USA Today: Mike Judge - Back on the grind with 'Extract'

By Scott Bowles
USA Today
Excerpt
September 3, 2009

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Mike Judge is a boring guy. Don't believe it? Ask him. "I'm not that exciting, at least in the Hollywood way people might think," Judge says. "I've always related more to the everyday schlub. I guess because I am one."

Which helps explain why the creator of Beavis and Butt-head, King of the Hill and Office Spaceconnects so well with middle America. His characters look like regular people. They spend their days at tedious jobs and nights sipping beer on their couches. They are passionate about things like lawns, propane and propane accessories.

Judge returns to the blue-collar world Friday with Extract, a counterpoint of sorts to Office Space. Judge skewers the workplace from the boss' perspective, in this case an extract factory owner (Jason Bateman) who is struggling with his marriage.

The film springs from the director's experiences working myriad menial jobs, from burger-flipper to purchase order clerk, for the first 26 years of his life. "That's my world," says Judge, 46. "I'm glad for that because I don't think Hollywood is really interested in that world. You have these beautiful, tan actors playing welders and fry cooks. I'm not sure how much people really relate to that."

They do, however, relate to Judge's fascination with the mundane. He may be the closest thing mainstream America has to a cult director...

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