Director Mike Judge dropped in at Dallas' Angelika a couple of weeks ago to screen his new film Extract, starring Jason Bateman as a downtrodden factory owner who's looking for something – anything – to spice up his life. Like Judge's other cult classics Office Space and Idiocracy, this one creeps up on you.
The actual plot of Extract (opening Friday) seems kind of depressing: Bateman's character isn't getting enough action at home, so a morally ambiguous friend (a bearded Ben Affleck, right) helps him figure out how to cheat on his wife guilt-free. Meanwhile, one of his employees threatens a lawsuit over a personal injury, putting a damper on his plans to sell the factory.
Sounds complicated, but it plays out effortlessly in an hour and a half; and in true Judge fashion, the minor characters and side conversations bring the major laughs. Supporting players Beth Grant, Clifton Collins Jr., J.K. Simmons and Dustin Milligan all deliver lines so realistically funny that they'll stay with you forever (a la Office Space's "I think if I were a millionaire, I could hook that up.")
The one thing that stood out about the Q&A portion of the evening was that every guy who stood up to ask Judge a question preceded it with the words "Hey Mike. Big fan." It's easy to imagine such a banal phrase being repeated for comedic effect in one of Judge's films.
A few revelations from the Q&A: Judge said he modeled the main characters in Beavis and Butthead after a nerdy kid in one of his classes. He expressed gratitude that his second feature, Idiocracy, has taken on a new life on DVD after opening in only a handful of theaters.
And if the factory scenes in Extract appear realistic, that's because it was filmed in a real factory with real workers doing their thing in the background.
But with every topic Judge covered, we could only think of one thing: The guy sounds just like Butthead. Or Hank Hill. Whichever is your favorite.
Hunter Hauk
Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig and J.K. Simmons. Directed by Mike Judge. R. 90 min. Opens Friday.
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