Jason Bateman stars as Joel and Clifton Collins Jr. plays Step in “Extract.”
“Extract,” the new comedy written and directed by Mike Judge, has plenty of good, hearty chuckles.
Problem is, that’s about as far as it goes.
The story centers on Joel, the genial owner of a factory that extracts flavors to make bottled drinks. Just as Joel and his partner, Brian (J.K. Simmons), are preparing to sell the factory, make millions and retire, a chain of unfortunate events leads to a warehouse accident involving factory worker Step (Clifton Collins Jr.).
The mishap, and ensuing events, jeopardize the deal.
Things aren’t much better at home for Joel. His wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) is preoccupied by her graphic artist job and is more interested in watching reality television than spending any time in the bedroom.
Joel decides to turn to his friend Dean (Ben Affleck) for direction – the first of many bad decisions.
Meanwhile, Cindy (Mila Kunis), a con artist and opportunist, latches on to Step and convinces him to sue Joel’s company.
It has been a decade since Judge wrote and directed the landmark comedy “Office Space,” a film that showcases IT workers and addresses issues familiar to office workers and white collar employees. “Office Space” has become a cult classic thanks to its irreverent, sly humor and its caricatures of cubicle-dwelling people.
Judge, who is also responsible for “Beavis and Butt-head,” has been busy with television’s “King of the Hill.” With the end of that series, Judge has apparently decided to return to the big screen … with “Extract.”
“Extract” initially seems promising. Setting up the story’s major components, Judge does a nice job revealing little glimpses of the film’s potential. The absence of intimacy between Joel and Suzie is symbolized by the tightening of a drawstring in a pair of sweatpants.
The factory’s strengths – and limitations – are found in its quirky, blue collar workers. The tempting, yet manifestly disastrous counsel offered by Dean reveals how bad ideas can be made to sound sensible.
Judge crafts a wonderful foundation. He is an expert at developing eccentric, unpredictable characters. The audience can anticipate where each story thread will lead, and expects the humor to escalate to a thunderous, hilarious conclusion.
That doesn’t happen.
Instead, Judge holds back. He sends poor Joel farther and farther down this road of bad decisions, and “Extract” starts to seem more like something Ethan and Joel Coen might have concocted – only the Coens would have made it funny.
Misfortune, when handled properly, can be humorous. Judge overstates the tragedy in “Extract,” heaping disloyalty, death and infidelity upon injury, deceit and violence. Scenes that should be amusing become distressing and episodes that should be poignant are just depressing.
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