Genres

Visitors Review

Floated2 2012-05-18 10:11:53

Has its moments but no laughs

Extract is a simple comedy from Mike Judge (Office Space, King of theHill). The problem with this movie has no plot, plain and simple. Ittakes 4 or 5 situations and attributes them all to Jason Bateman(Joel). None of the stories are interconnected in any meaningful way,and the movie doesn't really deliver. Some of the plots include: Joelhiring a pool guy to have an affair with his wife, Mila Kunis(Cindy) isusing Joel to get out of probation, etc. Another important aspectmissing is jokes. This movie doesn't have any jokes. Its a shame sinceits a comedy and really nothing was funny. Something that was kindafunny was the neighbour "accident". The performances weer pretty goodbut the characters were not right. Especially Jason Bateman'scharacter. His character was rather weak and its is shown clear in thefilm. Also the dialogue is pretty off, and could have been better. Somemoments are pretty entertaining to watch but the film has no funnyjokes and isn't really as comedic as Id expected. So I wasdisappointed.

Lisa Kennedy 2012-05-17 20:23:48

These days, it appears to be a rare gift to do comedy in a way that comes across as smart, but never superior or willfully crass. Bateman has that talent to spare.

del 2012-05-17 01:29:00

labor is lucky to have work, better to rent a girl

this picture of labor is spot on. men in usa have wifes like this for a reason, state raised. it would not be funny if it was not true to life. I did not see the homo rep though so it missed an element of the labor pool.

Alistair Harkness 2012-05-16 14:16:47

A decade on from his sublime white collar wage-slave comedy Office Space, director Mike Judge returns to the workplace for this gentle satire.

Brim_and_Brood 2012-05-16 04:53:08

Poor

I watched this movie with my wife having no expectations whatsoever. Ihadn't seen the trailer and I didn't know who was in it. The initialpremise was interesting: a successful businessman in an odd industrywanting to sell up to be able to live a different life and spend moretime with his wife. But then things quickly go downhill, both for themain character and for the film. Mila Kunis gets a lot of screen time,but fails to deliver anything meaningful by the end of the film. JasonBateman was the best actor but this film gave nobody the opportunity toshine. David Koechner as the boisterous and annoying neighbour wasallowed the most freedom but even his performance failed to lift hischaracter above the realm of average.There was real opportunity for comedy here and it was just missed. Totop it off, the film can't seem to decide whether it actually is acomedy, or a drama about a couple having problems, or a story about aman getting on in his life, or a study of the cunning and scheming waysof pretty little Hollywood actresses, or a combination of all theabove. This film goes nowhere.Even worse, despite being only 92 minutes long, it still manages tofeel boring about half way through.It's not a horrendous film, it's just not good. Four out of ten.

Nick Rogers 2012-05-15 14:55:59

A perfect title - all the essence and flavor of Mike Judge with very little of his substance. There's no trademark satirical vigor or vitriol - just a handful of good performances and inspired scenarios wasted on a treacly, halfhearted narrative.

Nighthawk1 2012-05-08 10:26:05

Not as funny as Office Space. Too uneven and unfocused.

One of my favorite comedies is the cult film Office Space. Mike Judgedirected Office Space as well as Extract. I had fairly highexpectations for this movie hoping it would be as enjoyable andentertaining to watch as Office Space. Unfortunately, I was let down byExtract after viewing it.The movie has a few funny moments, but I didn't think it had enough.Ben Afflek gives a mildly amusing performance as a pot smoking stoner.Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis are alright, but nothing special. I can'tsay the movie was all that memorable either.Ultimately, Extract is too uneven and unfocused to be called a success.Fans of Office Space and Mike Judge may want to watch Extract out ofcuriosity. It's not that great, but it is passable.

Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) 2012-05-08 05:02:01

Trust me, there are some very big laughs, and they're made even funnier by the actors' ability to pretend they don't know they're being funny.

