Idiocracy

"In the future, intelligence is extinct."

2006 1h 25m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

71%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 3,847🍅71%Rotten Tomatoes●66Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 213,033

ComedyScience FictionAdventureThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average European-Americans it can find - an Army private and a prostitute - and sends them to the year 2505 after a series of freak events. But when they arrive, they find a civilization so dumbed-down that they're the smartest people around.

“In the future, intelligence is extinct.”

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Cast

Luke Wilson
Joe Bauers
Maya Rudolph
Rita
Dax Shepard
Frito
Terry Crews
President Camacho
Anthony 'Citric' Campos
Secretary of Defense
David Herman
Secretary of State
Sonny Castillo
Prosecutor
Kevin McAfee
Bailiff

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mike Judge
Writers: Mike Judge, Etan Cohen, Mike Judge
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 21% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

202+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mike Judge, shot by Tim Suhrstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Theodore Shapiro. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Rennie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mike Judge directs. Tim Suhrstedt behind the camera. Theodore Shapiro scores. David Rennie cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $2.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 21% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
4Released 20 years ago.
5202+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Mike Judge, shot by Tim Suhrstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Theodore Shapiro. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor David Rennie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph and Dax Shepard carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "In the future, intelligence is extinct.".
11IMDB entry: tt0387808 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 26 themes, including "future", "army", "prostitute", "usa president".

The technical file

Cinematography: Tim Suhrstedt
Original score: Theodore Shapiro
Editing: David Rennie
Production design: Darren Gilford
Costume design: Debra McGuire
Makeup / hair: Troy Breeding
Sound: Martin Lopez
Stunt coordinator: Mark Chavarria
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,400,000
Box office: $495,303
Return: 21% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Idiocracy (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 66/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 213,033 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

Mike Judge

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Sampson2026-01-01
★ 5/10
A dumb, smart movie or a smart, dumb movie? This movie has become a cult classic on online forums as reddit users discuss the state of the world. I came into this movie with hopes that it would be a prescient foretelling of the state of the world and the death of intellectual curiosity. While I was hooked by the premise of a society getting dumber over time, I feel they ultimately exhausted much of this hook in the introduction to the movie. As the movie progressed, it revealed its true self - a quotable but ultimately low-brow movie that relies on the same tropes that it critiques. Between giant dildo cars and people getting kicked in the balls, there were some funny moments that I found to draw parallels to the modern days. The poisoning of crops by Brawndo reminds me of multiple corporate scandals where baby formula or water was replaced with some corporate concoction that ultimately made life worse for consumers. I think these moments poke fun at the situation in a digestible way. That said, I think these insights were overshadowed by the stupidity of the humor which seems to be making fun of the stupefaction of society while relying on the same type of humor for cheap laughs. Aside from the introduction and quotable phrases ("It's what the plants crave!"), I ultimately think the sophomoric humor strongly overpowers and sort of intrigue or commentary that the movie tries to offer.
AlfaVitaY2K2026-06-12
★ 10/10
In 2006 - Implausible satire. In 2026 - Realistic documentary. Mike Judge’s 2006 film Idiocracy has shifted from an outrageous, dystopian satire into an eerily accurate reflection of modern society. What was originally an exaggerated projection of the implausible future has become a relatable reality in just two decades. The premise of Idiocracy is that high IQ people stopped reproducing, becoming an endangered species, allowing the low IQ people to take control over society. It has become obvious now that the elite are idiot savants, holding onto power through a monopoly on wealth and government, and public compliance due to ignorance and apathy.