Extract

Mike Judge is a man who is keenly aware of the ways in which people are ridiculous. He is a satirical genius. And satire is not easy. If done right it pokes fun in just right way to illuminate the absurdity of something while staying true to its essence. I grew up worshipping two of his characters, Beavis and Butthead. They were two idiotic high school kids with no aspirations beyond watching music videos. The show accomplished two things, firstly it made fun of Generation X, and secondly it made fun of music videos which was easily the funniest part of the show. Judge has continued to mock many things through out his career. His show “King of the Hill” mocked heartland America very adeptly for well over a decade. His satire never goes over the line; it’s done in a spirit that shows how ridiculous people are without offending them, and often endearing them to the audience. His classic film “Office Space,” is a satire of corporate culture in the late 90’s, and is brilliantly spot on in every way. You might be tempted to say his new film “Extract” is a satire of the manufacturing industry and it is in part but its more than that.

“Extract” is the story of a man, played by Jason Bateman, who owns a factory and is growing increasingly frustrated with his marriage, his job and his life. If anything I think the film is a satire of middle-age. That time in life when you aren’t satisfied with anything anymore and think you can change things but really they don’t make a difference. I think every kind of personality gets satirized in this film; the problem is that while its clear Judge is a genius he imbues the film with too few laughs. That is to say on an intellectual level I understood why the film should be funny, but I just wasn’t laughing as much as I hoped I would. There are a lot of great characters in this film and they are performed with the perfect touch that the satire requires. Easily the funniest scene in the film is one in which Jason Bateman gets high. But there are many hilarious scenes sprinkled throughout what ends up being a very low key comedy. Is it as good as “Office Space?” Not really, but it’s close, and that says a lot since “Office Space” just might be one of the best comedies of my lifetime.

So I guess if there is any conclusion to be drawn from this review it’s that this movie is worth seeing especially if you like Mike Judge. Expect a good movie but don’t expect it to be a non stop laugh riot, it’s a more thoughtful comedy than that. It’s a film that demands more from the audience than to sit back and be entertained. Sometimes the satire in the film can get so close to the truth that you aren’t sure he’s making fun of anything at all. But most of the time the film is dead on in its mockery and its never heavy handed, always done in fun, and always funny. “Extract” may be destined for a similar fate as “Office Space,” not really appreciated until years later, but something tells me Judge is probably okay with that, as long as it’s appreciated.