Anna Pollitt 2012-05-07 07:26:07

Bateman is perfectly cast as the understated lead and Kunis works well as divisive eye candy, but it's the supporting actors who really shine.

thesar-2 2012-05-06 20:54:41

I'm still trying to Extract this from my memory

I honestly don't think I've ever laughed less in a comedy than Extract.I mean, I seriously can not remember once that more than a smirkappeared on my face.The ads didn't help me see this in theatres, nor the Mike Judge nameattached, despite he made one of my all time favorite comedies, OfficeSpace. In addition, even though I love Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons,they weren't a draw for me. I simply waited for video and arecommendation from a friend. On the flipside, I can't say this movie was horrible; it just wasn't atall good nor funny in the least. I almost forgave the blatant characterrip-offs from Judge's other comedy, Office Space – they even had thesame mannerisms and lines! But what I couldn't forgive is the wastedtalent and time the main stars are throwing away.Take for example, Bateman, who had his comeback a few years back withfilms like Hancock and Juno, and granted with fame, comeback heroesgenerally will just make about anything for attention and a buck.(Uh…Travolta? Battlefield Earth, Michael, or just about 70% of anythingpast Pulp Fiction.) Next, we see the strikingly gorgeous "Meg" Kunis.She's only going to look like this for so long. Pick smarter scripts,even comedies. And definitively don't drive down MeganFox Lane.Finally, J.K.'s forgiven as he seems to be always that "number three orlower" cast member, despite the fact he's always good.A quick snip of the plot line: Phoned-In Bateman stars as Joel whobuilt his extracting business from the root up and apparently read onpeople he hires. The typical worker humor scenes ensure and Joel wantsto sell. A scene, I'm guessing to be funny (and even if it werehilarious, it was ruined by the trailer) has idiot coworkers causing anaccident, deformation and as usual, without remorse, one of my petpeeves –even when its fictional. Oh, and in addition, Joel's notgetting any at home and spends more time bromancing Dean (Affleck ofall people.)To confuse the plot more… (stop here – seriously, slapstick comediessuch as this need to keep it simple. Once you go past 3 or moresubplots you lose your target audience as well as any sign of a boxoffice. Extract's no exception.)…they throw in a pool-boy-prostitute inwhich they don't even cover up the Desperate Housewives rip-off, abunch of drug scenes (that Bateman did NOT take advantage of forpotential comedic scenes) and a lone criminal who's trying to, well,extract as money as she can from a company run by monkeys and injuredworker who mimics most primates.Will it all work out in the end? Who really cares? When it ends you'llprobably spend more time shaking your head than laughing. Especiallythat off-wall ending. A movie this solely reminded me off, despite the stolen Office Spacecharacters, was the 150% better Election. Watch that movie. Even aftera decade, Election, with a lot of the same principals but much moresmartly developed, holds up extremely well. I can imagine this one notonly forgotten soon, but simply disappearing.

Peter Travers 2012-05-04 05:30:46

Right in time for the economic downturn comes Extract, a smart and potently funny workplace comedy about running a small business just as small businesses get routinely run into the ground.

Gary Thompson 2012-05-03 19:16:36

Judge isn't much of an auteur (to say that his movies are clunky is charitable), but he's hard to beat for sheer, unpredictable orneriness.

