Extract

(2009)

Directed by

Mike Judge

Review by Todd Plucknett

Posted - 9/20/09

Extract is a film that was not really high on anyone’s radar coming into this year. Following his masterwork Office Space, he had only had theatrically released Idiocracy, a very disappointing and surprisingly unfunny satire. He has been working on King of the Hill for the entire decade it seems. So when Extract came out with its superb trailer, I thought that it was a return to form for Judge. That is exactly what it is. And in a summer when complete failures like The Hangover and Bruno get released and overrated, this is a breath of fresh air.

Extract centers on Joel (Jason Bateman), the creator-owner of an Extract plant, which is a job that takes up almost all of his time, living little room for his unhappy wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig). One day at the plant, a preventable accident caused worker Step (Clifton Collins Jr.) to lost one testicle, and thanks to petty con artist Cindy (Mila Kunis), Step plans on suing the company for millions, with the help of a hot shot, face-on-park-benches lawyer (Gene Simmons). To add to Joel’s dilemma, he cannot stop thinking about Cindy, who is working as a temp at the plant. With the advice of a bartending buddy (Oscar-winner Ben Affleck), Joel decides to hire a gigolo (Dustin Milligan) to sleep with his wife so he can pursue Cindy with a clear conscience. This sets the premise for this hilarious comedy, one of the very best of the summer.

The film is really an ensemble comedy, a format that has become popular in the Apatow years. Jason Bateman is subtle and has some great laughs, but I can’t help but wonder how he has become such a big star recently. He is good, but he is not great. Clifton Collins Jr. and Mila Kunis have good chemistry and are funny. Gene Simmons is horrible, annoying, and unnecessary. Dustin Milligan brings some of the biggest laughs, just because his character is so dimwitted that everything he says is a punchline. The movie truly sparkles when Ben Affleck is on screen, playing essentially the Lawrence of the story. He once again proves that he is a world-class character actor, but he is not a leading man. When he has a smaller role in any genre, he is as good as anyone, as proven earlier this year in the otherwise weak State of Play. Kristen Wiig and J.K. Simmons are dream artists for Judge to work with. Their wry humor is exactly where Judge excels, so their characters seem the most real in the film. They need to be in every film it seems, just to have that hint of believability and dry humor that they so effortlessly bring to every role.

What surprised me most about Extract is that fact that it was not Office Space. I figured that it would try to use the same style of laughs, which are ironic real world situations so perceptively detailed that it is absolutely hilarious, but this film is different. It has fully fleshed-out characters, and it takes a bit more of the conventional comedy route to laughs. There are some punchlines and some cheap laughs, but it is Judge’s perceptive eye that keeps the laughs rolling. No matter how extreme the situations get, it still seems real. The characters still react the way they would if it were really happening. In trash like The Hangover, that is the opposite of what happened. The more ludicrous the premise, the more ludicrous the characters got. This is the real charm of Extract and Judge’s other work.

Extract truly is one of the best comedies to come out this summer, and I hope it finds its audience. Like Office Space, even the most mundane characters seem well thought-out and developed. The characters played by Beth Grant and David Koechner are the prime examples of this. Their characters are so annoying, which is why those characters are so real. In those situations in real life, those kinds of people are all too common. They were perfect additions to the film, and of course they wind up forming the backbone to the plot, which is clever, yet probably the least interesting part of the film. It is more about the characters, middle class struggles, and the awkwardness of ordinary life. It is so witty and sharp, in a way that only Judge can portray. Obviously, when compared to Office Space, it falls short. Yet, again, it was supposed to be the next Office Space. It is a different brand of humor, rather than just creating another cynical workforce comedy. This film takes the point of view of the boss looking at how dysfunctional and dim his workers are, rather than the other way around. Judge is really developing a great voice in comedy. I hope he sticks to his roots in the future and continues to make superb satirical, enjoyable, and unconventional comedies in the future.

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