DVD Reviews

Extract – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 5, 2010, 11:53 GMT

The creator of OFFICE SPACE, writer-director Mike Judge (BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD), moves from cubicles to the assembly line with EXTRACT his outrageous return to workplace comedy, featuring a hilarious ensemble cast of quirky characters. About to sell his successful flavor extract company, life is almost sweet for Joel (Jason Bateman) until a freak on-the-job accident happens. Add to that his bored wife (Kristen Wiig), his laid-back best friend (Ben Affleck), ...more

I guess extract of wife’s sweatpants was not destined to be a popular flavor. Mike Judge’s latest theatrical experience still has some idiocracy, but the laughs are not as many as that previous effort does it does offer funny moments.

Joel Reynolds (Jason Bateman) needs some flavor in his life. He runs a semi-successful extract business, but his marriage to Suzie (Kristen Wiig) has grown routine. He tries to get home before 8 p.m. because if Suzie has put on her sweatpants there’s no chance of romance - not that there was much chance before that magic hour it would appear.

Joel drowns his troubles at the local hotel bar and seeks the shoulder of his bartender pal Dean (Ben Affleck). Things start to go south at the factory when an accident leaves Step (Clifton Collins Jr.) one short of a pair of testicles.

Cindy (Mila Kunis) is a drifting con-woman who reads of Step’s plight and sees a way to make some easy money by inserting herself in to Step’s life and convincing him to sue the company using shyster lawyer Joe Adler (Gene Simmons).

He also takes Dean’s advice, with the help of some pharmaceutical inspiration, and hires a new pool boy to seduce Suzie so that Joel won’t feel guilty in having an affair. Not to mention that both Joel and Suzie try to avoid their annoying neighbor (David Koechner).

Mike Judge showed us a vision of the future with Idiocracy and he starts to show us some of the fall in Extract. Libidinous teen Brad (Dustin Milligan) is hired to prove Suzie’s fidelity and she fails miserably. What’s worse is that her fling actually seems to make her want to connect more with her husband, but he’s too annoyed at discovering that his plan actually succeeded.

So Brad is a forerunner of the dullards of Idiocracy and maybe Joel is also responsible as well, though he considers himself the more intelligent. Extract doesn’t have the high satire content that Idiocracy did though the laughs in Extract are more gentle and thoughtful.

Joel is a sad sack who is not happy with the turn his marriage has taken, but he shows even worse judgment in listening to his stoner bartender buddy. Judge does pepper the cast with some familiar funny faces, including J.K. Simmons as the personnel manager who can’t remember anyone’s name and rocker Gene Simmons as an ambulance chasing sleazy attorney.

Extract is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1). Special features include the 10-minute, high definition “Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe” in which the cast praises their director. Next are 4 minutes of extended scenes and a 40 second deleted scene. Both are presented in standard definition.

Extract is more of a gentle comedy than the mad antics of Idiocracy. It’s also more of a situational one with the laughs coming from the loopy employees and Joel’s situations. Though those situations may not evoke the belly laughs that Judge’s other comedies evoke.