The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Monday, September 14, 2009 - 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, Septemher 14, 2009 - 5A

Vanilla'Extract'

'CSI Modern Television'

Lacking anger, Mike Judge's
latest can't match the
classic 'Office Space'
By ANDREW LAPIN
Daily Film Editor
Thanks to his TV series "King of the Hill" and the
cult classic film "Office Space," which he wrote and
directed, Mike Judge has been the
secret liaison between Hollywood
and the blue-collar working world
for more than a decade. No one else EAIhd
in the movie business can showcase
Joe Sixpack's frustration toward At Quality 16
the way the world works like Judge. and Showcase
That's why many rejoiced when Miramax
it was revealed that, after a brief
foray into dystopian satire with
"Idiocracy," he would return to the workplace with
"Extract."
It should have been expected that "Extract" wasn't
going to touch the genius of "Office Space," but there
was still reason to hope. The film features a stellar
cast headlined by "Arrested Development" star Jason
Bateman, whose straight-faced anxiety seems per-
fectly suited for Judge's world. And the plot mixes
familiar workday drudgery with a crime tale - Mila
Kunis ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") plays a pro-
miscuous con artist. There's also an element of the
surreal: The story is set in motion when a worker in
Bateman's vanilla extract factory loses a testicle in a
freak accident.
There's also a point where Bateman hires a gigolo to
seduce his wife (Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live")
so that he doesn't have to feel guilty about having an
.ffir,. t m:t-in - fl.: k ds:- s mi:-m d.,,.1 it wn1d

seem Judge has finally found his element again.
But all these disparate ingredients never come
together. "Extract" lacks both the satirical bite and
naked ambition of "Office Space" - a film that set out
to destroy, not merely mock, the people and compa-
nies that profit from the misery of cubicle dwellers.
The film was so effective because it was so angry.
"Extract" lacks that essential anger.
Part of the problem may be that Judge asks the
audience to sympathize with the boss instead of the
employees. Yes, Bateman's Joel is apparently the
world's least sadistic boss, and his workers are so stu-
pid they need "Life for Dummies" books. But he still
lives in a nice house with a pool, he gets to entertain
the idea of retiring young when a larger company
offers a buyout and he gives a speech that makes
it clear he's truly passionate about manufacturing
vanilla extract. So despite all his complaints, he must
still enjoy his job.
There are moments when the movie does get riled
up in a Lumbergh-like manner over some of its char-
acters, and those are the moments when "Extract"
truly shines. David Koechner ("Snakes on a Plane")
portrays the overly friendly neighbor from Hell, and
comes closest to the classic Judge flavor. Every time
he says, "Oh, Joel, one more thing..." the audience can
feel Judge's hatred toward annoying neighbors every-
where. The factory workers all have their moments,
Jason Bateman meets
God's Cock.
especially the overly pierced forklift driver (T.J.
Miller, "The Goods"), who plays in a Goth-metal band
called God's Cock and tells everyone to "bring some
chicks" to his shows.
The creativity behind these characters is almost
enough to make up for Ben Affleck's hippie bar-
tender character who (of course) acts as Bateman's
spiritual adviser and drug pusher. The lame, forced
kookiness of his character doesn't do anything for
the story, and by the time he accidentally slips the
straight-laced Bateman a horse tranquilizer, he
seems to be nothing more than the product of rare
laziness from Judge.
The best satire works because the author has a
desire to bring about change, which is why "Office
Space" worked so well and why the very hit-or-miss
"Idiocracy" occasionally made contact. "Extract"
doesn't have anything to be angry about, which is why
the film never rises above the somewhat-amusing
level. Hopefully for his next film, Judge brings back
his trademark blue-collar bite.

