Review of Extract (2009) by Spangle — 23 Nov 2016

Extract is a pretty straight forward film. Directed by Mike Judge, Extract is a modern day comedy that has some solid jokes along the way, is not memorable in any fashion, and has a very dumb plot. There is certainly comedy in the plot at times, but Extract is the very definition of escapism. It is the furthest thing from a serious film and, though mildly entertaining in the moment, it is already beginning to escape my mind. With each passing word I type, I forget a piece of Extract's plot. That is probably not a great sign as to its staying power.

Starring Jason Bateman as Joel, the owner of Reynold's Extract, the film is basically about Joel's marriage problems with Suzie (Kristen Wiig). With the flame dying and Suzie no longer willing to have sex (her lack of desire noted by putting on sweatpants daily at 8PM...), Joel is introduced to thief Cindy (Mila Kunis). In order to sleep with Cindy guilt free, Joel confides in moron friend Dean (Ben Affleck) who advises him to hire a male prostitute named Brad (Dustin Milligan) to sleep with Suzie. Meanwhile, an accident at Joel's plant takes off one of his employee's testicles and Cindy, seeing an opportunity to cash in, snuggles up to the maimed Step Wilkinson (Clifton Collins, Jr.) in order to convince him to sue Reynold's Extract. With his wife now having a full blown affair and his company on the brink of bankruptcy, Joel's life is falling apart.

Unfortunately, all of this drama is created by a complete lack of communication. Instead of confronting his problems by talking to anybody, Joel just shuts out Suzie, does not talk to the trusted long-time employee Step, and instead just talks to his moron druggy friend Dean. While it may help the comedy of the film, it is a truly annoying premise at times that really aggravates more than it entertains. That said, it is a largely fun ride due to the idiotic ideas concocted by Dean and Joel. In particular, the character of Brad Chavez, the male prostitute, is hysterical. Hilariously stupid, Brad really has nothing going on in his head and, as a result, any interaction with him is Extract's greatest source of comedy. Director Mike Judge uses him just the right amount because too much Brad could have really had a negative effect on the film. As it stands, Judge reins his greatest weapon and we get enough of Brad to make us entertained, but not annoyed.

Other than this, Extract is largely quite harmless. It does suffer from that lack of communication, but it sort of just floats along, does its thing, and ends. It is really the definition of nothing entertainment and though I love rambling on about whatever it is I just watched, I am currently drawing a blank about what to write about regarding Extract. Largely well-written, it is a decidedly modern comedy and if you have seen any other comedy this century, you know what to expect from Extract. The film does miss an opportunity in terms of the factory, as it never really delves into the factory workers too much, especially when faced with the potential of General Mills buying the company. We get little glimpses that could be something akin to Office Space, but Judge never really explores this potential, which is a shame.

So...yeah. If you have an hour and a half to kill, there are worse options than Extract. Even better, if you are tired, you could toss it on, fall asleep, and wake up just in time to still understand it all.