Extract, the new comedy from Office Space director and Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge, stars Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig and Ben Affleck, among others. Bateman plays Joel, the owner of a company that produces cooking extracts. Unhappy with his life, as most successful, middle aged white guys are, Joel and his friend Dean, the bartender at a local hotel sports bar, played by Affleck, hatch a plan for him to cheat on his wife (Wiig) with the new temp (Kunis) at the extract factory.

Complicating things are a lawsuit regarding lost genitalia, and the fact that Kunis’ temp is actually a con woman.

This slightly convoluted plot is sadly not backed up by the performances. It’s okay, it’s not great. It doesn’t live up to the promise of Judge’s earlier films. That being said, there are some laughs, awkward situations and awkward characters. J.K. Simmons plays the assistant manager at the plant and is one of the bright spots in a talented, but sometimes lackluster cast.

All in all, it’s an average movie, nothing special. But if you’re tired of movies aimed at kids, or bros, or you’ve seen all the kid/bro movies and aren’t ready to launch into your Bergman retrospective, maybe this little dark comedy is worth a shot. – [DVD]

Comedy

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 12/22/09

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