BuzzSugar

Extract: A Few Drops of Humor

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:30:46 -0700

Director Mike Judge's Office Space didn't do well at the box office, but it enjoyed a popularity and appreciation long after its release that continues to this day, particularly by cube dwellers who find solace in identifying and ridiculing the archetypal office workers. It can be a dark, uncomfortable movie in parts, but there's something almost uplifting about the end of Office Space.

Judge's latest movie Extract has only a few of the elements that make Office Space so great, though, and those elements are dramatically watered down. With the exception of Clifton Collins' character Step, who suffers a distressing injury on the job and whose bumbling good intentions make him hard to resist, there's not much heart to Extract. There are some funny moments for sure - mostly from the supporting cast - but overall it just feels soulless. For more of my thoughts on this, read more.

The story is set in another workplace, but this time we're in a factory and our main character Joel (Jason Bateman) actually likes what he does - owning and running the extract factory. He likes extract, and he has a sort of even mix of fondness and frustration for his employees on the floor. He dreams of selling the place and leaving behind the annoyances of running a business, but mostly his dissatisfaction stems from his home life where he never has sex with his wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig). He never talks to her about it, though, he just whines to his friend Dean (Ben Affleck) who dispenses alcohol, pills and bad advice in equal amounts.

One such piece of advice is to hire a gigolo to seduce Suzie so Joel will have no guilt about sleeping with his new hot temp, Cindy (Mila Kunis). Sure, Joel is heavily drugged when he agrees to the plan, but even when he comes to his senses he doesn't seem all that perturbed about it. Though he goes through a variety of experiences and emotions throughout the movie, Bateman's expression never wavers from basic tired exasperation. It's hard to ever tell what Joel is really going through here, which makes it hard to care.

Up until recently, I was a huge fan and supporter of Jason Bateman. I love it when a movie has just a dash of his specific type of funny (like Smoking Aces and State of Play), but when the side character played by Ben Affleck is funnier than Bateman's leading man (granted, Affleck's character is sillier all around), there's something wrong. Actually nearly every other character in the movie is more appealing and satisfying to watch than Bateman's Joel.

The supporting characters really are fantastic. Judge has a way of creating spot-on replications of the types of coworkers that we've all worked with. Office Space was full of them, from the passive-agressive boss to the overly chipper phone operator to poor old Milton who has focused his whole life on basically one thing (a stapler). Here in Extract, we've got the chatty Cathys who just gossip, complain and shift blame, and the punk kid who can't seem to retain any work-related information in his brain but manages to play in four different bands outside of work. And Joel's clueless, talkative neighbor Nathan (a pitch-perfect David Koechner) is one of the funniest and most painfully realistic portrayals in the film.

This is where I think Judge shines: in crafting characters that people can recognize, at least to some extent. There is a tremendous amount of comedy to be mined from these characters, and they add great flavor to the larger storyline following the average straight man. Problem is, it's pretty tough to like or sympathize with Joel so all we do is keep looking toward the other characters for some fun and relief. They deliver, but it's disappointing that the main storyline is so empty.

Photos courtesy of Miramax

Movie Preview: Affleck, Bateman in Extract

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:30:50 -0700

Jason Bateman. Ben Affleck. Director Mike Judge (Office Space). If you like any one of these things, you may want to take a look at the new teaser trailer for Extract, another comedy from Mike Judge that follows an average guy in an average job who's dissatisfied with both his work and his home life. Bateman plays the central character, Joel, the owner of a flower-extract factory whose marital problems with his wife (Kristen Wiig) bum him out - but he perks right up when a pretty new temp (Mila Kunis) joins the company. Affleck (sporting a beard and some long, scraggly hair) plays Joel's lawyer friend.

Extract opens Sept. 4. Check out the trailer after the jump and tell me: Does this look funny to you? Or a bit of the same old, same old? To watch, read more.

