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'Extract' movie poster.
Audiences hoping for another send-up of the soul-sucking American workplace from Mike Judge may be disappointed with Extract. Whereas Office Space derives most of its laughs from its spot-on portrayal of white collar boredom and frustration, Extract stretches outside its blue-collar setting, mining marital relations, drug use, and personal injury litigation for laughs.
Extract is the story of Joel (Jason Bateman), the owner of an extract factory. Sexually frustrated at home, Joel confronts the temptation to cheat on his wife (Kristen Wigg) with the new temp (Mila Kunis), while attempting to settle a lawsuit with an injured worker before the deal he'd struck to sell his business falls through. Under the influence of his drug-pushing friend Dean (Ben Affleck), Joel makes some improbable decisions that propel the plot in some rather strange directions.
If it sounds like there's a lot going on in this film, that's because there is. Office Space was funny because it was relatable, but Extract is closer to the Judd Apatow "I can't believe they just said/did that" school of comedy. Mike Judge clearly has a way of creating characters that the audience instantly recognizes, and the supporting cast here is great, but you may need to suspend disbelief when it comes to some major plot points.
The good news is, you haven't seen the only good jokes in the trailer for the movie. If you miss Arrested Development, you can get your Jason Bateman fix, and you'll be surprised at just how funny Ben Affleck can be.
Watch the trailer for the movie here, and then tell us in the Comments: What movie will you be seeing this weekend?
Comments
I probably won't see any movies this weekend, but I will put "Extract" on my DVD's I want to see list. Doesn't sound worth seeing in theater.
I thought Extract was decent. If only for Ben Affleck pushing Xanax as a cure all, and codeine cough syrup as a cure for headaches. I was kept interested throughout the film. It wasn't quite Office Space, and it wasn't what I expected either. Still a good film though.
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