Seen on: August 12, 2009

The players: Director: Mike Judge Writer: Mike Judge, Cast: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, J. K. Simmons

Facts of interest: Mike Judge also directed "Office Space" and created "Beavis and Butthead."

The plot: Joel (Jason Bateman) is an extract plant owner who's having big problems at home and at work.

Our quick thoughts: Mike Judge, creator of “Office Space,” returns to the big screen with “Extract,” a deliciously funny comedy about a desperate white-collar guy who just doesn’t know how to handle his troubles at home and at work.

Even though I wouldn’t count “Extract” among the year’s best comedies, Judge’s film offers light, refreshing humor and strong performances that make this one a quite enjoyable experience. It’s by no means a perfect movie, but it delivers some solid laughs.

Jason Bateman is in top shape in his role as Joel, an extract plant owner who doesn’t get any sex from his wife (Kristen Wiig) at home and doesn’t get much respect from his employees at work. In other words, he’s not exactly the kind of happy guy he wishes to be.

Joel’s miserable existence, however, is about to change when an accident at work threatens his business, the arrival of a sexy temp (Mila Kunis) results in a risky temptation, and the decision to hire a gigolo to sleep with his wife ends in a big freak-out…

It’s certainly true there’s a lot going on in “Extract,” but Judge managed to skillfully balance all these events without losing focus or deviating too much from the central theme of this film. This is a story with several parts that flow together really well.

Bateman, of course, is great as Joel, who slowly learns how to tackle his stress and turn the way things happen in his favor. Judge’s characters are all desperate figures trying to find the road to a better existence, and I really enjoyed watching them evolve in this film.

Some characters remain undeveloped while others are a little too over-the-top, but that didn’t negatively impact my viewing experience. Ben Affleck’s pot-smoking character Dean, for instance, is completely ridiculous, but he turns out to be one of the funniest guys on the list.

The same goes for Dustin Milligan, who stars as probably the dumbest gigolo you could ever imagine. He’s so totally brainless, but so darn funny as well. And let’s not forget a hilarious cameo by Gene Simmons, who plays a tough lawyer trying to make Joel’s life even harder.

Judge pushes the boundaries of realism at times, but there certainly is some intriguing truth to how some of these characters behave. Witty dialogue helps the cast perform really well, and I’m sure you’ll find it quite easy to have plenty of fun with these figures.

Freaky quote: "You're the extract king, man." – Jason Bateman

The final word: “Extract” is no “Office Space” in terms of perspective of the lead characters and the dose of energetic humor, but that’s not a big issue. It’s a simple, funny comedy with an enjoyable message, nothing more and nothing less.

Article by Franck Tabouring