Driven by familiar and interesting characters, Extract is a refreshing, honest, and entertaining comedy. It’s coming to us from none other than Mike Judge, the guy behind such hits as Office Space and Idiocracy. Of course, he’s also the writer, director, and creator of the gruesome twosome that goes by the name of Beavis and Butt-Head. We will be following a middle-aged man trying to keep his extract company afloat while dealing with a range of personal issues. He’s an average guy with an average set of problems and this means all of us can find a little bit of ourselves in him. And in other characters as well.
On top of all of that, Extract is a short (90 minutes), pacey, and funny movie throughout. There won’t be many laugh-out-loud moments as this is not that type of comedy. However, almost every other scene will bring a smile to your face. It’s funny to think that Jason Bateman plays the extract factory owner here, a guy you identify with and in just two years he will be plotting to kill his boss in Horrible Bosses. Apart from him, we’ve also got Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, and J.K. Simmons. And if you ever had any doubts about Extract, let me just say it stars Clifton Collins Jr. a man who simply doesn’t make bad movies.
You could also argue that Judge, after exactly ten years decides to revisit the workplace environment and all its trappings. It examines the modern working class with honesty and good intentions, not looking for cheap laughs. However, I don’t want you to think that Extract is a movie about just this one thing. This is a comedy that works on many different levels as all of them are coming together to tell this simple little story. A story that might hit you a bit harder than you think. Especially if you find yourself in a similar situation as one of our protagonists.
Meet Joel Reynolds, a smart and resourceful guy who came up with a brilliant idea. You see, Joel is a chemist and he came up with a way to make the flavor in food feel stronger. Several years later, he’s an owner of a successful company and married to a beautiful wife. However, things are actually not as great as they seem at first glance. Joel and his wife hardly ever have sex and he’s growing increasingly frustrated about it. And then, all of a sudden, he may be sued for millions of dollars. It would appear that things are not looking up for poor old Joel.
Did you know that the movie Extract features a grindcore band? When was the last time you’ve seen a movie like that? I would have to all the way back to Ace Ventura although Cannibal Corpse is a death metal band. Moving on, I also loved the escalation of an awkward situation into an even bigger clusterfuck. Like how Dean convinces Joel to have a stripper try to seduce his wife pretending to be a pool boy. And I’m not going to tell you how that situation ends up although you can already probably guess.
In almost every joke and situation there’s a dose of truth and reality. Like when they’re smoking weed and say that drugs are the solution to modern problems. So, Extract can also be a movie that’s going to make you think besides making you laugh.
Director: Mike Judge
Writer: Mike Judge
Cast: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins Jr., Dustin Milligan
Fun Stuff: Attorney Joe Adler, played by Gene Simmons of Kiss, is a nod to real-life attorney Jim Adler who also appears in the television show Beavis and Butt-head.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1225822/
