It's all fun and games until somebody loses a testicle. Well actually it's still all fun and games even after such an unfortunate incident. Extract is a movie where the laughs keep on coming. It's another workplace comedy from Mike Judge whose earlier Office Space achieved cult classic status. Extract is just as deserving of such status. What goes on in Jason Bateman's extract factory is just as funny as anything that went on in Ron Livingston's office. Bateman plays Joel, owner of Reynold's Extract. He's looking to cash out, sell the company and enjoy an early retirement. Things are looking good for his business but life at home has its problems, Joel is stuck in a completely sexless marriage. The frustration there is really getting to him. His friend Dean has a unique suggestion for solving that problem, the type of suggestion that could only come from a guy who does a lot of drugs. But before we get to that there is the missing testicle. Not Joel's thankfully, but one of his workers, Step, who loses it in a quite unfortunate workplace accident. From here things start to unravel for Joel, both professionally and personally, in quite hilarious fashion.
Initially Step is rather serene about his injury but he's soon goaded into suing Joel's company. Who's doing the goading? Cindy, the hottest little con artist you'll ever see. She sees dollar signs and she soon has both Step and the unwitting Joel wrapped around her finger. Cindy causes chaos for Joel, both at work and at home. The movie takes some rather bizarre, but very amusing, turns. The plot is a little silly to be sure but the plot only really serves to set up the jokes. And the jokes work throughout. This is a very funny movie. Bateman is more or less the straight man, all the action swirls around him. But he has his funny moments too. And the rest of the cast absolutely nails it. Mila Kunis as Cindy and Clifton Collins Jr. as Step are excellent. Kristen Wiig is a little underused in playing Joel's wife but every opportunity she does get she makes the most of. Dustin Milligan plays the world's dumbest gigolo and David Koechner the world's most annoying neighbor. Both are very funny, especially Koechner as he plays a guy who is just totally oblivious to how annoying he is. There's also J.K. Simmons bringing some dry wit to the role of factory manager Brian. And absolutely stealing the show is...Ben Affleck? Yes, Judge has given Affleck the chance to remind the world that he can be really, really funny. And Ben hits it out of the park, he's simply perfect in his portrayal of Dean, Joel's friend, bartender and wannabe drug dealer. Dean is an idea man, he's got lots of ideas, all of them terrible. To say that Dean's advice leads Joel down the wrong path would be an understatement. But it's a hilarious path. All kinds of shenanigans take place in this movie. Workplace shenanigans. Relationship shenanigans. And Judge, helped by his outstanding cast, makes it all work. Extract has not come to be as beloved as Office Space. It's not a cult classic. It is a hidden gem.
Initially Step is rather serene about his injury but he's soon goaded into suing Joel's company. Who's doing the goading? Cindy, the hottest little con artist you'll ever see. She sees dollar signs and she soon has both Step and the unwitting Joel wrapped around her finger. Cindy causes chaos for Joel, both at work and at home. The movie takes some rather bizarre, but very amusing, turns. The plot is a little silly to be sure but the plot only really serves to set up the jokes. And the jokes work throughout. This is a very funny movie. Bateman is more or less the straight man, all the action swirls around him. But he has his funny moments too. And the rest of the cast absolutely nails it. Mila Kunis as Cindy and Clifton Collins Jr. as Step are excellent. Kristen Wiig is a little underused in playing Joel's wife but every opportunity she does get she makes the most of. Dustin Milligan plays the world's dumbest gigolo and David Koechner the world's most annoying neighbor. Both are very funny, especially Koechner as he plays a guy who is just totally oblivious to how annoying he is. There's also J.K. Simmons bringing some dry wit to the role of factory manager Brian. And absolutely stealing the show is...Ben Affleck? Yes, Judge has given Affleck the chance to remind the world that he can be really, really funny. And Ben hits it out of the park, he's simply perfect in his portrayal of Dean, Joel's friend, bartender and wannabe drug dealer. Dean is an idea man, he's got lots of ideas, all of them terrible. To say that Dean's advice leads Joel down the wrong path would be an understatement. But it's a hilarious path. All kinds of shenanigans take place in this movie. Workplace shenanigans. Relationship shenanigans. And Judge, helped by his outstanding cast, makes it all work. Extract has not come to be as beloved as Office Space. It's not a cult classic. It is a hidden gem.