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Extract

Movie Grade: B

DVD Features Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Mike Judge‘s portfolio is a strange one to say the least. On one end there is the well thought out and praised film Office Space, while at the other is the low-brow creation of Beavis and Butt-Head. Not to say that a show like Beavis and Butt-Head doesn’t have its place in the world, but it is a place for idiots and those with fond nostalgic memories of watching it against their parents’ wishes when they were seven years old. There are also his in between creations, like that of King of the Hill which ran at moderate popularity for twelve years and managed to remain consistently bearable for its entire run.

Extract would fall within the same category of decently clever and overall average material. Joel (Jason Batemen) has the exhilarating job of owning his own extract factory. The job might not be something most people strive towards, but it is just what interested Joel. Things at the factory are going so well that General Mills is actually considering a buyout, something which would allow Joel for early retirement. Things aren’t going quite as well at home: with Joel’s wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) doesn’t seem to be sexually interested any more. Unfortunately for Joel, Cindy (Mila Kunis), a con-artist, gets a job at the factory to take advantage of a potential lawsuit against the company. After accidently taking Special K – a horse tranquilizer used as a recreational drug – Joel is talked into hiring a gigolo to seduce his wife so he can be free to have an affair with Cindy.

What seems like a lot to break down in one short paragraph comes out surprisingly clear while actually watching the film. Each character is developed slowly, and even the side characters that work at the factory are all given a decent chance to become somewhat rounded as opposed to the flat side characters most films throw in at a workplace. They aren’t the deepest or most complex supporting roles, but they are enough to make you laugh again and again with incredibly subtly. J.K. Simmons plays Brian, Joel’s partner, who can’t remember any employees names and even mixes up the nicknames he gives out to them, and then there’s T.J. Miller who plays Rory, a metal-head employee who is always plugging his eloquently named bands.

The humor in the movie comes mostly from the characters personalities which are expressed rather than shoved at you, but this is counteracted in a sense by the fact that Joel is just such an unfortunate character. He makes his mistakes, and even considering the gigolo is incredibly dishonest to his wife, but his punishment seems greater than his misdeed. It was all a mistake that he regrets before it comes to fruition,

but it is done and his wife cheated on him. Not only that but it continues to go on and he can’t seem to do anything to stop it. Again, he is not innocent in the matter, but it is hard not to feel crushed for him knowing that his wife had sex with another man. There is some resolution towards the end and it seems to be “worked out,” but it left me with an unsatisfied feeling.

Once again, the special features have been snubbed from this DVD in order to further enforce the new demand for blu-ray players – but seriously, you should buy one. We do get one feature, a making of called Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe. It goes over all the usual materials in a making of; setting, characters, etc. It is all decently informative but doesn’t have any bombshell surprises or interesting techniques that the average film-watcher couldn’t pick up on.

Being written, produced, and directed by Mike Judge gives the film a great sense of subtle humor, despite what people who only know him for Beavis and Butt-Head might think. There is not a fart joke to be found throughout the entire film and nothing – I mean NOTHING is set on fire. We do get a five second glimpse of some heavy metal but that falls well into the films diegesis. Even Gene Simmons manages to be tolerable in this one. When it is all over, this is no Office Space, but they can’t all be gold. Extract is more of a regular film that won’t reach the classic status of Office Space, but will entertain you for the ninety minute duration.

Movie Grade: B

DVD Features Grade: B

Overall Grade: B