Extract (2009)

OK, EXTRACT does not have a slap stick type of humor. I get that. Also, EXTRACT is not as memorable as OFFICE SPACE. Understood. But one thing is sure, EXTRACT is still one of the best all-around movies I've seen this year. JASON BATEMAN is one of the funniest actors around these days. His subtle nuances are what makes him so funny. From TEEN WOLF TOO & HOGAN FAMILY to ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT & JUNO, he is a brilliant actor that gets laughs without ever changing his restrained sense of humor.

The movie itself is about a young, moderately successful factory owner. The factory produces, of course,food extract. The story unfolds and plans backfire, thanks mostly impart to his best friend played by BEN AFFLECK. The role for AFFLECK is a nice return for him back to his roots of doing less than award-winning blockbuster films. With KRISTEN WIIG in a somewhat toned down role and MILA KUNIS as a bit of a vixen, the supporting cast is really well-rounded.

EXTRACT is an intelligent, funny movie that must be seen. Unlike OFFICE SPACE which was from the employees point of view on how management can be annoying jerks, this movie is from the managements point of view on how employees can be annoying jerks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! 4+ STARS!

"Extract, directed by Mike Judge (King of the Hill), is about Joel (Jason Bateman) who runs an extract factory. He has his regular ups and downs just like anyone, but when one of his workers loses his testicle in a freak accident things start to go from bad to worse. (Spoiler alert for those who have yet to see the film) The next thing that happens to him is a con-woman named Cindy (Mila Kunis) begins work for him. Cindy convinces the testicleless employee to file a lawsuit against the company. Also, his wife hasn't wanted to have sex with him for months, and he takes some bad advice from his friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), and hires a pool guy to seduce his wife so that he can guiltlessly have an affair with Cindy, and before he knows it the pool guy is coming over everyday and has fallen in love with his wife. Then the employees decide that they should get a piece of the pie of his company, since he is thinking of selling it to a prospective buyer, and decide to go on strike.

"Extract" is like one of those bad months where one thing after another keeps happening to Joel. Joel is a nice guy, who has always tried to be good to people and do the right thing. He knows all of his employees names. He can't even bring himself to yell at the pool guy for continuing to visit his wife at his house. "Extract" is a pleasant little film that just keeps moving along with one amusing ill event after another. We wonder where this is all leading, because it looks like fate is against Joel. He is about to lose everything, his wife, his business, et cetera. But then there's a turning point where he realizes that Cindy is probably not as innocent as she seems. And as gently as misfortune had swelled over him, it then begins to subside, and all begins to fall back into place as before. This film washes gently over one as mildly and pleasantly as does Joel's kindly demeanor.

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I've been waiting or this movie. Loved Office Space, even really enjoyed Idiocracy. I heard some mixed reviews which tempered my expectations, but even so, this was a disappointing and very uneven movie.

Jason Bateman plays his straight-laced, deadpan comedy to the hilt, much as he did in Arrested Development. He is Joel, the owner of a factory employing a real assortment of underachieving, funny characters. With an offer from General Mills to buy the plant and make him rich, Joel looks forward to early retirement. On the home front, he is a sexually frustrated husband with an unreceptive wife and an unrelentingly dull neighbor.

With moments of genius, the movie was also dragged down by some poor realization of comedic potential. Kristin Wiig, a funny and versatile comedienne, is wasted as the housewife, and although she certainly has enough scenes, the writing doesn't allow her to perform.

The various subplots didn't mesh as well as I expected. Instead of a complete tale, this felt like a few sitcom episodes woven together.

That said, there are some great scenes. You will never think about call-waiting again. The personal injury lawyer is fantastic. Ben Affleck does a fine job as the slacker friend.

In retrospect, this is a rental. I wouldn't choose to pay theater prices for this film.

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THE PLOT: Joel (Jason Bateman) is the owner of an extract production plant that he built himself from the ground up. In spite of his success, he struggles with a frigid and distant wife (Kristin Wiig) and more than a few completely incompetent employees (TJ Miller and Beth Grant foremost among them). The latter end up causing a horrific on-site accident that could bankrupt the company. Making matters worse, the under-sexed Joel is distracted by the appearance of a sexy new employee, Cindy (Mila Kunis). Joel must try to keep his company from going under while dealing with his unsatisfying marriage and his nosy neighbor (David Koechner).

THE GOOD: There are a few funny moments in the movie, most of them at the hands of Koechner and some of Joel's workers. Ben Affleck, if you can believe it, steals more than a few scenes as Joel's drug-obsessed slacker friend (why straight-laced Joel would ever have such a friend is one of those mysteries that movies like these ask you to avoid thinking about). Bateman does his usual shtick; although I think his wide-eyed eager act is starting to get a little annoying (how many times is he going to keep reverting to his standard Michael Bluth persona?), it's at least consistent.

THE BAD: Most of the people here are phoning it in. Kristin Wiig is completely under-utilized in her thankless role as the jilted/jilting wife, and Mila Kunis doesn't appear to be trying to act at all. This is probably due to the sloppy script. Mila's Cindy appears to have no real motivation or personality at all; her name could just as easily be "Plot Contrivance #3." Joel's attempts to fix his work and life problems are all half-hearted, ridiculous, and just as contrived. His workers cause a vicious accident, setting Joel up for a massive lawsuit, but no one is fired. It is hard to sympathize with a man who willfully employs complete idiots. Bothered by his wife's lack of interest in the bedroom, Joel creates an elaborate plan to give him license to cheat, and when this plan falters, he behaves like a clueless child rather than a man who started and runs his own business.

There are some elements here that could work, had they been tied more neatly together. If Judge had tried to pin a message, moral, underlying theme, or even a single joke to the entire spine of the story, it might have given it at least some cohesion. Instead, the movie appears to be a slap-dash conglomeration of scenes that have very little to do with each other, and which aren't acted, written, or directed in any kind of new or interesting way. The movie ends almost as if it had never started, and the various conflicts/stories just kind of fade away rather than conclude meaningfully. Some funny moments, but altogether a disappointing effort from a normally enjoyable filmmaker.

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From the creators of Office Space Office Space Special Edition with Flair (Widescreen Edition) now comes Extract. A movie whose trailer left me wanting more. However when the movie arrived it turned out pretty much all the really funny scenes were in the trailer and the movie didn't add much more.

Yes, Jason Bateman is a funny guy. I mean, the guy played in Arrested Development Arrested Development The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3) and thus we will always respect him. Yes, Mila Kunis is a very beautiful girl, and even Ben Affleck does a good job here. But the film never managed to hold my attention and charm me the way Office Space did. Office Space which just has a better atmosphere, more and better supporting characters and a better feeling inserted.

Extract has some funny moments, some very funny even, but as a whole it disappoints. The extras found on the Blu-Ray don't add much either.

Paul

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