Extract - Mike Judge Heads Back to the Office Space

With "Office Space," writer/director Mike Judge (creator of "Beavis & Butthead") quickly became the unofficial poet laureate of all those people subjected to working in a small cubicle in the permanent employment of the corporate world. Just about every white collar worker I know has seen that film and rejoiced at how similar it was to their office. Some of us could say that we don't need to see it because we are living it, and that's just short of calling the movie a documentary. Ever since it was released, no other office movie could seemingly come close to matching what it brought to the silver screen. The only person who could possibly come close to topping "Office Space" was Judge himself.

So, a good ten years or so later, we have "Extract," the latest film from Mike Judge. Whereas "Office Space" focused on the workers slaving away in front of a computer, "Extract" follows those in management. This may seem like blasphemy from the outset, but it is an interesting view of those we usually despise from a distance. The movie is unfortunately not as accomplished or as funny as "Office Space," but while the humor is hit and miss at times, there are still a lot of terrific moments and performances to take in that definitely make it worth a watch. Miramax may have given it a sub par release, but at least they actually took the time to release it to theaters instead of just burying it in a dozen of them like "Idiocracy."

"Extract" stars Jason Bateman, one of the most likable comedy actors at the moment, as Joel. Joel manages a food extract company that he built from the ground up. It is a relatively small operation with about a dozen or so employees, and he runs it with his business partner Brian (the priceless J.K. Simmons). It is actually not a corporate company, but General Mills may be giving them an offer to buy their company, thus allowing both Joel and Brian to retire in splendor, never having to work again it seems.

However, as successful as Joel's business is, he still feels unfulfilled in life. Part of this is due to the fact that he and his wife Suzie ("SNL's" Kristen Wiig) have not had sex in three months. Just as he thinks he is about to get a little hanky panky, Joel comes home to find Suzie already firmly strapped into her sweat pants, a clear sign that he will not be getting any tonight. Plus, things get even more complicated when one of his workers, floor manager wannabe Step (Clifton Collins, Jr.) ends up getting one of his testicles blown off in a workplace accident which opens up the possibility of a lawsuit that could devastate the company and its employees.

Also, after the unfortunate (not to mention extraordinarily painful) accident, Joel hires a couple of temps to keep the work going. One of them is Cindy (Mila Kunis), who unbeknownst to Joel is actually a professional con-woman who we see effortlessly stealing a guitar from two hopelessly naïve music store employees at the beginning of the film. Joel is immediately attracted to her as is everybody else, but he does not want to cheat on his wife and thinks that this will just be a passing phase in his life. But his best friend Dean (an almost unrecognizable Ben Affleck of all people) encourages him, under the influence of drugs I might add, to hire a gigolo to have an affair with his wife. That way, Joel won't feel guilty when he ends up cheating on her with Cindy (or so he hopes).

Of course, this being a comedy, everything turns to chaos because that's just what happens in a movie like this.

What I like a lot about Mike Judge is that after all these years, he still manages to almost perfectly capture the lives of ordinary people to where they are very recognizable to us. Nobody in this movie is particularly extraordinary, and they are trying to get by in their own way. Joel himself is a very likable guy despite some of the boneheaded decisions he makes throughout the film. Jason Bateman is perfect in this role because he captures the everyman quality here that few other actors could. Ever since "Arrested Development," Jason has really been on a roll and for good reason. You want to like him, and he makes you want to see him almost succeed in the bad things he does when he should know better.

Another actor I REALLY liked in "Extract" is J.K. Simmons, who is now one of the best character actors working today. It's amazing to see that this actor who got his breakthrough playing one of the most repellant villains in television history on "Oz" can continue to play such goofy but well meaning characters. Most other actors in that kind of a role would be typecast for life, but I guess it shows us what a great actor J.K. is. I love how his character of Brian can never seem to remember anyone's name and how he refers to everyone as "dinkas." While he doesn't have a lot of screen time, his performance is one of the movie's most memorable.

It's great to see Mila Kunis here, and she looks just as ravishingly gorgeous as she did in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." As Cindy, she manipulates those around her almost effortlessly, and it's almost like you want to succeed in spite of what she does. Mila's job is not to just convince the characters around her that she is on the level, she has to convince the audience as well. Granted, we know she deserves some severe punishment for the petty crimes she commits, but Mila makes it impossible for us to fully hate this character. Just watch how she ropes in Bateman's character towards the end of the film.

There are some other wonderful performances to be found in "Extract" from actors like Beth Grant, who looks a lot like she did in "No Country For Old Men." She plays a truly obnoxious worker named Mary who always suspects others around her of not doing their jobs or stealing from her. She ends up using this as an excuse to not do any work until she feels that other employees start doing their fair share. I have worked with a lot of people like Mary, and the fact that many of them go through their days unchecked is endlessly maddening. It reminds me of this question that I can't get out of my head right now:

"Who watches the Watchmen?"

David Koechner is also really good here as Joel and Suzie's endlessly annoying neighbor, Nathan. This is the kind of guy you struggle ever so hard to be nice to even while inside you are screaming for him to get lost. Problem is, you just can't quite get yourself to tell him that. You can tell him to go away, but he just keeps coming back to you with questions you have no real desire to answer. David is great in the role, and what happens to his character at the end is completely unexpected.

But the one actor I really enjoyed watching throughout "Extract" was Ben Affleck who plays Joel's best friend, Dean. Now Ben Affleck has been one of the most derided actors in the last decade or so, and he was the big butt of the joke in "Team America's" song of how "Pearl Harbor" sucked and how he desperately needed acting lessons. But "Extract" shows that he might do better as character actor than your average romantic leading man. I loved how he goes around believing that all the little problems of life can be solved with drugs (especially Xanax). Affleck is a real hoot throughout, and he gives the movie many of its funniest scenes. Just when you thought Ben Affleck was out, it's roles like these that pull him back in.

Dustin Milligan is perfectly naïve and clueless as Brad, the gigolo Dean gets Joel to hire for his wife. Many movie characters don't get more dense than this one, and it gets to where you actually feel sorry for him. Then there is Gene Simmons who plays the Lucifer of ambulance chasing attorneys, Joe Adler. But seriously, Gene is looking more and more like Keith Richards everyday.

Like many comedies I see, "Extract" does not always hit the mark. Some jokes in the movie work better than others, and coming out of this movie, you feel like it could have been better than what it was. The stuff with the gigolo at times feels like a missed opportunity, and some roles (Kristen Wiig's especially) feel like they could have been more expanded. Still, there is a lot to like here, and I liked a lot of the decisions that Joel makes towards the end of the film. Just when he thinks he knows the answers to all his problems, he finds another solution that is more beneficial to him and the people surrounding him.

Mike Judge is one of those directors I feel bad for because his work does not always get the respect that it deserves. Still, like "Office Space," "Extract" will most likely find the audience it deserves through cable and DVD. It may have not gotten much of a release in theaters recently, but a movie like this seems destined for a long shelf life.

*** out of ****