Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig

A comedy that follows the personal and professional problems endured by the owner of a flower-extract plant.

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44% liked it

138,165 ratings

Critics

63% liked it

154 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Mike Judge

Release Date: September 4, 2009

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DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (2,477)


  • October 28, 2009
    Ten years ago, Mike Judge burst onto the filmmaking scene with his directorial debut, "Office Space". Although a flop at the box office, it has since risen to extraordinary levels of cult fame. Also well known for his animated series', "Beavis & Butthead" and "King of the Hill", ...( read more)Judge has established himself as the master of satirizing a specific kind of middle-class monotony - from the long hours in the cubicle to standing around the grill with a few beers.

    In "Extract", Judge's newest effort, his focus is not on the worker drones, but rather the successful man in charge who has to put up with them. A peculiar subject, indeed, threatening to alienate just about all of an audience. But Judge's satire is far from sharp-edged, and "Extract"'s sole intention seems to be to cash in on a few easy chuckles before we declare the summer movie season officially over.

    "Arrested Development"'s Jason Bateman stars as Joel, the owner of a flavor extract company. At his bottling plant, he has to put up with his employee's incompetence on a daily basis - one day, things go so awry that a floor manager-in-training, Step (Clifton Collins Jr.), loses a testicle. When Cindy (Mila Kunis), a highly manipulative con-woman, gets the news, she attempts to cash in on the incident by seducing Step and convincing him to sue the company. This impending lawsuit puts a damper on Joel's plans of selling the business to General Mills, who is not interested in purchasing until things have cleared up.

    Meanwhile, Joel's marriage has been far from satisfying. His graphic designer wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), is more interested in "Dancing in the Stars" than intimacy. He concocts a scheme that involves hiring a male prostitute (Dustin Milligan) to seduce his wife, which therefore allows him to cheat on her guilt-free. This brilliant plan, of course, was all established while Joel was under the influence of a horse tranquilizer that his burnout friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), had mistakingly identified.

    "Extract" is pleasant company - it's charming, inoffensive, and completely light, but yet there's something missing. The implausibility of many of the situations these characters find themselves in becomes increasingly distancing, and to say it ends with a whimper would be an understatement. The film feels more like a series of vaguely connected skits than a fully-realized motion picture.

    Mike Judge has always had problems with distribution - "Office Space" wasn't properly advertised, and his last effort, "Idiocracy", was a complete throwaway by 20th Century Fox. "Extract" is being released on one of the worst weekends of the year, and although it's unfortunate that a man with such talents can't find the backing he deserves, this is not the film that'll catapult him to mainstream acclaim. As talented as all the cast is, this particular world only retains steam in short bursts - it'd make for an entertaining half hour series, but as a ninety minute production it's a bit flat.
  • September 21, 2009
    In comparison to Idiocracy and Office Space, this is a real letdown. On it's own it's amusing at best. But I really expect more from Mike Judge.

    It has it's moments, fairly funny, but I didn't find myself laughing out loud like I was hoping I would. I don't think the story ...( read more)really relates to the average person like Office Space did. And I think that's why that movie was/is so popular.

    The people who will really relate to this movie are business owners, which I def. am not.

    The great cast does their part, there's really no letdown there.

    This is a humorous movie, one to watch on DVD for sure, but not a laughfest like you would expect.
  • September 10, 2009
    Amusing workplace comedy about a defeated factory owner whose life is on downward spiral after a freak accident happens to one of the workers at his plant. Subtle comedy has a quiet rhythm to it that gets better as it goes along. Many of the laughs come from how quickly his lif...( read more)e spins out of control. However, the film can also be rather serious at times, with just enough humanity to make it more than just a silly comedy. Director Mike Judge has a feel for this type of material and he succeeds here with an excellent cast.
  • September 7, 2009
    an independent film so MOR it's almost a network TV show, it means well, a yorkie w/one mean territorial growl. bateman is the competent island of caring sanity beset by an avaricious world and plagued w/ a vague dissatisfaction w/ his own life. "is that all there is...?" can ...( read more)he accept his life, his wife, himself? just as i began to care...it was over.
  • September 6, 2009
    Extract isn't a bad movie, but it definitely doesn't feel like I got what the trailer advertised. Technically all the scenes in the trailer were in the movie and I can't scream "false advertisement" or anything but still. There were a few side plots the preview didn't even hint a...( read more)t and as a result Extract came off a bit disappointing. Mike Judge just kind of seemed to turn out a weaker version of his previous work with no parody or satire whatsoever. All the great things in the trailer (Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons) weren't enough even though Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig were great. The whole time I watched this I imagined a chopped up version of it on Comedy Central in like 2 years. Definitely wait for this one...
  • November 3, 2009
    Apparently not very good.
  • October 26, 2009
    Funny, but it's no Office Space.
  • October 21, 2009
    Far from Mike Judge's best, but still pretty decent.
  • October 19, 2009
    Now I went in with the sole purpose of watching a great comedy similiar to Office Space and Idiocracy by Mike Judge. The trailers had a helping hand in it, as well. What I got was a comedy that tried too hard with a tirade of dialogue suitable for a TV film. I'd lik...( read more)e to call Mike Judge's work random comedy. Humor that's too stupid, and you realise this, that you can't help and laugh pretty damn hard at it. Extract had those elements, but it was missing a lot of parts that his previous work had. I really hope Mike Judge was having a bad day when he made Extract. Everyone has their off days, but they rebound back and I hope Judge does so as well.
  • October 4, 2009
    This was a different movie, I liked it. We saw it at the dollar theater and Jas was happy we only paid $1.

Critic Reviews


September 8, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

There are so many good jokes packed in there. full review

September 4, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

There are some priceless character turns. full review

September 4, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV

Jason Bateman is under-utilized in this underpowered comedy. full review

September 4, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

This isn't a misanthropic picture; its true subject is the way love for our fellow human beings is so often thwarted by their actual behavior -- and still, stupidly perhaps, we just won't give up on t... full review

September 4, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Mocking an officious middle-manager is always fair game; ridiculing blue-collar workers who resent their mindless jobs just feels mean. full review

September 4, 2009
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle

Extract isn't an instant classic, but it bumps along agreeably, its humor culled from serial bad decisions, mock-romantic discontent and lots of spirited overacting ripe with good intentions. full review

September 4, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Right in time for the economic downturn comes Extract, a smart and potently funny workplace comedy about running a small business just as small businesses get routinely run into the ground. full review

September 3, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Bateman suffers under an ever-mounting pile of indignities with strained patience. Most viewers will probably view the fitfully amusing movie the same way. full review

September 3, 2009
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Extract has its moments, but not enough of them. Think I'll go ahead and watch Office Space again. full review

September 3, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Judge may not have the workplace comedy down as smoothly as, say, Judd Apatow does with relationship comedies, but he has an ear for comical dialogue and an eye for a top-notch ensemble cast. full review

View more Extract reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • apudas007
    September 23, 2009
    I think, I am not able do a comment because I have joined recently.

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Extract Trivia


  • From what movie is this extract from: "Did you have any luck with the Bomb?" "Yeah, it didn't go off"  Answer »
  • There are many high-tech machines out there in Movieland. Which one of these was designed to extract all the air from a planet, rendering the planet lifeless?  Answer »
  • Actor 1: "Oooh look, Banana Beak is scared." Actor 2: "It's Mr. Banana Beak to you, Fuzzy!" Which movie is this extract from?  Answer »
  • Which actors are chatting in the extract below, from the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions?  Answer »

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