Extract (film)

Extract is a 2009 American comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. The film stars Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Dustin Milligan, J. K. Simmons, and Ben Affleck. This was said to be Judge's companion piece to his cult-classic Office Space. Judge also makes an uncredited appearance as 'Jim', a union organizer.

Plot

Joel Reynolds is the owner and founder of Reynold's Extract, a flavoring-extracts company. His best friend Dean, a bartender and pothead, offers to ease his mind with Xanax and various other drugs, but the straight-laced Joel refuses. Although his business is successful, his marriage is now completely sexless, as Suzie, his wife, has an unwritten rule that once her sweatpants go on at 8pm, they don't come back off. It doesn't help that he is also often accosted by his annoying neighbor, Nathan, who won't let him get by without finishing what he has to say, and often assumes the wrong things about what Joel responds with.

One day, a series of mishaps occurs at the extract factory, resulting in an employee (Step) losing a testicle. Cindy, a con artist and drifter, reads a news story about the accident. Hatching a get-rich-quick scheme, she gets a temporary job at the factory, flirting with Joel in order to manipulate him into giving her more information about Step. She also begins a series of petty thefts from her co-workers, who suspect or openly accuse each other of the thefts. Although Step initially decides not to sue the company, he changes his mind after a "chance meeting" with Cindy (that she sets up in order to meet and flirt with him). Under Cindy's influence, Step hires ambulance-chaser attorney, Joe Adler.