Back in June of 2007, I wrote for iLounge about a movie that no one seemed to know about: Mike Judge's Idiocracy. The film, a dark satire of the progressive dumbing down of American society, had been all but secretly released in a handful of theaters by Twentieth Century Fox, then mysteriously shut down without a word. Whispers suggested that Fox had been under a contractual obligation to give the movie a theatrical release, but for some reason opted to do nothing to promote it, and everything to prevent people from learning about it. Some of the theaters even ran it with the title "Untitled Mike Judge Comedy," so when Idiocracy arrived on DVD, it had built up zero word of mouth.

That quickly changed when people started to actually see what Judge, creator of Office Space, King of the Hill, and Beavis and Butthead, had assembled. Idiocracy was, if not genius, something very close: a complete skewering of idiot television programming, idiot government, idiot shopping, and of course, idiots. Amazingly, some viewers commented that it seemed more like a documentary of their own cities than a comedy, and most of the people who love the movie realize that there's a surprising level of plausibility in its visions of a dumber future.

The biggest surprise: despite Idiocracy's low profile, a California company bought the rights to create an energy drink based on Brawndo, a beverage that in the film had all but replaced water by the year 2505. Miffed at Fox for its treatment of Mike Judge, I decided that despite my love for the film and curiosity about the drink, I wasn’t going to buy any, lest this licensing deal actually generate revenues for Fox.

Then, in late December, a UPS truck rolled up with a 24-pack that a friend bought me as a Christmas present (thanks, Christian!). This is what it looks like in the can and in a glass. Packed with sugar and caffeine, it tastes like an intense liquid lime-flavored Jell-O, and as the movie suggests, yes, it does have electrolytes. The only problem is that I've had most of the 24-pack around for months, and after consuming most of one can, haven't wanted to drink another - I tried to pass them off on movers, friends, and family without success. My pregnant wife hasn't wanted to drink one for fear of harming the baby. And she's not crazy for being concerned: one can of Brawndo has four times the caffeine of a comparable serving of Pepsi.

Still interested in trying one for yourself? You can find Brawndo here. Don't say I didn't try to warn you.