I have seen it twice now. Sometimes a movie can be reasonably funny the first time, but isnt worth seeing a second time. Fortunately the second time around "Extract" still held it's ground and was as funny as during the first viewing. That is always a good sign, because it means that the dialogues are witty and true to life.

"Extract" is a tongue in cheek comedy, some jokes are right in your face, but most jokes are just funny because of the behaviour of people and the conflicts they get into. Let's take the main character played by Jason Bateman: he hasnt got the privacy to masturbate in his own house. He has to masturbate because his wife Kirsten Wigg only has sex with him once in every 3 months. He complains about Kristen Wiigss headaches in bed to his friend Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck advises him to have an affair. But just to relieve himself of any guilt he must first make sure his wife has an affair too. So he sends her a gigolo to seduce his wife. What happens next is both hilarious and endearing. Bateman carefully balances between humor, grumpiness and everyday relationship boredom, which will be easily recognizable for any adult.

It is a slow burner, a lot of whining. But I loved it. I didnt burst out in laughter all the time, it is more constantly amusing to see Jason Bateman complaining about his wife headaches and finding ways to masturbate in the house without his wife finding out about it. Lovely supporting roles of Mila Kunis amongst others...

Joel (Jason Bateman) is the plant owner that makes an Extract flavoring. He has a cold unsatisfying marriage. His workers are a bunch of buffoons. Cindy (Mila Kunis) is a thieving con artist. When he sees a news report of Step (Clifton Collins Jr.) losing a testicle in a plant accident. She sees a possibility to makes some money.

I love Mike Judge's slacker office movie 'Office Space'. He may be trying to transfer it to the factory floor. It's too stupid and unreal. 'Office Space' was exaggerated but there was an air of possibility. This movie has no connection to reality. And Jason Bateman is too unlikeable, too weak, and too whinny. Every once in a while, the movie hits on a funny note, but it could never be carried through. The office world and the factory world aren't the same thing.

Extract stars Jason Bateman as Joel, a successful businessman who sells flavours. He works hard in his factory which is full of oddball employees, most of them seem to be lazy or inept but Joel knows them all by their first names and his door is always open.

Despite his success, Joel has an unsatisfactory sex life, his wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) never seems to be in the mood. His neighbour always bothers him.

Joel is tempted to stray when a beautiful temp is hired Cindy (Mila Kunis) who is really a thief and a con woman. She plans to befriend an injured employee who lost a testicle in a freak accident at the factory and persuade him to go for a big money lawsuit.

Things get worse when his best buddy Dean (Ben Affleck) gives him drugs that impairs his judgment and he agrees to hire a gigolo to sleep with his wife to find out if she really is cheating on him.

The film is written and directed by Mike Judge (creator of Beavis & Butt-Head) but it lacks a wild anarchic streak. It is simply amiable as Bateman is master in playing the harassed straight guy who life is on the verge of falling apart.

However some of it just does not get anywhere. Why does his wife Suzie get the hots for the dim gigolo? Wiig is wasted, she tries to explain to Bateman why she avoided having sex with him but the director has lost interest and moves away from the subject.

When the factory is at risk because of the impending lawsuit, you think surely the insurers would be dealing with this?

The film lacks big laughs, it goes for awkward characterisation but it does not really work.