Three comedies that flew under everyone’s radar this year.

Extract: Poor Mike Judge. First, his “King of the Hill” went off the air after all these years then “Extract” –you know, that film with a dumb title and a horrible poster depicting walnuts and a bottle making the shape of a, oh hahaha, penis– was released with a giant thud. Not only does Judge get screwed by the studios when it comes to releasing and packaging his films but he makes films that are destined to be loved… years after they are made. I personally refrence ”Idiocracy” more than any other comedy (didja hear, it’s got electrolytes!) and “Office Space” is, is damn near eternal.  Judge’s talent is akin to being famous after you die–great for patient fans, bad for the creator. “Extract” is no different, it’s underwhelming but solid in its execution. Recalling that scene from “Office Space,” Judge’s “flair” may not be visible but it’s there, tucked away in his dialogue. I would be harder on this film if I wasn’t absolutely sure it would grow on me. And, oh, it will, for the bong toking  scene alone, it will. Besides Ben Affleck giving one of his only good performances of the decade (shockingly, he can be really funny!), Jason Bateman stars as the beleaguered factory manager and, what can I say, he’s, well, he’s Jason Bateman: the best comic straight man since KeanuReeves, who is so straight he doesn’t even know he’s funny! I would ask that fans of Judge rush out to see this film but what’s the point, you’re guaranteed to see it somewhere down the line anyway, probably on Comedy Central at 3 a.m. somewhere in 2013, and think ”huh, how did I miss that?” Trust me, we’ve all been there. B

Observe and Report:“Bad Santa” in a mall with shades of “Taxi Driver.” I was down for it, I was sooo down. I love black comedies and am of the opinion that director’s Jody Hill’s work on “East Bound and Down” is the bet comedy on TV right along side “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” of course. This is not black, though, it’s blue. As in sad–not sad in a funny way and not sad in a particularly dramatic way either. It’s also pointless and, worst of all, meandering. With a script by Hill, it got the premise right (a mentally unstable security guard off his meds, horny, and on a combat high without the weapons or intelligence to back him up), just not the follow through. Hear me out, with this setting and this cast and this director I almost wish the film just said fuck it and gave ”Dawn of the Dead” the “Shaun of the Dead” treatment. Oh well, at least Seth Rogen gives it the old college, or maybe community college, try. My observation is that the film sucks and my report is that it’s gets a C

I Love You, Man:Have to say, didn’t like it off the bat, HATED it in fact. Another trite, Apatow-esq comedy, oh boy. The opening act is abysmal, unfunny and amateurish (it opens abruptly with a stupid establishing shot of the city, the acting is unsure, the dialogue is rickety, etc.) but once this comedy gets rolling it really hits a melody of high points. Paul Rudd, another fantastic comic straight man, is a really original comic character here in that he’s a big goofy nerd but only through what he says rather than how he looks or acts. “See you later, Joben!” or “Totally… Totes McGotes” he’ll whimpers, trying to sound cool and making absolutely no sense in the process. All his friend, his onlyfriend, can do I look at him with a skewed face, and all I could do was laugh at Rudd’s priceless non sequiturs. Jason Segal, the friend who, in another movie, would have been the best friend from hell (the brilliant “What About Bob,” the bad “Chuck and Buck” the worse “Lost and Found”) but here in no way resembles a comic cliche because he’s straight talking and often profound but a slob of a man too! And finally the relationship between the two, in this cheery ode to friendship and bonding, is not only the prominant but compelling–yes, there is a hetero wedding in last scene but the film is really all about the man love. B+