There are three types of
television show in this
world: crime and/or medi-
cal dramas, dating reality shows,
and shows that get canceled. We
live in a world
with abajillion-
ty-twelve "CSI"
shows, abrand'
new "NCIS"
coming, shows*
like "The Shield"
and "Dark Blue" JANE
for everyone's
bad-cop fix, a BLOCK
vast surplus of
"Law and Order" offshoots, enough
televisedbloody surgery to make
even a chief of medicine squeamish
and enough hot tub lovin' to melt
the polar ice caps. And then there's
everything else.
People have historicallybeen
reluctant to watch some of televi-
sion's most original programming.
The ever-cult-classic "Arrested
Development" was practically the
only show of its kind in regard to
its absurd storylines and humor.
But not enough people watched
the Emmy-winner to save it from
unjust cancellation.
Then there are shows that don't
even get a full firstseason, like
"Firefly." From creator Joss Whe-
don (mastermind behind "Dr. Hor-
rible's Sing-Along Blog" and "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer"), "Firefly" told
the story of a group of cowboy-
esque space rogues roaming a
relatively newly colonized galaxy
in the year 2517. They run from the
dastardly alliance while smuggling
and harboringmysterious fugi-
tives. Yeah, it sounds absolutely
fucking weird, but it was absolutely
scintillating - at least during its
14-episode existence. People just
hear something like "cowboy sci-fi"
and think it's so absurd that it can't
be good. But it was great. And most
people never gave themselves the
chance to know.
Rejecting a show based on
premise alone is never a good
idea. A great writing team can
turn any idea into a supremely
entertaining show. The whole
point of new shows ought to be

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y aren't like anything that vated by the fact that they're doing
efore them. Yet I've heard somethingnew. A crime drama
diculous excuses for avoid- canbe entertaining; it can even
ething based on previous sometimesbe well done. But no
nces: "I won't watch 'Glee' matter whattwistyou put on it, I
e I didn't like 'High School won't letyou get away with calling
l,' "I won't watch 'Sports it "original."
because I don'tlike 'Sports- I amhopingnthat in a cruel-for-
' or, most unreasonably, them, great-for-me twist of fate,
t watch 'Lost' because I the onslaught of doctors, cops and
ike 'Gilligan's Island."'None desperate singles will eventually
comparisons are fair, yet assure its own destruction - or at
iewers are content to make least reach a plateau. Here's the
wo-second assumptions way I see it: It mustbe the same
of taking an hour to simply people watching all of these shows.
he show once and see if they I can't imagine someone saying,
The crime drama plague is "You know, 'CSI' and 'CSI: Miami'
ing people that originality are great but that 'CSI: NY' is an
utter piece of crap." Unfortunately,
unately, in recentyears, that means there are probably
riginal premises havebeen many people out there watching
a comeback. The afore- upwards of seven or eight crime
ned "Glee," the satirical tale dramas on a regularbasis. But the
larity as viewed through a quantity's the thing wherein we'll
hool show choir, is enjoying catch the conscience of the viewing
tion as FOX's most-hyped public.
ow. And Joss Whedon's lat- If more crime dramas keep pre-
ure "Dollhouse," which miering at the current rate, people
will eventually run out of free time.
There are only so many hours of
primetime television a week, and
Lost' is not once there are acouple crime dra-
mas in each slot, any new ones will
"Gilligan's steal the ratings of anotheruntil,
in a morass of mutually assured
Lnd, ndam m it. destruction, they all explode! Or,
more realistically, producers will
realize it's not profitable to keep
making them.
ents a secret facility where But there is an easier, more real-
give up five years of their istic and less "War Games"-esque
have their personalities way to quell the expansion of the
d and bodies rented out to ever-growingblob of unoriginal
ire clients seekingromantic programming: Watch something
s or even assassins, willbe different. I don't care if you didn't
g its second season soon - a like "Stargate: Atlantis." You should
that most people suspected still watch "Eureka." Sure, they
never come. It's not like any- both air on Syfy (the new name of
hat's comebefore it, and that the old Sci-Fi Channel), but that
t all the more fantastic. But doesn't mean they're the same, and
scouragingly, people must "Eureka" is flippingbrilliant.
y be watching it. Original, high-quality television
lhouse" is the perfect exam- isbeing murdered, and we need to
ew television at its best. The take actionbefore they make a new
e is completelyoriginal - "CSI" about it.

est thing we've seen so far
'ford Wives," and that's only
'similar. The writers are
e and the actors are moti-

Block is working ona pilot for
"40 Rock." Tell him how original
he is at jamblock@umich.edu.

You can never have too much Viagra.


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