Extract DVD: Review By Dodd

It is unfortunate what keeps happening to Mike Judge. His directing debut Office Space was met with tepid reviews and poor box office. Yes, it became a cult sensation and this gave Judge the opportunity to direct Idiocracy, which never saw the light of day in theaters due to its themes considered offensive to the American public. Now there is Extract, yet another sharp satire from Judge that once more tanked in the box office. One can only hope it will reach cult status like Office Space as this is yet another comic gem.

While Office Space focused on a protagonist office drone surrounded by idiot bosses, Extract focuses on a protagonist boss surrounded by idiot workers. Jason Bateman plays Joel, the owner of a flavor extract company. He feels like his life is missing a certain spark as his wife (Kristen Wiig) has become distant in their intimacy. His job is also beginning to feel like a dead end. Things change when General Mills expresses interest in purchasing the company. However, things also start to go awry when a workplace accident causes an arrogant crate sorter (Clifton Collins Jr.) to lose a testicle. Things are further complicated when a con women (Mila Kunis) joins the workforce with an agenda of her own. There is also Joel's accidental hiring of a gigolo to seduce his wife thanks in part to Joel's disaster-attracting best friend (a scene-stealing, scraggly Ben Affleck).

I avoided Extract in the theaters because of its tepid reviews and, well, the cost of tickets. It really is a shame that more people like myself did not give this a chance. Maybe Mike Judge's sense of humor is meant to stay successful on television or home video. I found myself laughing considerably while watching this movie. The humor is very similar to Office Space in that it relies on a wide array of characters, each with their own moments of hilarity. Judge does repeat the theme of a straight man surrounded by a circus of fools, but he manages to do so without completely stenciling from his prior projects.

The movie works primarily thanks to the cast. Jason Bateman is perfectly cast as the leading man with whom we are supposed to relate. However, while his character is considered the "normal one" in this story, Bateman still gives Joel complexity as he is somewhat of a thankless jerk. The always-reliable JK Simmons is a hoot as Joel's second-in-command who prefers to walk around the workplace referring to the underlings as "dingus" and "douchebag". Dave Koechner is memorable as the annoying neighbor that everyone has encountered at one point in his or her life. Of course, there is also Ben Affleck who seems much more at home in comedic supporting roles than dramatic leading ones. If I do have beef it is that the females are not given much to do here. Mila Kunis is there simply to look beautiful, and the always-animated Kristen Wiig is incredibly restrained and backgrounded.

There is only one feature here. It is a 10-minute piece that is pretty tight and comprehensive. The most interesting fact revealed is that Extract was filmed in an actual bottling plant with actual workers sometimes spotted in the background. It is not that this featurette is bad. I just wish that Mike Judge would have thrown in a commentary track at least.

Widescreen. Mike Judge does not really have a signature visual style. His films are more focused on writing and performance. However, the look of the film is crisp and sufficient.

Dolby Surround. The score by George S. Clinton is rather subtle like much of the humor in the film.

The film comes in a standard DVD case. The front cover displays the film's original poster art with a majority of the cast illustrated.

Just like Mike Judge's prior projects, Extract is one overlooked, smart comedy. What I love about his movies is that Judge seems to really understand the perspective of the normal American, and how it feels to be surrounded by idiocy from time to time. Even when he creates the most grating character, I can't help but laugh because I have encountered that guy or that girl. I can only hope that Judge is given the chance to direct again with the commercial failures of Idiocracy and Extract. But this is why we write reviews, right? I say give this movie a rental, and let's start another cult phenomenon!

Dodd Alley

dodd@movieweb.com