Review of Extract (2009) by Zane T — 01 Jul 2010

I've never really like Jason Bateman, but he is perfect in this movie as a business man whose life goes to hell. It also helps that Mike Judge knows how the stage a factory work environment. As the owner of a bottling factory, his life is pretty dull. The middle-age women gripe about how lazy the Mexican-Americans are. The office manager can't remember people's names. A 20-something employee is more interested in telling people about his band than working. His home life is the pits too. Him and his wife, played by Kristen Wiig, are more or less as he calls it a "brother-sister" relationship. If he is not home by the time she puts on the sweatpants, he can't get any sex. I don't know if the main character is sexually frustrated or just frustrated with life. They have a neighbor, David Koechner, who is annoying and can't take the hint. Many people have a neighbor like this or know someone.

Gene Simmons has a funny small role as a ambulance chasing shyster lawyer and Ben Affleck is a hoot as a stoner bartender. There's also some funny dialogue which will probably reach Office Space status, such as calling Dominos to order Pepsi and laying out in your front yard with the car stereo. However, with a lot of Judge's movies, there just seems like a lot of stuff that was missing. Mila Kunis' role was probably meant for something more than it is used. It is basically a glorified cameo. Kunis is funny, but she is underused here. The surprise is Clifton Collins Jr. as a redneck who loses a testicle in a work related accident which looks like something out of the Final Destination movies. It's not as good as Office Space mainly because the plot just isn't that interesting. But it is worth watching.