Work OverloadThe talent of Mike Judge has always been one that is appreciated more on the small screen rather than the large one. For instance, television hits like Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, a very personal favorite of mine, have garnered high praise and numerous well deserved accolades (well, at least for the folks in Arlen). However, his luck has not been quite so successful with feature length films. Office Space is a cult classic, which is another way of saying that it failed at the box office and later got appreciated through much less expensive channels, and Idiocracy barley registered a pulse with anyone. Chances are they will continue to pass up his latest film, which is a shame because I haven't laughed harder and in greater number for any other film I've seen this year.
The always wonderful Jason Bateman plays Joel, the manager of a factory that not only produces different types of extract, but an arrangement of wild characters. Chief among them are J.K. Simmons as another high ranking employee with a distaste for his fellow co-workers, Beth Grant as a nagging assembly line worker, and Clifton Collins Jr. as a tough-as-nails, desperately-wanting-to-be-made-floor-manager citizen who is met with an unfortunate accident. He's taken off the floor, and the extract company agrees to settle with him. That is until Cindy (Mila Kunis), a scheming grifter, walks in to persuade him to ask for more. The stress is a killer on Joel, who reveals his home problems with his wife, played the constantly amazing Kristin Wiig, to a zen-lite bartender played by Ben Affleck.
The film is so offbeat with they way its story meanders and its characters deliver their lines, that is very tempting to not like this film. I did try at times to resist the charm, but at the end of it all, it works. Judge is a man who knows how to create a world filled with average people dealing with average problems but trying to resolve them in a non-average way. He consistently makes every scene worth some kind of value. Not every joke lands and not every pacing to a scene works entirely, but I find it amazing how just when you think a joke or premise has worn out its welcome, there's a burst of energy right at the end that makes you appreciate most of what came before it. That's the sense of humor that I really like from Judge; it's not trying to be overcomplicated but it does look at a normal situation and asks how it would be solved by an abnormal chain of events.
It is really hard to make Bateman look bad. Even in something as terrible as Hancock, Bateman still comes off looking like the hero. His charm and witty delivery save every scene he's in and it's almost impossible not to like his deadpan sensitivity (fans of Arrested Development can attest). Kunis also brings her charm for a role that isn't much for the film, but is always a scene stealer, much in the same way the Simmons is for most of his films. And Kristen Wiig delivers another one of her understated performances that plays so well off of everybody else that I'm waiting for her to be given the lead in a comedy soon.
There are even characters here that don't seem like much but are saved by their actors. Gene Simmons plays an ambulance chasing attorney shaking down the factory, and while at first I thought he was putting on too much of a show, he eventually shows how funny that wild show can be, and he makes it work. Dustin Milligan is a gigolo named Brad who is sent to see if Joel's wife can be tempted by another man, and when at first his character is too one-note in how dumb he is, he eventually finds a comedic rhythm that ends up delivering very well as the film goes on. And Ben Affleck has a character that can be looked at as him trying to hard to become offbeat with his half-assed new age approach to drug abuse and relationship advice. But it didn't matter because I laughed at pretty much everything he said. The only character that does seem a bit off is an annoying neighbor played by David Koechner. He's funny at first, but his schtick wears out its welcome after a while.
If I had one real gripe against the movie, it would be that its main plot concerning Cindy and the takedown of the company is not as interesting as the smaller moments and even the stuff in Joel's domestic life. This is mainly a problem because Cindy is not given that much of a development and she never grows. I wouldn't normally say that's a big problem for a very supporting player, but for an actress as good as Kunis, it feels as if she deserves more time than the film allows. Having her play this role is good, but because it is so limited, it feels as if she should have a bigger part to play and the role ends up feeling a little wasted. Even though Kunis has fun with this role, and does make it memorable, it is a performance that is not proportional to the amount of screen time.
