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EXTRACTMovie Reviews
Comedy about the misfits and mishaps that take place at an extract (as in vanilla) factory. Cast:Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig, Clifton Collins, Jr., J.K. SimmonsDirector:Mike JudgeRelease Date:September 4, 2009DVD Release:December 22, 2009From:MiramaxRating:RLength:1 hr. 32 min.
Extract played to good not great reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "...sort of entertaining, but lacks the focus and comic energy of writer-director Mike Judge's 'Office Space'..." • And Amy Biancolli wrote in the Houston Chronicle, "...bumps along agreeably, its humor culled from serial bad decisions, mock-romantic discontent and lots of spirited overacting..." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "Director Mike Judge's gifts parallel those of his leading man. His plotting is full of funny, unpredictable moments but lacks the grating hysteria of the comic genre."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 850 words, 09/04/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...there's something didactic, overly programmed, about the middle-class misery... It's not just the characters' lives that are stifled -- so is Mike Judge's spontaneity..."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 09/04/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...characters are so one-note and their misadventures so ridiculous that it's hard to get attached to them or care about how they turn out."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 09/03/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...squeezes many laughs out of the daily grind... Jason Bateman is spot on as the dissatisfied everyman, and Mila Kunis appeals as a thief of hearts -- and wallets."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 123 words, 09/03/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "Judge has an ear for comical dialogue and an eye for a top-notch ensemble cast. 'Extract' ably blends sharp humor and a sense of gleeful absurdity."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 09/04/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "What's most striking, beyond the scarcity of jokes and absence of actual filmmaking, is its deep well of sourness, which at times borders on misanthropy."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 09/04/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't exactly a laugh riot. But it does have enough hints of hilarity to stand out in a season when so many comedies feel as if they fell off a production line."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 09/04/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sort of entertaining, but lacks the focus and comic energy of writer-director Mike Judge's 'Office Space'..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 09/03/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Judge keeps popping in farcical elements... a solid piece of work -- quirky without being twee, funny without forcing its laughs."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 09/04/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Is the movie about anything? I suppose so. It's about a milquetoast whose decency outweighs his weaselly temptations. It's about first-rate, off-the-cuff ensemble acting."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 09/04/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Mocking an officious middle-manager is always fair game; ridiculing blue-collar workers who resent their mindless jobs just feels mean."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 09/04/09
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Establishing a rhythm of workaday repetition set to a country-western backbeat, the movie is characterized by its crisp, cutting, classical framing, and comic timing."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 09/02/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...a barely releasable mess of half-developed story ideas and undercooked characters... it seems hard to believe director Mike Judge had a movie in mind at all..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 09/10/09
KEY CITIES (16 Reviews)
Dan Zak, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...too timid to be black comedy, too inert to be slapstick, too unfocused and dull to be a takedown of the suburbs or of married life.... a major step back for all involved."(See all of Dan Zak's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 09/04/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...bumps along agreeably, its humor culled from serial bad decisions, mock-romantic discontent and lots of spirited overacting ripe with good intentions."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 09/04/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "A curious combination of workplace comedy and midlife crisis... the characters are too one-dimensional - but the laughs are generous and genuine."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 09/04/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sometimes they just seem to be standing there, not exactly idiots, but not anyone to care about, either.... an odd project."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 09/04/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...meandering, only fitfully funny... short on substance.... All we have here are bits, so many, in fact, that 'Extract' feels more like a collection of crumbs."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 09/04/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...the essence of a thing produced under pressure.... a little flavorless. Forces conspire to make Jason Bateman's life miserable and only somewhat amusing..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 09/04/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "Like 'Office Space,' it's mostly a workplace comedy; unlike 'Office Space,' the workplace isn't very funny, and the characters mostly seem dumb and mean-spirited."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 09/04/09
John Petkovic, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it ain't great cinema.... But a theater of cackles is, well, a whole lot of cackling -- which is what makes 'Extract' a romp worth its 91 minutes."(See all of John Petkovic's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 09/04/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Mike Judge is the rare American director who focuses on laborers... has some flavor, but the comedic kick is diluted by flat characters and a thin story."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 09/04/09
Steve Spears, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...either very funny or in extremely poor taste depending entirely on your tolerance for jokes about, yep, testicles."(See all of Steve Spears's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 09/04/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Judge finds humor in the lone, sane person swimming against a tide of idiots. That formula worked for umpteen years on 'King of the Hill,' and it still works well enough..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 09/04/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Although never boring and almost continually amusing, 'Extract' doesn't work as a movie because you don't buy a minute of it, even as silly satire."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 09/04/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a laugh-out-loud pleasure about work and married life that provides a respite from bromances and other tired comedy trends."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 09/04/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Establishing a rhythm of workaday repetition set to a country-western backbeat, the movie is characterized by its crisp, cutting, classical framing, and comic timing."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 09/02/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Judge is in the business of social satire, and his laughs can sting, but his movie is a comic salute to free enterprise. And, boy, do we need it now."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 09/04/09
Mark Bazer, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film does reside in the Mike Judge universe, and there are some great lines.... But in terms of concentration of laughs, it's more of a syrup than an extract."(See all of Mark Bazer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 176 words, 09/03/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...a barely releasable mess of half-developed story ideas and undercooked characters... it seems hard to believe director Mike Judge had a movie in mind at all..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 09/10/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "What's most striking, beyond the scarcity of jokes and absence of actual filmmaking, is its deep well of sourness, which at times borders on misanthropy."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 09/04/09
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...we're dealing with one-note characters... situations that stretch all credibility; and jokes that are never more than sort of funny."(See all of Joanne Kaufman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 187 words, 09/04/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: WEAK "What's most striking, beyond the scarcity of jokes and absence of actual filmmaking, is its deep well of sourness, which at times borders on misanthropy."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 09/04/09
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...we're dealing with one-note characters... situations that stretch all credibility; and jokes that are never more than sort of funny."(See all of Joanne Kaufman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 187 words, 09/04/09
18.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Extract's reviews are separated by an average 18.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Extract (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Extract's reviews cover 82.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 20,500 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 512 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 8.5 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Extract's reviews on average broke 8.5 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Extract's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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