Extract is exactly the film you'd expect from the creator of King of the Hill, though not from the director of Office Space or Idiocracy.
Mike Judge, of course, is both, and has earned himself modest mainstream success for his television show and cult idolatry for his live-action, big screen ventures. The rumors of 20th Century Fox's mishandling of Idiocracy is legendary, and Office Space was ignored in theaters but eventually rose to usurp Dilbert as the king of comedy for the cubicle-dwelling masses.
Both films have rightfully earned their devotees, but were a bit more broad in their execution (especially Idiocracy) than his most recent release, which echoes the sweet-natured, working class humor of his animated series. In fact, it has been quite a while since a comedy has felt this real, this organic, without resorting to zany antics for its yuks. Even a workplace accident in which a character loses part of an appendage that reads like a Farrelly Brothers comedic fever dream, is treated with care and respect, and without relying on an endless stream of obvious gags on the matter.
The ever-reliable Jason Bateman is Joel, the put-upon owner of a small-but-successful food additive company in which the above mentioned accident takes place. This disrupts plans for a possible acquisition deal and prompts the attention of a curvy grifter.
Joel's home life is no better, with a stalled marriage, overbearing neighbors, and hopes of early retirement quickly dissolving. Joel's only escape is perhaps the one person who could most likely do even more damage, his carefree comrade Dean (played by Ben Affleck, who could pass as the Son of The Dude). Dean is convinced most of life's problems can be settled by some sort of illegal drug use, which usually leads to ill-advised plots and schemes.







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