‘Extract’ Reviews | A Weekend of Comedy

‘Extract’ reviews mostly positive

Jason Bateman stars in Mike Judge's "Extract."

This weekend and last are a little thin when it comes to movie releases. Though this week two new comedies, “Extract” and “All About Steve” are coming to theaters, neither is a wide release.

“Extract” reviews show the film getting mostly good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, 63 percent, but only 1,600 theaters across the United States will show the film, created by Mike Judge and starring Jason Bateman.

Box office update

Despite really terrible reviews for “The Final Destination,” the film made top earnings at the box office last weekend when it opened, selling $27.4 million worth of tickets. It’ll probably only take a couple of weeks for filmmakers to pay off the film, which cost $43 million to make, as long as they got low cost loans. Very popular and highly acclaimed Quentin Tarantino film “Inglourious Basterds” got knocked out of the No. 1 spot, but came in at No. 2 with $19.3 million.

Another film that was lambasted by critics but nonetheless managed to pull in big bucks last weekend was the No. 3 moneymaker, Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II.” This remake of a sequel made $16.3 million. The mixture of critically acclaimed and despised films is rounded out by No. 4 box office earner “District 9,” which got great reviews and made $10.3 million.

‘Extract’ reviews are mediocre, but I’ll still see it if I can

Last weekend’s movie releases, “The Final Destination” and “Halloween II,” were aimed squarely at horror flick fans. This weekend, it’s all about the comedy as “Extract” and “All About Steve” hit theaters. “All About Steve” will show in 2,000 theaters in the U.S.

There’s another flick for thrill-seekers, “Gamer,” which will show in more than 2,300 theaters.  I am a comedy lover, so I drummed up some “Extract” reviews, hoping to encourage Mike Judge and Jason Bateman fans like myself to go to the movie so it will make tons of money and turn into a full wide release.

Mike Goodridge, Screen International

Judge’s third live-action feature suffers from the same storytelling problems as his first two, but likable leads and a winningly laidback tone add up to a consistently amusing effort. …

Extract may have a difficult time finding its way commercially, however. With no major names in prominent roles – Ben Affleck is relegated to a small supporting part – and Judge’s spotty track record, Miramax will have to work hard to connect audiences with star Jason Bateman, impressive as a side character in films like State of Play and Hancock. Ancillary prospects look very rosy indeed.

Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net

Like “Office Space,” the movie sometimes veers dangerously close to merely being a series of vignettes as Joel interacts with all these characters, and some of the recurring bits aren’t that funny like the older woman at the factory who is constantly complaining about the Hispanic newbie. All the various subplots do eventually come together in a generally credible and satisfying manner, so you do end up walking away more enlightened than befuddled by the strange overall premise.

Mike Judge proves once again that few can top him when it comes to making cathartic social commentary about the working class, although some of the stranger story element keep “Extract” from being nearly as immediate or funny as “Office Space.”