead" -- simply slipped, or the studio dulled the edges of what should have been razor-sharp satire. Whatever happened, I'm sad to report that "Idiocracy" has essentially become what it probably should have been in the first place: a straight-to-DVD release. To paraphrase Public Enemy, don't believe the hype -- or in this case, the lack thereof.

Best Bonus Point: There isn't one.

Also on DVD This Week: "The Illusionist" and more.

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