Extract Directed by: Mike Judge Cast: Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig Running Time: 1 hr, 30 mins Rating: R Release Date: September 4, 2009
Plot: An odd story about a young business owner who gets word he may finally be able to sell his extract company. Trouble ensues when an uncanny accident sends one of Joel's (Bateman) employees to the hospital for, uh, losing something important. The aftermath of the incident forces him to re-think his plans, and re-examine the life he thought had been so mind-numbingly drab to begin with.
Who’s It For? Fans of Jason Bateman's career turn around. This guy may be a one-note sort of actor, but like his young counterpart on Arrested Development Michael Cera, this is one note Mike Judge hopes we don't mind hearing/seeing yet again.
Expectations: Will Extract do for Ben Affleck's fledgling acting career what Tropic Thunder did for Tom Cruise's? Can Bateman carry a film rather than providing an enjoyably average second fiddle? Mike Judge scored a cult-hit with Office Space, but offered up a largely disappointing second effort with Idiocracy three years ago. An accomplished television writer (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead), Judge needs a hit in order to re-instill our belief that his movies are worth an hour and a half of our precious time.
SCORECARD (0-10)
Actors:
Jason Bateman as Joel: It's probably rather difficult to prove yourself as a versatile actor if you keep being asked to portray an everyman amongst dim-witted lesser-thans. Bateman has a likability factor that never seems to waiver, and rightfully so. He knows how to steal a scene without trying, because it's in his dead-pans reactions where he's mined acting gold. With the exception of the border-line pedophile he played in Juno, Bateman's never had to really shoulder a dramatic load. Joel isn't necessarily a stretch for the 40-year-old journeyman, but it is a character, rather than a overgeneralized portrayal. This is a guy whose faults aren't necessarily his fault, but rather a slew of circumstantial shortcomings we've all dealt with in one way or another. He'll likely never win an Oscar, but there aren't many other Hollywood leading men who can better portray someone we can all relate to. Score: 8
Ben Affleck as Dean: Here's an actor whose star has gone dim. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. After bursting onto the scene amidst Kevin Smith's introduction to pop culture, Affleck's star rose too quickly. He went from a lovably jock-ish sidekick in Good Will Hunting to Bruce Willis' asteroid-busting comrade in 1998's biggest film. Though he never possessed the kind of acting chops James Lipton would drool over, Affleck found ways to make his guy's-guy physique morph into a likable comic artist in films like Chasing Amy. As Dean, he backs away from forcing us to believe he has any ability to feign sentiment (watch Jersey Girl, and you'll get what I mean). He's simply the stoned best friend of someone who's cleaned up his act, and found success. There's too little baggage involved to get caught up in how this underachievement happened, and Affleck relishes his chance to just poke fun at how little natural acting ability he actually has. What we get here is an adequate, albeit forgettable performance in which Affleck gets the most laughs on accident. It's odd, Judge's writing doesn't work with him as well as Smith's did in the 90s. Regardless, there are intermittent moments of comic relief. Affleck's career in a nutshell. Score: 6
Clifton Collins Jr. as Step: Here's an actor's actor. Collins Jr. has paid his dues with a heap of supporting roles (most notably in Capote, in 2005) in which he's forced us to remember his character-laden face. He can do serious. He can do ironic. He can do funny. As Step, he's asked to do all three, and provides the film's best performance. He gives us a fresh take on a simpleton, blue collar man with a blind allegiance to ethical perfection. Though he means well, there is a vulnerable gullibility that surfaces in all the right moments, and Collins Jr. knocks these subtle scenes out of the park. There's little else you can say, other than, "Give this guy his own film." He's ready. Score: 9
Kristen Wiig as Suzie: This is Wiig's chance to step out from under the giant shadow of hilarity she's cast over ... herself. She had yet to be given the chance to prove her dramatic chops, and as Suzie, it's a necessary tool to wield. Hit, and miss. I admit to spending half the time waiting for her to make me laugh out loud - somethings she's done so well on SNL, and in bits parts over the last couple of years in films like Knocked Up, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Suzie is a loving wife whose husband's career has left her begging for "that" kind of attention. Her struggles leads her to make one desperate decision that isn't likely to sit well with Joel. I wanted Wiig to be able to pull this off, as I'm sure she will be able to one day soon. Here though, Suzie winds up a half-developed concept, rather than a fleshed-out character you want to root for. Score: 5
Talking: Judge knows dialogue. He can write for the Joel's of the world, as well as the dim-witted subordinates the Joel's of the world preside over. It isn't a laugh a minute, and doesn't have to be. The story's gripping enough to allow for serious moments in which you may still find yourself waiting for a punchline. Bateman gets the bulk of the laughs with his "did this person really just say that... come on, brush it off" facial gestures. The best exchanges actually occur between he and annoying next-door-neighbor [David Koechner] who winds up warding off Joel's closing garage door to get in one... last... word. Score: 8
Sights: Generic surroundings. Standard Los Angeles suburb. There are some very funny sight gags, and they come at all the right times. I had never seen the inside of an Extract Manufacturing plant before. More-or-less what anyone would expect ... I guess. Score: 7
Sounds: Adequate soundtrack. Sort of wanted a musical montage from Judge (a la the beat-the-copier-machine-to-death-to-gangsta-rap in Office Space), though. Score: 9
PLOT SPOILERS
Best Scene: After striking out with his wife yet another time, Joel allows Dean to administer some friendly advice... After unknowingly taking a rather strong animal sedative to fuel his desire to listen to his hipster-doofus of a best friend. Bateman's eerily believable as a clean-cut/straight-shooter whose suddenly fallen WELL under the influence. The aftermath of this moment dictates the course of the rest of the film. Enjoy.
Ending: Can I be honest? Total cop-out. Wasn't satisfied with it at all. Don't want to talk about it anymore.
Questions: Was their an alternative ending? Sort of hope so...
Rewatchability: Far better than Idiocracy, but not as DVD/Blu-Ray worthy as Office Space. Not by a long shot.
OVERALL
I really wanted to recommend this to everyone. Mike Judge is one of Hollywood's premier off-kilter storytellers. He has a fresh perspective on why we are the way we are, and it became clear Extract was another film-interpretation of this very early on. However, there is too much going on (or not going on... you'll have to see it to get what I mean) to follow as a whole, and it's very difficult to figure out who to root for. Office Space succeeded because it didn't so much point a finger at the corporate world as it accepted its morbidly mundane attributes. This film tries to do the same, but trips itself up in trying to tie up all loose ends by the film's conclusion. That's the thing - It shouldn't have had to. Judge is great at making us laugh while pointing the finger directly at us. In Extract, he eases up towards the end as if to say: Screw up as much as you want to, and things will patch themselves up in the end. It's an odd piece of advice coming from someone who made laundering money from a Gary Cole-led corporation a thrilling distraction from the go-go 1990s.
Final Score: 6/10