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MOVIE

Idiocracy (2006)

Directed by Mike Judge•1h 24m•Published Jul 29, 2025•Episode length 2h 38m
Episode 289 - Idiocracy (w/ BFF of the BFE: Synthia)
ComedyScience FictionAdventure

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Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson
Joe Bauers
Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Rita
Dax Shepard
Dax Shepard
Frito
Terry Crews
Terry Crews
President Camacho
Anthony 'Citric' Campos
Anthony 'Citric' Campos
Secretary of Defense
David Herman
David Herman
Secretary of State
S
Sonny Castillo
Prosecutor
K
Kevin McAfee
Bailiff
Robert Musgrave
Robert Musgrave
Sgt. Keller
Michael McCafferty
Michael McCafferty
Officer Collins

Director

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Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Director
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Overview

To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average 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.

Show notes

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“Welcome to Costco. I love you.” Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian & Liam – with BFF of the BFE: Synthia beaming in from the not-so-distant future as we crack open the absurd, prophetic, and depressingly accurate Idiocracy (2006). We’re trading shark-infested waters for Gatorade-irrigated crop…

Read full show notes

“Welcome to Costco. I love you.” Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian & Liam – with BFF of the BFE: Synthia beaming in from the not-so-distant future as we crack open the absurd, prophetic, and depressingly accurate Idiocracy (2006). We’re trading shark-infested waters for Gatorade-irrigated crops and President Camacho in our 289th episode as we ask:

  • Was Idiocracy always this smart, or has the world just gotten that dumb?
  • We explore how a film that bombed at release has somehow become the most referenced dystopia not named Orwell.
  • What does it say about society that Mike Judge’s lowbrow future doesn’t seem that far off?
  • Synthia breaks down the subtle and not-so-subtle satire—and why this film still hits different in a post-algorithm world.
  • Ian wonders whether the comedy lands… or whether it’s just too bleak to laugh anymore.
  • Liam confesses which part of the film made him physically cringe (hint: it's not just the opening montage).
  • We talk about the difference between satire and smugness, and where Idiocracy walks that tightrope.
  • Is the film's central conceit plausible… or offensively oversimplified?
  • With the film's conceit being that everyone is stupid, are we allowed to get frustrated with the tone for being too stupid?
  • Why Terry Crews as President Camacho might be the most pitch-perfect casting choice in a dystopian comedy ever.
  • What modern products or trends Idiocracy weirdly predicted (we’re looking at you, reality TV and clickbait).
  • And finally, whether Idiocracy is the Best Film Ever—or just the most important film people still haven’t seen.

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