Idiocracy (2006) June 6, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Mike Judge
Here’s a simple comedy set-up: what would you do if you were the smartest person in the world? And not because you were particularly intelligent, but because the rest of the world suddenly got stupid. Well, that’s exactly what Luke Wilson has to contend with, as he gets a glimpse of the future in this latest movie from Office Space writer-director, Mike Judge.
The plot revolves around Joe Bauers (Wilson) who is chosen to take part in the ‘human hibernation project’ for the army – picked because he is their most average man. Also participating (for some reason) is prostitute Rita (Maya Rudolph). Although the project is supposed to freeze their bodies for only a year, unforeseen circumstances occur which leave the duo forgotten about until they are accidentally unthawed in 2505. Evolution has not treated the human race well, and it isn’t long before Joe and Rita realise that they are everyone’s intellectual superior.
So the plot may be fairly bizarre, but as long as you’re willing to go with it, the concept isn’t too distracting. Unfortunately, from there on in it all starts to fall apart. The script is passable, although it really doesn’t do much beyond perpetuating its central joke: people in the future are really stupid; look at the stupid things they say / do. This is probably why most of the laughs come early in the movie, before you tire of the idea and come to the realisation that there isn’t much else underneath.
Luke Wilson does his best with the material, but there’s really not a lot he can do to save it - his character, after all, spends most of the movie just running around trying to make sense of things. Meanwhile some of the supporting actors such as Terry Crews (playing President Camacho) and Dax Shepard (as Joe’s guide in 2505) actually give it their all in an attempt to try and make the movie work. Needless to say, their efforts are wasted.
As I’ve mentioned, there are some laughs, although they slowly fade out through the second and third acts. Writer / director Mike Judge handles the film well though, utilising quite a bit of CG work in some sequences which at least gives the film some visual appeal. Clearly it wasn’t enough to impress the studio however, as they shelved the finished product for almost a year, before giving it the smallest release possible and then slipping it out on DVD.
Of course, Mike Judge is no stranger to his work not being a huge success on the big screen. Office Space was a quiet performer at the box office, but later found a huge cult following on video and DVD. This flick will not follow suit however. Just like Luke Wilson’s character, the film is way too average in every respect to be worthy of any kind of special recognition.
Accepted (2006) June 2, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , 1 comment so farDirected by: Steve Pink
What do you do if every college you apply to turns you down? Or if that one ‘sure thing’ scholarship doesn’t come through? Well, if you’re Bartleby Gaines you create your own college experience, by literally starting your own college – well, enough to fool his parents anyway.
A fake acceptance letter leads to a fake website, which leads to doing-up an abandoned building ready for ‘moving in’. The problem is, it turns out that Bartleby isn’t the only person showing up for initiation; due to a website malfunction, hundreds of students have gained acceptance letters to the South Harmon Institute of Technology, unknowing that the school is exactly what its acronym would suggest. Bartleby and friends must now attempt to keep students, parents, and members of the real local college from discovering the scam, while giving their students a higher education of a different kind.
I think this is a good point to mention that while I found this movie enjoyable in that ‘light hearted comedy’ way, I really couldn’t get over how implausible the whole thing was. I mean, I know you’re supposed to take these things with a pinch of salt, but this movie is asking for truckloads. I can usually ignore the slightly less realistic moments, especially in a wacky teen comedy, but unfortunately the entire central premise of ‘Accepted’ is built around a completely impossible notion - and one that only stretches its credibility further as the film progresses.
With that rant out of the way I’d better add some positives. Well, it certainly has a few laughs, it doesn’t run long at a succinct 90-minutes, and I thought that the performances from the central cast were good. Director Steve Pink (whose work includes co-writing the excellent Grosse Pointe Blank) handles the movie well, creating a very clean, colourful film, which really adds to the fun atmosphere of the flick.
The script is fairly generic, although, if what I read is true, the cast improvised much of the dialogue while shooting, which is a fair achievement and one for which they deserve some credit. Justin Long makes a great lead, playing a 19-year-old with convincing skill, given that he’s almost 29. Lewis Black steals his scenes though, playing a slightly erratic makeshift Dean in a way only he could.
There’s certainly no harm in the ‘follow your dreams’ message the film conveys, it’s just a shame that it’s tied to such a flimsy narrative. The ending suffers from that horribly clichéd ‘inspiring speech’ syndrome too, which is a bit of a let down considering that this didn’t need to be a by-the-numbers comedy movie given the outlandish storyline, but they do it anyway.
Overall, the film does an okay job with what it has going for it, and that’s a funny cast and the freedom to go crazy with its premise. There are laughs in there too, but they mostly come from the individualistic performances rather than the lines themselves. It’s hardly a failing grade, but neither is it getting any distinctions: C+.