Ben Affleck Tries Comedy Again

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:37:21 -0700

At least he's in good company for this one: Ben Affleck is in talks to join the cast of Extract, a comedy by Mike Judge (director of Office Space, creator of Beavis and Butthead). He'll be working alongside Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis and Clifton Collins, Jr.
Variety has more details:

Actor is in negotiations to play an ambulance-chasing lawyer in the pic, which centers on a flower extract factory owner (Jason Bateman) who's dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife's affair with a gigolo.

Clifton Collins Jr. is also joining the cast as a factory worker who loses a body part in a freak accident and is now due for a huge settlement.

Granted, I'm more excited to see more Jason Bateman up on the big screen, but I'm also curious to find out how Affleck does with this kind of comedic material. And after seeing Bateman paired with Will Smith this summer in Hancock, I think I'm liking it when he's paired up with "bigger" names and the two can play off one another.

Source

Jason Bateman Goes to Work with Office Space Writer

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:30:04 -0700

Jason Bateman is so good at playing the everyman, he could even make the Bluth family's over-the-top problems seem relatable. And with Office Space, Mike Judge proved that he could tap into the psyche of downtrodden workers everywhere. So it seems the two could be a match made in heaven for a new feature called Extract.

The film, which Judge will write and direct, focuses on the owner of a flower extract factory (huh?) who can't seem to get a break - either at the office, where he has a string of bad luck, or at home, where his wife has had an affair with a gigolo. Variety describes it as a movie "about what it's like to be the boss when everything seems to be shifting around you."

Apparently Arrested Development alums are in high demand right now: Mae Whitman landed a TV job last week, as did Alia Shawkat. And I'd say that this casting news fully cements Bateman as a big-screen leading man, at least for a certain kind of comedy. What do you think? Are you excited to see Bateman getting a higher profile?

Source

Desperate Housewives Rundown, "The Coffee Cup"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Some shows bring out big guest stars for November sweeps, but Desperate Housewives is getting back in touch with its sexy side instead. Susan tries to set a new record with Mike while Bree narrowly escapes an Orson interruption when she's with Karl. Meanwhile, Lynette's pregnancy secret is finally out and Nick Bolen continues to be creeptastic all over town.

Now that Mad Men's long gone, I'm hoping the housewives will kick things into higher gear for my Sunday nights. Ready to get into it? Just read more.

Susan: Susan manages to avoid jail time for shooting Katherine, but the cheeky judge sentences her to garbage pick up for all of her "trash talking" (get it?!). Katherine and Susan's little courtroom drama re-enactment is ridiculous (as is Susan's cleavage baring dress for the hearing) but unfortunately the catty antics don't stop there. Katherine taunts Susan and her orange jumpsuit, prompting Susan to turn the tables on her rival. Katherine has a hissy fit and reveals that she and Mike once had sex five times in one day, which of course gets Susan all worked up. When her endless array of lingerie and come-ons still can't land Mike in the sack more than three times in 24 hours, Susan has one of her typical annoying tantrums. Mike comforts her in what's meant to be an "aww" inducing moment, but I was too busy rolling my eyes. Usually Susan doesn't bug me this much, but I couldn't be more over the love triangle.

Angie and Bree: Gaby usually has the best lines of the show, but it looks like Angie is right on her tail - "Have you seen Avenue Q? With the puppets? Now that's theater." Anyway, Angie's now got herself a balancing act between giving Nick grief about his affair with Julie and being too involved with Bree's life. After Orson admits to Angie that he suspects Bree is having an affair, Angie immediately tells Bree. Though she refuses to spy on Bree, Angie still gets all tangled up in the web when she plays Rear Window - looking on as Orson enters the house while Bree and Karl are upstairs getting it on. Angie intervenes and saves the day, but how long before she asks Bree to return the favor. Also, when Orson is discussing the plot of Madame Butterfly, is he insinuating that he might kill himself when he inevitably finds out about Bree's affair? Personally, both Karl and Orson kind of bug me so I'm just as torn as Bree is about which man to choose.

