It seems like no one is happy with a two-car garage and spacious sequestered bath these days. From the bitter breakdowns in “American Beauty” to the angst of “Revolutionary Road,” suburbia gets a bad rap in the movie industry.
In the dark comedy “Extract,” director Mike Judge puts his own sardonic spin on the gated-community lifestyle we love to hate.
After creating both the “King of the Hill” and “Beavis and Butthead” series in the ’90s, Judge went on to write and direct the cult classic “Office Space,” which celebrated the main character’s attempt to flee his cubical job and mundane life.
Like “Office Space,” “Extract” is another workplace comedy, but with a little less social commentary gusto. Joel (Jason Bateman) owns Reynolds Extract, a company he built from scratch after discovering his affinity for food flavorings. The typical beleaguered mid-life white-collar employee, he struggles with an unsatisfying marriage and contemplates selling his company for a fresh start.
That is, until the day his bumbling employees accidentally injure a fellow worker, setting off a chain of events that threatens to bankrupt the company. Things get even hairier with the arrival of Cindy (Mila Kunis), a sultry, nefarious con artist. Cindy gets herself hired as a temp at Reynolds Extract and proceeds to try to sleep her way into a fortune, leading Joel to decisions that further undermine his marriage.
The somewhat uninspired plot is pushed along with exuberance by a stellar cast. Bateman rose to fame starring in “Arrested Development” as Michael Bluth, and here he plays a similarly frustrated everyman trying to keep it all together.
The comedy comes from the quirky characters that populate his world. J.K. Simmons, who starred with Bateman in “Juno,” ladles insults on the employees as Joel’s wheeling and dealing partner. “Saturday Night Live’s” Kristen Wiig plays Joel’s desperate housewife Suzie with hilarious wide-eyed frigidity.
Ben Affleck takes the cake as Dean, the spacey best friend who tries to help Joel with an incredible amount of drugs and even more terrible advice.
There’s even a small but scene-stealing performance by Gene Simmons, who shows up (sans Kiss makeup) as Joe Adler, a vicious personal injury lawyer whose T.V. commercials call him the “Big Gun.”
“Extract” tackles the worst of American society, from racism to self-important musicians to ambulance-chasing lawyers. It does the job well, splicing Judge’s token exaggerated irony with cartoonish sketches. It’s not a perfect comedy, but there’s plenty to chuckle at. And it’s refreshing to see someone besides Seth Rogen make a joke in a movie for a change.
However, the movie’s villains are too diffuse to stir the same proletarian catharsis that “Office Space” did. Judge so thoroughly lampooned corporate culture the first time that there was little left for him to spear in “Extract.”
The con artist, petty factory workers and pushy suburban neighbor can’t compare to the sleaze of Bill Lumbergh and his corporate doublespeak in “Office Space.” “Extract” is not likely to have the same cult sticking appeal, with coffee-mug lines like “pieces of flair” or “case of the Mondays.” There is no Milton for us to rally around.
Instead, “Extract” closes with a comfortable status quo that’s as tidy as the manicured lawns it seems to deride. There’s a little less bite than you would hope for, but you’ll be too busy laughing to care.
[Posted in 'Film' on Neon Tommy.com, Annenberg Digital News]