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Parents' Guide to

Extract

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Work-set comedy dwells on sex, marriage; not for young kids.

Movie R 2009 91 minutes
Extract Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Zhash
Zhash Adult
August 7, 2012
age 15+

Extract

This film is Rated R for language, sexual references and some drug use. The profanity and drugs is nothing a teenager cannot handle. The sex talk is not graphic but can be very descriptive on occasion. Overall the film is decent. Funny but a bit too slow. If you are deciding whether or not this film is appropriate for your child(ren), I hope this review was helpful.

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
ilikemusik23
ilikemusik23 Adult
December 24, 2009
age 15+

Better than i expected

I was expecting this movie to be more of a rental but it was actally a lot better than i expected. It's funny but not Laugh-out-loud funny, but what i really enjoyed about the film was the plot and all the things that were going on in the movie kept me very interested. I would say it;s ok for ages 15 and up. There is some swearing but nothing too explicit (espically for an R rated comedy), some sexual content and 2 scenes of drug use where a man accidently takes a wrong pill and a scene where men are smoking bongs.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Joel (Jason Bateman) is stuck in a frigid marriage. His wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), won't sleep with him if he gets home past 8 p.m. -- which he often does, since he runs a factory that makes food flavorings. A misguided plan hatched with the help of his best friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), has Joel setting Suzie up so she cheats first, theoretically leaving him free to indulge in his attraction to a new temp (Mila Kunis). And that's not the only mess on his hands: His workers barely work, his second-in-command won't bother to learn their names, and an injured employee is threatening to sue.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

You'd think a partnership between Mike Judge and Jason Bateman couldn't possibly misfire -- but in EXTRACT, it sadly does. Funny in parts but hardly witty, not to mention heavily dependent on immature humor, it fails to achieve the absurd charm of Judge's beloved Office Space. While the engaging Bateman still manages to make a guy who pays for someone else to have sex with his wife appealing, none of the other characters are. (Affleck isn't half-bad as a stoner bartender, but Jeff Spicoli he ain't.) And, likable or not, even Bateman can't make Joel's boredom interesting.

The movie's pacing is also woefully slack considering how many jokes are flung -- not that they're all zingers -- and some showdowns meant for laughs (one particular neighborly confrontation comes to mind) seem downright mean. While there are some moments of hilarity, as when Suzie attempts to talk with her gigolo, there just aren't enough of them to elevate the film to anywhere approaching greatness.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's style of humor. Who is it intended to appeal to? Does it succeed?

  • Are the movie's characters portrayed fully or stereotypically? What did you think of how the male characters viewed the female ones? Do you think they saw them as sex objects?

  • What do you think of Joel's relationship with his wife? Are their challenges typical of a modern marriage? How did they get to thispoint in their life?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: September 4, 2009
  • On DVD or streaming: December 22, 2009
  • Cast: Ben Affleck , Jason Bateman , Mila Kunis
  • Director: Mike Judge
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Miramax
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 91 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: language, sexual references and some drug use
  • Last updated: September 25, 2023

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