Lynette and Gaby: The latest update in Lynette's secret pregnancy? Menswear. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, when she and Gaby start squaring off over one of Lynette's colleagues. Gaby convinces Carlos to transfer Terrence, the colleague in question, to Florida so that Juanita can take Terrence's daughter's spot at a Catholic school. Realizing that she won't be able to take maternity leave without Terrence, Lynette turns the tables and convinces Terrence to reject the transfer. The tables turn on Lynette when Gaby discovers that she's pregnant - and Carlos is pissed. He gives Lynette an ultimatum - take the spot in Florida, or quit. Though Carlos's anger is understandable, I think I'm on Lynette's side here. Carlos had been complaining about another co-worker's pregnancy, so Lynette had every right to be scared to tell him. I also think it's a bit rich for Gaby to admit how selfish she is but then point fingers at Lynette for keeping her secret.

How'd you feel about the scandals this week? Are you on Team Orson or Team Karl? Do you think it was Nick who kills the coffee shop girl at the end? Sound off!

Desperate Housewives is all about judgment (though it's also a little bit about monkey attacks, but more on that later). The Bolen family continues with their shady behavior, while Julie is having some trouble adjusting to life on Wisteria Lane after her attack. Meanwhile, Gaby is accused of being a bad mom and Bree has a showdown with a motel housekeeper.

Ready to talk about it? Just read more.

Gaby: Gaby gets the comic relief once again this week as she tries to prove her mothering skills to the other snippy ladies at school. In order to regain their trust, she lures their children to Juanita's birthday party by pulling out all the stops. Of course things go awry when the trained monkey starts attacking the clown while Gaby is busy having drinks with Susan. In the end Carlos comforts her, but I have to admit - Gaby isn't exactly the greatest mom in the world. That said, Carlos isn't exactly a model parent either - where was he during his daughter's birthday party?

Susan: Susan and Katherine's rivalry reaches new heights this week, when the ladies have a mini-showdown at their neighborhood watch meeting. Susan is paranoid about Katherine coming on to Mike, and it culminates when Susan accidentally shoots Katherine through a window. Susan wouldn't be Susan without her usual clumsy antics, but couldn't she just ignore Katherine? Katherine seems so desperate, but Susan is kinda sinking to her level. Not to mention that calling Katherine a "loon" isn't exactly the best method of telling your friend that she probably needs to see a professional.

Angie: Most of Angie's problems take place without her even knowing it this week, as Danny gives the family gun to Julie for protection. Danny also confronts Dominic about his affair with Julie, and Dominic responds in a typically creepy manner, telling Danny to go ahead and spill to Angie. Angie keeps her distance for most of the episode, but then she plays a big factor in keeping Katherine crazy, to keep Katherine from turning in the Bolen family gun. I know Angie is a tough cookie, but somehow I feel like she may be the moral member of her family.

Lynette: Lynette's "twins" situation (both of 'em) is put on hold this week as she tries to help out her friend Mrs. McCluskey. First of all, McCluskey talking about her sex life - eeew. Lynette agrees to hire McCluskey's boyfriend Roy as the Scavo family handyman, but Roy won't stop going over Lynette's head and turning to Tom for ultimate decision-making. When Roy basically tells Lynette that she's emasculating her husband, Lynette loses it and fires him. But how sweet is Tom explaining to Roy that he lets Lynette have control so that she can feel safe? By far my favorite moment of the episode.

Bree: I thought Bree's storyline was kinda lame this week. The maid at the motel starts judging Bree's cheating ways, so of course Bree does all she can to defend herself. In the end, the housekeeper is just trying to warn Bree that she was once in her shoes, and that everything went awry. (Lesson to all: cheat on your husband and you'll end up a maid?) The maid does get one awesome one-liner: "Cheating's not a sin when you do it in pearls?"

What'd you think of this week's episode? Are Katherine and her crazy antics starting to bug you? Are you more creeped out by Dominick than ever? Let's dish in the comments!