Extract,the latest from Mike Judge,might center around work place and personal drama,but it is definitely not the Office Space 2.0 the trailers seem to be touting it as.

The film is a much more complex comedy,where the humor is more subtle and the characters are not overwhelmingly likable. Our protagonist Joel,played perfectly by Jason Bateman,is the owner of an extract factory and stuck in a flailing marriage.
Joel feeling stunted by the daily grind at his factory and his struggle to rekindle the flame with his wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) is searching for a change. When General Mills wants to buy his business from him,things seem to be looking up until a freak accident incited by his lackadaisical factory staff has one of his employees missing a ball and the threat of a lawsuit looming. Just when Joel thought things couldn’t be more difficult,Cindy (Mila Kunis),a ridiculously hot grifter,who walks into his factory as a temp employee and charms the pants off everyone around. Joel becomes increasingly infatuated with Cindy and turns to his stoner bartender buddy,Dean (Ben Affleck) for some advice on what to do,which leads to a drug induced BAD IDEA.

And while Joel is pining for her,Cindy is conning the injured factory worker Step (Clifton Collins Jr.) into suing Reynold’s Extracts. Cindy finds the scummy local celeb attorney,played hysterically by Gene Simmons,and she tries to get as much money out of all the men involved. This is where the film takes a randomly dark turn and we see what Joel is really made of. And its also where every relationship gets tested in a big way.

Overall,the film is an enjoyable comedy with some really great and subtle performances. Bateman is perfect as the flawed every man,Affleck is hysterical as the stoner bartender friend and Kunis couldn’t be more charming as the calculating grifter. Kunis reminds me a lot of Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda with her ability to make criminal activity look so cute! While most of the cast is spot on,Kristen Wiig is her usual subdued mumbling self,which in small bit parts is funny,but in a starring role it becomes way too annoying to make her a likable character. If you like wacky and subtly dark comedies,I highly recommend Extract.