“EXTRACT” (Film Review)

  

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Written by Greg VictorcloseAuthor: Greg Victor Name: Greg Victor
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About: Greg Victor (Parcbench Culture Editor) is a historian, pop culture critic, and theatrical dramaturg and has stage managed theatrical productions on Broadway and on tour, including Billy Joel's "Movin' Out", Monty Python's "Spamalot" and more.See Authors Posts (197) on September 22, 2009

* * * (out of 4)
Rating: R (strong language, sexual references, some drug use)
Director: Mike Judge

“Extract” (which deserves a funnier title) has all the flavor of a classic screwball comedy. In it, Jason Bateman leads a very funny cast through a film about middle-age boredom that is anything but boring. I cannot remember the last time an audience with so few people in it laughed so loud. It is written and directed by Mike Judge, better known as the creator of TV’s “Beavis and Butthead,” “King of the Hill,” and the 1999 comedy “Office Space.” Expect the same sort of sly observations in this movie.

“Extract” stars Jason Bateman as Joel, the owner of an extract flavoring factory. In this film, the hero is the boss, and he lets us see how equally miserable being on the other side of the office wall can be. His pals include J.K. Simmons as a co-worker who can’t be bothered to learn anyone’s name at the factory and resorts to calling them all “Dinkus,” and Ben Affleck as a bartender buddy who is always trying to give him some sort of drug. You might not recognize Ben Affleck at first, but once you do, you will probably expect more screen time out of him. Unlike most of the other supporting players, Affleck doesn’t quite make the most of his role.

When Joel isn’t gazing out the blinds of his office and daydreaming of getting home before his wife (naturally sexy Kristen Wiig) puts on her comfy sweatpants (which means that there won’t be any sex taking place that night), he is lusting after the sexy new temp worker (Mila Kunis). In his search for a way out of his mundane day-to-day-existence, Joel discovers how crookedly the world can appear to run.

Jason Bateman is one of the most likeable actors around…handsome without being too good-looking for us to relate to…a realist that isn’t afraid to be well-mannered in even the most exasperating situations. Often cast in a supporting role, Jason Bateman proves here that he can carry a movie all by himself.

Gene Simmons has a brief appearance as a slimy TV lawyer. Even though his face is more of a puppet face than a human face at this point, Simmons still showed off a natural ability for comic timing. The discovery of the movie is an up-and-coming actor named Dustin Milligan. He plays Brad – a young stud hired by Joel in order to pose as a pool boy and have a sexual encounter with Joel’s wife so that Joel will not feel guilty of pursuing an affair of his own. Of course, complications ensue and Joel learns that there’s no going back once a bad decision has been made.

The screenplay finds its humor in the little annoyances we encounter every now and then. It’s the little things (like the ever-present neighbor played by David Koechner) that drive us crazy, and in “Extract” these irritants make us howl with laughter of recognition.

An offbeat comedy with a dry delivery doesn’t always get a long run, so catch it if you can. When all your friends finally see it on DVD, you can say you had the good taste to see “Extract” on the big screen. It’s the perfect ingredient for a Cineplex full of cinematic sameness.

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