Extract

Writer-director Mike Judge (Office Space) is intrigued by the world of business—the ordinary, daily grind that churns the commerce of life. Hard-working chemist/entrepreneur Joel Reynold (Jason Bateman) is just about to sell his flavor-extract company to General Mills when a lawsuit over a freak assembly-line accident, coupled with sexual frustration over his emotionally estranged wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), threaten to throw his life into upheaval. That's when his sports-grill bartender buddy, Dean (a bearded Ben Affleck), not only convinces Joel to buy some illegal substances but also concocts a plan involving hiring Brad (Dustin Milligan), a dimwitted gigolo, as his new “pool boy” to seduce Suzie so that Joel can feel free to canoodle with flirtatious, manipulative sociopath Cindy (Mila Kunis), who is the new office temp. Judge's animated TV series King of the Hill often examined the workplace, but here he empathizes with harried management rather than the drones. Despite the script's bland, episodic, occasionally inane sitcom nature, Judge's deadpan wit shines in this raunchy but uneven social satire. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Mike Judge's Secret Recipe” behind-the-scenes featurette with the writer-director (11 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are extended scenes (5 min.) and a brief deleted scene. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven comedy.] (S. Granger)