Maré de Azar

I have seen it twice now. Sometimes a movie can be reasonably funny the first time, but isnt worth seeing a second time. Fortunately the second time around "Extract" still held it's ground and was as funny as during the first viewing. That is always a good sign, because it means that the dialogues are witty and true to life.

"Extract" is a tongue in cheek comedy, some jokes are right in your face, but most jokes are just funny because of the behaviour of people and the conflicts they get into.

Let's take the main character played by Jason Bateman for example: he hasnt got the privacy to masturbate in his own house. And he HAS to masturbate because his wife Kirsten Wigg only has sex with him once in every 3 months!

He complains about his wife's (Kristen Wiigss) headaches in bed to his friend Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck advises him to have an affair. But just to relieve himself of any guilt he must first make sure his wife has an affair too. What happens next is both hilarious AND endearing.

Bateman carefully balances between humor, grumpiness and everyday relationship boredom, which will be easily recognizable for any (struggling) adult out there...

It is a slow burner story, with a lot of (superb) whining. But I loved it. I didnt burst out in laughter all the time, it is more kinda amusing to see Jason Bateman complaining about his wife's headaches and finding ways to masturbate in the house without his wife finding out about it. Lovely supporting roles of Mila Kunis, amongst others...

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.

In a star studded lineup, the film follows Joel (Jason Bateman), the proud owner of an extract company he built from the ground up. Life seems to be going as per normal, when issues begin to arise and spiral quickly out of control from all aspects of his life. The film also focuses on Cindy (the stunning Mila kunis) who's life of petty crime intercepts Joel's and his company through a series of events leading up to it.

The film was not only written by Mike Judge, but also directed by him. In no disrespect to Mike, its a very simple and slow paced movie, with no twists and turns, action or fancy shots; but on the same token, doesn't require any for it to still be an enjoyable watch. I feel Mike's aim was to relate with the viewer, as it follows a normal guy, who OK, does drive a nice car, has a big house and owns a successful business - which not all of us have the privilege to boast - but nonetheless falls into difficult times through no fault of his own.

There's not too many people who haven't been in a relationship that at some point has soured and lead to temptation, nor has someone not been exposed to wrong doings by others. And everyone's had or unfortunately still has an annoying neighbour, played very amusingly by David Coechner (better known as Champ Kind in Anchorman.)

It times like this when we turn to our friends, which in Joel's case was to Dean (Ben Affleck) who although polar opposite in his outlook on life, provides some strange but tangible advise that seems to only make things worse at first. If you're expecting a clean cut Ben Affleck in this film, then you'll be mistaken. Think long hair, a beard and a hippie personality and you'll be closer to the mark.

Although slow and somewhat predictable, it provides a generous amount of subtle humour throughout, which at times will simply put a smile on your face but at others will have you in stitches of laughter. Combined with a down to earth story line (which ends in true Hollywood fashion) will leave you in good spirits after a pleasurable 92 minutes of viewing. The eye candy provided by Mila doesn't go a miss either!

This film is about an extract factory owner who encounters problems with his family life and in the work place.

Though the delivery of the film is a little flat, the plot does offers engaging moments that makes viewers care for the characters. Though "Extract" is marketed as a comedy, it is not a film that makes you laugh out loud. Instead, it makes you smile when you appreciate Joel's series of unfortunate situations. Many scenes give just the imagery of what is happening, but does not spell it out. For example, the two shots of the wife tying her trousers gives viewers an idea what is being conveyed, in such a subtle manner that is seldom found in comedies. Some people may think "Extract" is a bore, but I do not think so.

Mike Judge has a knack for creating memorable characters. Once again he has put together characters that a lot of people can easily relate to, and that is the strong point of "Extract". What is missing here is an outrageous script like "Idiocracy". Jason Bateman plays a very sympathetic boss of an extract company, and as his troubles mount with his wife and business, you sincerely feel for the poor guy. Unfortunately, "Extract", while well acted, featuring some very colorful characters, lacks the bite of "Office Space" or "Idiocracy" If you go in expecting hilarious, you will be disappointed, but if you look beyond his previous films, the movie might be better appreciated. - MERK