John Malcovich 2012-04-29 00:43:15

One of the best comedies of 2009

To appreciate Mike Judge's specific brand of humor requires a certainpredisposition. It isn't the typical American slapstick. To be sure,Judge relies on clear-cut characterization to achieve humor that doesnot require buffoonery. We are entertained simply with the realismtaken to the extreme we are confronted with.Where else in recent cinema do we see characters like Office Space'sMilton (Stephen Root) or Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole)? We could venture tosay nowhere. Though Extract does not best it's 1999 cousin, it is stilla familiar trip down Judge's hilarious world.This time, instead of Milton, we have David Koechner as Nathan, theunbearable and creepy neighbor, who insists on socially insinuatinghimself on our main protagonist Joel (Jason Bateman), when in fact Joeland his sexy wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) cannot bare the site of him.The prototype for the main character is familiar enough: Joel issuccessful in his professional career, yet unhappy with his life. Themain source of all his frustration is his easily-trampled-onpersonality, exhibiting someone who is never in the moment. His wiferefuses to offer him the pleasures of sexual congress, his only friendis a stoner who cares little for his travails, and some of hisemployees are a royal pain in the neck (props to Beth Grant as Mary,successfully playing the most annoying character in the film).Like many of us, Joel needs to experience what looks like rock bottom,in terms of how the unfolding of events seems to be working to operatea situation of inescapable doom on all the various facets of his life:his wife appears to be on the brink of leaving him, his company facesbankruptcy, and it looks like there is nothing he can do about it.Yet this close contact with chaos of a sort that would have forced himout onto the streets finally pushes Joel to muster his wits and proceedto take control of the situation. This he does by appeasing thedaredevil/kleptomaniac Cindy (here seen as the gorgeous Mila Kunis) andhis recent recruit Step (Clifton Collins Jr.), as well as, toward theend of the movie, his wife.Extract gets a better rating than other superficial comedies because italso carries a message. The way things fall in place relativelysmoothly shows how some things are simply beyond our control. Thingshave a way of sorting themselves out - for the viewer this seemedimpossible 15 minutes before the end of the picture.It was a fundamental change in approach that led Joel to assume controlof the derailed train that had become his life. Yet his wife alsochanged attitude after the incident she was involved in. Sometimeschange from within is the key to opening the lock (this line ofreasoning is reminiscent of Bill Murray's predicament in GroundhogDay). Even when everything seems to be falling apart, there is always a wayout.To the comedic genius: Gene Simmons as Joe Adler is a riot. So are MattSchulze as the stoner redneck Willie, Dustin Milligan as the mentallychallenged Brad, J. K. Simmons as Brian, who never remembers theemployee's names, Ben Affleck as the useless spiritual healer friendDean, and the Heavy Metal vocalist from God's Cock with 35 facepiercings, as well as the fat farmer-like worker who tries to organizethe factory riot - they all possess Judge's signature insane-likequality. 7.5/10. Recommended for lovers of good comedy.

Jonny 99 2012-04-28 05:33:13

An unfunny sour misfire

Mike Judge creator of the cult classic "Office Space" well-captured theunpleasantries and indignities of both corporate life and chainrestaurant work. Judge attempts to apply the same bitter vibe to theexperience of management instead of labor and produces a painfullytedious, funny-free 92 minutes. Jason Bateman plays a mopey,ineffectual, sex-starved husband who incongruously hand-built thesuccessful, fictional, Reynolds extract manufacturing company. Unlikewealthy real entrepreneurs, Bateman's character spends all of his freetime hanging out at a hotel bar with Ben Affleck wildly miscast as anaging stoner. Bateman and Affleck engage in dialogue so dull it isclear to the audience that they are struggling just to keep the energyup until the end of the scene. Mila Kunis plays a thief and conwomanwith no other character development beyond just those two facts;according to the movie, swindling men takes nothing more thandisplaying small areas of modest cleavage. There is also a sub-plotabout a gigolo hired by Bateman's character who easily seduces hisfrigid wife but this also goes nowhere much like any attempt to movethe moribund plot forward. In short, the anger Judge judged teen lifein "Beavis & Butthead" and cubicle culture in "Office Space" is ondisplay perhaps somewhat diluted by his own success but the humor andkeen social observation certainly is not. Hey Beavis, heh, heh, heh,this movie, like, sucks!

nixskits 2012-04-22 18:38:09

Life is like a conveyor belt

While most people think their boss is a ______ (fill in your favouriteexpletive here), Jason Bateman is a genuinely nice guy in "Extract",with dozens of not always hard working folks on his company's payroll.Things at home aren't exactly wonderful and till Mila Kunis shows up atthe bottling factory where he has some degree of mastery over everydayroutines, his biggest problems are a not too amorous wife (unless herlibido is on the clock) and an eager beaver neighbour who doesn't takea hint. Then male desire gets in the way of seeing what's really going on andlife becomes an even larger migraine he doesn't need. I won't go intotoo much detail about the plot. Let's just say many developments comefrom the element of surprise and the hilarious consequences kept melaughing almost nonstop and wondering how this wacky story wouldeventually end. Bateman wasn't high profile for some time after his years as a childstar. Now seemingly everywhere as an adult actor, he's matured into aneveryman with an edge. Kunis gives another great turn, playing a muchless admirable woman than she did in previous projects. Gene Simmonsdeftly controls his time on screen, getting some of the best jokesdemonstrating why billions of us hate lawyers. And Ben Affleck isfunnier than ever as Jason's usually intoxicated friend. Mike Judge has penned another wonderful script and his direction allowsthe cast to all look goofy, but not evil, at no one's expense. They'rehumans and will reach a point where wondering if the grass is greenerelsewhere gets them into trouble. Definitely on my top thirteen listfor 2009 (because ten aren't enough if you're a real movie buff!).

