Extract Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even though the damned thing really had some potential, to be honest, it didn’t really work though. It’s too bad because, once again after ‘Office Space’, Mike Judge delivered another believable work space environment and pretty much all the characters were realistic and entertaining. Above all, I was just seriously impressed by Ben Affleck. Indeed, even though Jason Bateman was fine, he basically played his usual character whereas Affleck really went really out of his comfort zone and completely nailed it. Seriously, I think the guy easily gave here one of his best performances. Eventually, the scenes involving Bateman and Affleck were by far the best in this movie but most of the other characters worked fine as well, except for Mila Kunis’s character though. Indeed, in my opinion, the only real issue with this movie was concerning this girl. I mean, I don’t blame Kunis, she was lovely as usual and she did what she could but her con artist didn’t belong in this tale at all and this character completely derailed the whole thing. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent comedy and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

With a few motion pictures and several television projects under his belt, Mike Judge has become the undisputed master of working man's comedy. No matter the colour of their specific collar, the characters created by Judge exist on the front-lines of American industry. Whether he's exploring the irritating administrative politics of contemporary office workers or the family dynamics of upper-class rednecks, the writer-director is visibly focused on finding comedy in the everyday and is seemingly fascinated by the banal lives of dull people. More than that, Judge is content not to tug the heartstrings or rely on frequent hilarity as long as he is able to build the impression that the people onscreen are an honest reflection of the co-worker to your right or the relative on your left. Office Space and Idiocracy introduced and solidified Judge's approach, which is sustained with the writer-director's third movie, Extract, to great success. A sturdy, constantly uproarious comedy, this film reinforces Judge's voice as a relaxed filmmaker with impeccable comic timing and a terrific skill at blending absurdity with the awkwardly real.

Jason Bateman plays Joel; the owner and founder of a small company that produces food extracts. However the film's title of Extract not only refers to the trade of the protagonist, but also to the main plot threads. There's a drop-dead gorgeous new woman in town named Cindy (Kunis) who in reality is a con artist and a petty thief out to extract whatever she can from those she encounters. Meanwhile, a worker at the Joel's factory, Step (Collins Jr.) loses a testicle in a work-related incident and, with a little prodding from Cindy, decides to sue the company and extract compensation. Unfortunately, Joel's home life isn't any better - the sex has been extracted from his banal marriage, and his irritating neighbour (Koechner) is trying to extract money from Joel for tickets to a dinner that both Joel and his wife have no interest in attending.

Of course, this brief synopsis barely scratches the surface of the subplots which emerge throughout the runtime of Extract. There's about as much "story" here as was featured in Office Space; allowing the film to be mainly about its characters, their situations, and their legitimately hilarious exchanges. If there are surprises to be had with this movie, they're certainly not in the story, which unfolds predictably once one buys into the premises. The surprise is how downright hilarious the whole movie is.

Office Space developed into such a cult classic due to its uncanny observations on cubical drudgery; offering viewers a shoulder to cry on while cooking up frequent laughs. Extract focuses on the less glamorous managerial positions, and provides a flipside of the coin. The best parts of Extract are those which dissect commonplace, everyday elements: the chatty neighbour, the dynamics of a sexless marriage, and the dullness of a workplace. Like Peter Gibbons in Office Space, Joel is an ordinary guy trying to find his way in life, but is constantly hampered by the incompetents surrounding him. The writer-director clearly knew he was making something silly, but he has infused Extract with an unpolished realism that grounds the film superbly. It's the gift of this great filmmaker; the ability to lampoon workplace ethics and expose a core of truth within a ridiculous motion picture.

Although Judge mocks idiots, hypocrites and all other clueless denizens of life, there's an obvious affection for the ordinary people who make the world turn but aren't usually placed front & centre in mainstream cinema. Therefore, these ostensibly boring people come across as genuinely appealing and interesting. When compared to the blaring antics of most Hollywood comedies, Judge appears to downplay the humour in Extract to a constant low hum which reflects Judge's appreciation of simplicity and general decency. Expecting a nonstop laugh-fest would be setting yourself up for disappointment, however - this is low-key comedy of situation and character that relies upon the strength of the cast and the well-written material. Extract is dry and it won't satisfy every taste, but those who appreciate this form of subtle humour will be rewarded greatly.

The cast Judge has assembled is terrific. Jason Bateman continues to display his mastery of portraying the straight man; playing effortlessly against the eccentricities of his oddball co-workers and the other peculiar people surrounding him. The scene-stealers here, though, are Ben Affleck, Clifton Collins Jr., J.K. Simmons and David Koechner. Affleck, who has been gradually rebuilding his damaged career by appearing in under-the-radar films since Hollywoodland, submits a wonderful performance as a bartender who believes Xanax is the cure for everything (including the common cold). The role tackled by Collins Jr. is one dimensional on paper, but the actor's performance provides the character with depth and humanity. J.K. Simmons appears to relish the opportunity to play Joel's business partner and is given several killer lines to play with, while Koechner nails the part as the annoying, talkative, socially awkward neighbour. Mila Kunis (best known as the voice of Meg Griffin in Family Guy) is well-suited to the role of Cindy; she's required to look ridiculously hot as she goes about her business of tricking the men she encounters, and she pulls it off.

Following the theatrical catastrophe of 2006's Idiocracy (a biting sci-fi satire which 20th Century Fox unceremoniously dumped in all of four theatres), Mike Judge has returned with the brilliant Extract; his companion piece to Office Space. Unfortunately, while the dump-and-run approach utilised by Fox for Idiocracy was not in evidence this time, the distributor of Extract - Miramax - did not exactly roll out the red carpet either. The film entered a number of theatres, but the marketing campaign was minimal and it was given an appalling release slot. Extract may not be a masterpiece, but it's considerably superior to most 2009 comedies which received a more robust backing (Year One, Dance Flick, Fired Up and Bride Wars, anyone?).

8.2/10