I do have a fondness for highbrow, sophisticated comedy, such as In the Loop, which I think is good enough to be honored with a Best Picture nomination at this point. In fact, I do think that's the type of comedy that we should be seeing more of. However, every once in a while, you just have to sit back and remind yourself that if a movie is described as a comedy and it makes you laugh consistently, then it did its job and your obligated to recommend it. Extract did that over and over again for me. Judge's script and a great cast sell a decent premise with minor missteps here and there. More than likely, this will result in a pass by major audiences and it will be a financial dud. Too bad, but I would definitely be an advocate for some people to discover this through less expensive channels in the future. But for right now, it's one of the funniest films I've seen this year. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: A-
Father Knows BestLately, the career of Robin Williams has been described as "hit or miss" as of late. I personally think that's not quite the right description. It's more like "five miles off or slightly graze." Williams's comedy career has taken a great left turn lately, and his most recent efforts have not provide the same amount of laughs his career did at what seems like a long time ago in the past. Even his occasional dramatic works usually fails to register a great impact, as One Hour Photo is pretty much the only one he succeeded at (I'd debate about Insomnia). However, Williams relies only on an understated comedic tone and genuine emotions to play off of a wonderfully inspired dark comedy.
Williams plays Lance Clayton, a mediocre high school teacher whose poetry class is quickly losing students. He has a secretive relationship with a fellow teacher (Alexie Gilmore) and he feels that relationship is strained by her adoring friendship with another male teacher (Henry Simmons). He's a sorry case indeed as his novels have all been rejected for publication and he has the world's worst son in Kyle (Daryl Sabara, a long way from Spy Kids). Kyle is a mean spirited, crass pervert who can't function on any social level. As much as Lance tries to have a decent relationship with his son, it never materializes. Especially when Kyle falls victim to an autoerotic asphyxiation accident. In order to hide the embarrassing death, Lance makes the scene look like a suicide and writes a deep suicide note. The story is picked up and the perceptions of Kyle quickly change to admiration, and Lance uses it to his own benefit.
Now there has been a lot of conversation and controversy surrounding that major plot point I just revealed, considering none of the advertisements mentioned this despite it being known during the festival circuit runs. After a long thought process, I decided to reveal it. Not only because it happens within the first act of the film, but also because it is impossible to have a legitimate discussion about this film without that reveal since the relationship between Lance and Kyle is not what the film is about. And I commend writer/director Bobcat Goldtwaith for taking that risk.
Instead of making this an average raunchy comedy about the mild mannered Lance butting heads with his perverted son, Goldtwaith has instead made a superior social commentary about the perception of a human being after death, made especially relevant after the death of Michael Jackson. The kind of forgiveness and positive memories that arise only after someone has died is an interesting notion, and Goldtwaith captures it all in a right comedic tone. He does allow the scope to widen a bit too much by the end, and there's a heavy handed scene at the end involving the song Under Pressure that doesn't strike the right tone with the rest of the film, but for the most part, he creates a world with sympathetic characters dealing with a premise that is all too familiar and executed very well.
This is also a great step forward for Williams as he provides a character that is not cartoonish but feels as if he has legitimate problems. His comedy feels smart and his emotions feel sincere. This is one of Williams's most sympathetic characters in a long time, and he shows off his skills as an actor greatly. Sabara is also really good in this role that I think is more complex than some give credit. He can be looked at as one note, but there is something in the way he gives a look or says a certain line that makes you believe there is a more complex being underneath the facetious nature. It's a performance than can be argued in terms of depth, but is generally agreed to be very funny. Another good character in the film is Andrew, Kyle's only best friend, played by Evan Martin. There's something to Andrew's shy and quiet personality that really makes his occasional banter with Williams really touching.
This might not be a film for everyone, because it does deal with some rather dark themes playing off of a comedic backdrop. However, this does what all the best dark comedies manage to do: it presents the comedy upfront while also allowing some emotionally tender moments to slip through. This film does that very well, and the smart script and capable cast are proof of that. This is definitely a sure fire hit for Williams, though I doubt his forthcoming Old Dogs will have quite the same effect. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: B+
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