Quartile rating: 6/10 · 2 ratings
The owner of a factory that produces flavor extracts, Joel Reynold seems to have it all, but really doesn't. What's missing is sexual attention from his wife, Suzie. Joel hatches a convoluted plan to get Suzie to cheat on him, thereby clearing the way for Joel to have an affair with Cindy, an employee. But what Joel doesn't know is that Cindy is a sociopathic con artist, and a freak workplace accident clears the way for her to ruin Joel forever.
Mike Judge's Extract is a modest suburban workplace comedy that never quite fires on all cylinders. The plot is a mildly clever but underdeveloped farce — the convoluted infidelity scheme has comic potential that largely goes unrealized, and the con-artist subplot feels undercooked. The cast (Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck) is likable and delivers competent performances above what the script deserves, keeping the film watchable. Cinematography is flat and functional, nothing distinctive for a comedy of this type. Novelty gets a slight bump for Judge's signature blue-collar American milieu — the flavor-extract factory setting and deadpan suburban ennui give it a recognizable voice, though it lacks the satirical bite of Office Space or Idiocracy. The ending resolves things tidily but without much payoff or wit, feeling rushed and unsatisfying given the buildup.