Some days everyone goes to work, and wonder why they bothered to wake up. Those are the days you hold back screaming as the florescent lights burn you pupils. Then you have to sit and cringe as a certain co-worker drives you insane. My recommended cure for the blue -collar- blues is a large dosage of “Extract.”
Joel the owner of an extract factory is having trouble coping with his life. His wife refuses to have sex with him, and his factory is on the verge of being sold to a large company. To make matters worse his devoted floor manager Step loses one testicle in a freak accident, and realizes how fragile life is. Joel turns to his friend Dean (Affleck) a bartender that believes all of life’s problems can be fixed by drugs. After a night of random drug usage Joel decides to seduce a new factory worker, and hire a gigolo to sleep his wife. As his life spins out of control with a lawsuit that threatens his factory’s future, Joel begins to try anything he can to regain happiness.
Jason Bateman shines as a cowardly man with self esteem issues. His ability to make you laugh at the boring things in life makes this movie great. Mila Kunis is great as a manipulative thief that cons men using sex appeal, and kindness. David Koechner is very funny as the world’s most annoying neighbor; But Ben Affleck steals the show with his best comedic performance since Dogma. The entire supporting cast is phenomenal, and makes you feel bad for the managers babysitting them. Overall the dialogue could not have been better, and every actor takes advantage of it.
Mike Judge shows that he has not lost his touch directing comedies. Ever since “Office Space” judge has proven to be wonderful with character driven comedies .This movie is no exception with Judges irreverent style that parodies everyday life, and makes you laugh at just how stupid some things in life are.
The plot is hilarious with minor twists that keep you laughing the entire time. While some situations that occur may be a little over the top, this movie stays close enough to reality that allows you to feel bad for the characters. While “Office Space” showed us low level employees, “Extract” shows us the job scene from the managerial prospective, and it works very well. The only downside is a couple dull scenes that seemed forced in for a couple cheap laughs.
The camerawork is very generic, but that fits the film perfectly. The camera concentrates on the characters because most of the story is dialogue based. The one exception is a slow motion sequence that will have you laughing in disbelief. The set design of the Extract factory is great, and gives this movie more personality.
The musical score by George S. Clinton is very well done. The music for the factory scenes gives a hectic vibe for the fast moving assembly line that fit’s the movies offbeat style. Music during dialogue does not overtake the wonderful script, and allows the actors to entertain. The licensed music is even better, as it gives the movie a downer vibe that Mike Judge was going for. For fans of heavy metal this movie contains a ridiculous scene that had me holding my sides from laughter. The sound effects are above par for a comedy, and make drug scenes overwhelming to the viewer.
While “Extract” may have some moments that drag on, it is a film that will latterly make you laugh out loud the entire 92 minutes. The dry humor is not for everyone, and may seem a tad slow. This is very far from a comedy like “The Hangover” but for fans of “Office Space” this movie is a must see.
