Extract-ing the truth about Mike Judge
Extract has arresting moments but fails the taste test
Sep 6, 2009
The latest Mike Judge comedy to hit the screen is mildly amusing and is fun to watch for the first 45 minutes, but has just one laugh-out-loud moment. There are probably some who'll go to see Extracts and will not appreciate knowing too much about the plot, so this review will avoid spoilers -- or will at least try to keep it to a few minor ones.
Office Space, Judge's biggest success on the big screen was not the laugh-riot some made it out to be. The words "mildly amusing" are more like it.
The problem with "Extract" is the script. The cast is outstanding and every other aspect of the movie is highly acceptable.
Falling Down
Even though he's had great success with his other creations, aside from Office Space, Judge fell down on the job by not providing an evil and formidable enough villain in Cindy, the hot female con artist played by Mila Kunis who schemes to bilk cash out of a working-class cement head who stands to gain a big cash settlement in an workplace injury suit. Perhaps he sensed that Cindy was not monster enough to keep the movie rolling, so he also gives us ambulance-chaser attorney Joe Adler, played by Kiss front man Gene Simmons. The two do not add up to a big enough peril to keep the audience interested, however.
Bateman the Boss
Joel Reynolds, as played by Jason Bateman, is the business owner who stands to take a bath over the potential lawsuit. Some may remember Bateman in his iconic role as TV's Michael Bluth on the classic sitcom Arrested Development, which ran on Fox for three seasons. His Michael Bluth was the perfect low-key foyle to the eccentric and corrupt members of the Bluth family. His role in that season worked so well because Bateman's clean-cut, relatively sane character was a counter-point to the demented over-the-top relatives. He essentaly reacted -- or did his best not to react -- to the crazy goings on that his depraved familys conjured up on a weekly basis. In Extracts," he's playing essentially the same character only now he's the one who must make the movie's plot move forward, and there's not enough comic juice in the script to keep viewers interested.
On the Rocks
Joel's marriage is on the rocks, and his business, a company that makes food flavor extracts, such as vanilla flavoring, is threatened not only by the lawsuit but also by a worker insurrection. The story's drama never really comes to a boil -- sort of like Office Space, but it is also somehow less endearing.
There's some funny stuff with Ben Affleck as Joel's dim bartender friend, but not enough.
Low Budget
So why pick on a small, low-budget comedy, such as this one, instead of slamming a high-budget, special-effect-laden piece of waste that often seen throughout the summer? First of all, who wants to sit through a high-budget, special-effects-laden piece of waste and pay for the privilege of doing so?
Not that there's anything wrong with stupid movies. However, stupid movies should at least offer some laughs -- and they shouldn't evaporate from the memory the minute after the credits roll.
