Extract (2009)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Mike Judge

Writer (WGA):

Mike Judge (written by)

Release Date:

4 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

This Labor Day, the creator of OFFICE SPACE heads back to work.

Plot:

Joel, the owner of an Extract plant, tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife and employees who want to take advantage of him.

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | One Word Title | Funeral | Factory | Infidelity

Cast

Jason Bateman	...	Joel
Mila Kunis	...	Cindy
Kristen Wiig	...	Suzie
Ben Affleck	...	Dean
J.K. Simmons	...	Brian
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Step
Dustin Milligan	...	Brad
David Koechner	...	Nathan
Beth Grant	...	Mary
T.J. Miller	...	Rory
Javier Gutiérrez	...	Hector
Lidia Porto	...	Gabriella
Gene Simmons	...	Joe Adler
Matt Schulze	...	Willie
Lamberto Gutierrez	...	Victor

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual references and some drug use.

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45502) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia)

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

3 Arts Entertainment

Trivia:

Gene Simmons' character Joe Adler is a nod to Dallas-based ambulance chaser attorney Jim Adler and his "Have you been injured?!?!" local TV commercials.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In close up shots of Joel's car, the windows aren't tinted, but for a far away shot, they have dark black tint.

Quotes:

Suzie: Who'd you want to have an affair with, anyway?
Joel: Just some criminal drifter.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Late Show with David Letterman: (#17.3)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Wundercrotchen

Light, funny film

OK, so it's not Office Space.

Extract reminds me of "Fierce Creatures", another film that had the terrible burden of trying to live up to a previous film made by the same people that achieved genius-level. Well, it seems that making a great comedy can be like waiting for a lightning strike.

Extract is not at the level of Office Space, but it's still very funny. Jason Bateman plays Joel, the owner of an extract factory ('extract' is in flavoring, like vanilla extract). His sex life has become non-existent, and some problems are arising at the workplace. He's tempted by the arrival of a gorgeous temp (Mila Kunis) who also happens to be a thief and con woman. He finds himself hanging out at the office with his buddy Dean (Ben Affleck) who advises him to hire a gigolo for his wife. This sounds like a terrible idea until Dean gives Joel a horse tranquilizer, which seriously impedes his judgment.

And much hilarity ensues.

The cast is terrific, including those named above and Kristen Wiig as Joel's wife; JK Simmons as Joel's partner; Dustin Milligan as Brad, the gigolo; and David Koechner as the neighborhood bore, Nathan. Gene Simmons has an excellent small role as Joe Adler, a local ambulance chaser who advertises on bus stop benches.

The film takes some unusual twists and turns and on the whole offers a lot of laughs. It does not hit the heights of Office Space, but after the dreadfully dull Idiocracy, it makes for a nice film.