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Jason Bateman Shows Some Flavor In Extract
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Extract is one of those movies that will fly under the radar amidst all the more highly touted new releases and won’t really be appreciated until it hits the video stores and Netflix.
Jason Bateman carries this mildly dark comedy about Extract plant owner, Joel, who is getting hit with life’s best punches from all sides. First off, he can’t seem to figure out why his marriage has become so bland, boring and unsatisfying. Secondly, one of his employees gets injured in an accident at the plant. And lastly, his lack of sex at home is causing him to be presented with temptations from other women.
I call the movie, mildly dark, be.jpg)
cause it is not a full-fledged black comedy, nor do I think it tried to be. However, the humor is more of a subtle nature and some of the incidents lean towards the dark comedy genre. It works though, as I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, especially since Ben Affleck played a big supporting role. I’ll give credit where it’s due, Ben remembered all of his lines and didn’t try to do too much.
Affleck plays, Dean, Joel’s bartender friend and shoulder to complain on. Dean offers Joel the option of testing his wife’s loyalty, which Joel agrees to, due to a drug induced stupor, courtesy of Dean. The advice Dean gives Joel seems like the advice Affleck would probably give one of his real life friends, so he is convincing in that respect.
That debacle combined with Joel’s injured employee’s impending lawsuit drive Joel to the brink of a total breakdown. He begins to turn his attention to recently hired temp, Cindy, played by Mila Kunis. Cindy is more than just a pretty face as Joel soon discovers and this just adds to his troubles.
Writer and Director Mike Judge does a nice job of not just dumping all of this on Joel all at once and expect him to overcome it all triumphantly. The drama is nicely peppered throughout the film and woven together with precision. Basically, Joel thought his life was an uneventful bore and made some bad decisions to try and change it. And eventually realizes change isn’t always a good thing, and effort to repair what is already there can be a more valid option. Wow, a movie that Ben Affleck was in actually had some sort of underlying message to it. Go Figure!
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