David Rosenthal 2012-04-22 14:35:57

A stupid business owner deals with all the stupid people around him while making stupid choices of his own

An utterly stupid movie about how utterly stupid and meaningless mostpeoples' lives are. The people who made this movie under the pretenseof a comedy ended up making a tragedy. If this is the state of Americancinema, then we are doomed. There are some movies that are so bad thatthey are worth seeing simply for their shock value as to how bad amovie can be. Bu then there are those that make you feel like you havecompletely wasted your time. Like you have just lost an hour and a halfof your life that you will never get back and you feel gipped and takenadvantage of. This is one of those movies. I can't imagine spendingmoney to see this (it was a library rental) otherwise I would have lostnot only time but hard earned cash as well.There are no redeeming qualities to this piece of trash, except for,and this is a big maybe, Gene Simmons (former member of Kiss) in aridiculous cameo. He was a caricature when in Kiss, and a caricaturenow. But at least he knows it. The other actors, decent actors, have noexcuse. C'mon people, we can do so much better than spending millionsmaking movies like this. Bad jokes, bad plot line, bad stereotypes,etc. Or maybe it is the end of civilization and there's no turning back.Shame on the actors for buying into this wretched script. You have beenwarned.

Parker Schaffel 2012-04-21 21:04:16

It was alright.

I thought the movie was just "ok". There were some funny parts and I thought it was an interesting story line...but there was too much time between the humor and at times I was wondering when the next funny part was coming. Not Judge's best work, but it was still alright.

Peter Rainer 2012-04-21 07:28:41

The result doesn't seem as fresh as Office Space, but Judge still comes up with enough laughs to deserve our attention.

geeoff1 2012-04-15 15:46:53

I'm confused, and would rather have my 90-minutes back..

I love many an episode of "Beavis and Butthead", as well as the motionpicture "Office Space". (Note: if you don't get why "Office Space" hassuch a cult following, you are far too out of touch with the world welive in to be rating films viewed by those of us who do actually livein it.) I enjoyed a good deal of "Idiocracy" though in my opinion itwas only a 4-5 out of 10 film. I am aware enough to comprehend thatjust because I enjoyed a film does not mean its a great film; it simplymeans that I enjoyed it. The concept of "Idiocracy" alone isbrilliant...as well as being completely true. Just visit any shoppingmall parking lot on any Saturday for verification.I really like the cast of "Extract", and I believe that everyonecarried their weight, giving their characters what they could withinthe confines of the script. This brings us to what I perceive as theproblem with "Extract". I am easily entertained and not at all picky.However, I just sat through a Mike Judge film, chuckled twice, smiledmaybe a dozen times, and feel overwhelmingly not entertained.While not an awful film, deserving of the dreaded "1"-score, I believethat "Extract" suffers from it's base: the script. I found it lackingin most any reason to watch the film, and wonder if this was possibly aresult of over-compensating in an attempt to go in a differentdirection and make a different type of film.As previously mentioned, I don't feel that it's an awful motionpicture. I can understand a sane person giving it anywhere from 2-6depending on their altitude, shoe-size, or whatever. However, I amtruly baffled as to how any movie goer claims to have been entertainedon an 8-10 level unless there are drugs involved.

Owen Gleiberman 2012-04-15 08:32:41

Didn't Judge realize that Extract, with its plastic setups and one-dimensional harpies, plays like Kevin Smith remaking a bad George Segal comedy from 1978?