Stephan Hammond
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
masonfisk
Like a companion piece to Election, Alexander Payne's magna opus to the steel hearted, uber frau willing to steamroll over every & all people in order to get ahead, Butter turns over simple Midwestern values on its head by exposing the hypocrisies & irregularities of the common man or in this case woman. Missing more than hitting, Butter churns (sorry!) at a predictable pace occasionally striking the scared cows it aims at w/a game cast including Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Ty Burrell & 'Clueless" herself, Alicia Silverstone but unlike Payne's films which often pierce their subject matters so hard it hurts, Butter barely leaves a bruise.
adonis98-743-186503
In Iowa, an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest. Butter is the kind of movie that is easy to attack on it has an all star cast and it's a satire - comedy but the good thing is that unlike many other comedies this film knows what it is and it does a pretty good job with the material that it gets. It's not easy to make Jennifer Garner into a cold-blooded b*tch, racist rich girl and have Hugh Jackman as a sex addict idiot that will do everything to have her, Ashley Greene and especially Olivia Wilde do a pretty good job as well. But if there's a normal part of this film that is actually the best part of the entire movie that is definitely the character of the little girl called Destiny played by Yara Shahidi that girl steals every scene that she's in and props should also go to Rob Corddry and Alicia Silverstone who play her adopted parents and stand by her in everything that bugs her. I've seen the movie like 3 times by now and i gotta say it's fun it's not the best of any of this actors careers and it wasn't made to win Oscars but i think you're going to enjoy it if you know what to expect. (8/10)
MovieNightIn
Butter develops its satirical tone right away and makes it clear that it won't be taking itself too seriously. The entire backdrop for the characters' stories is a cutthroat butter carving competition, after all. This competition envelops the entire world of its handful of participants, with two in particular: Laura, the self-important, over-privileged wife of the 15-year title holder, and Destiny, a cherubic foster child with a sweet disposition and natural talent. These may be the most straightforward foils I've ever seen. Their stories are expanded and developed with the support of the impressive ensemble cast, and the number of actors playing against type make for quite a few laughs. The contrast between the two primary sculptors fits nicely into the film's ironic tone and actually brings up a bit of a social commentary on both art and privilege, though this aspect of the story is underdeveloped. Ultimately, the light tone, character development, and social commentary make this a fun but forgettable film.The story begins with a super cheesy political-style video introduction praising Bob (Ty Burrell) and Laura (Jennifer Garner) Pickler for his great accomplishments and her unwavering support. The excessive self-importance of the voice-over delivery immediately sets the satirical tone of the film. This overly serious mindset...about butter carving, mind you...is highlighted by the subsequent introduction of Destiny (Yara Shahidi), who takes everything in stride, mostly because she has no other choice. Nearly every character in the film is more of a caricature than a realistic, multi-faceted human being, further developing the sarcasm director Jim Field Smith has set from the outset. Even the extras contribute, as they appear in massive crowds, pushing and shoving for a great view of the "Iowa State Fair Mastery in Butter" competition.As with most caricaturized figures, the characters in this film are primarily one-dimensional archetypes set to serve a very specific role in the development of the story. This time, we have Garner's ambitious, even ruthless Laura; Burrell's spineless, unfaithful Bob; Olivia Wilde's gold-digging stripper mistress; and Yara Shahidi's perfectly pure Destiny in a great contrast with her overzealous competitor. While Jennifer Garner does an admirable job implying that Laura's character does have some degree of growth, all of the characters are quite static. And in this case, it works. To manufacture a great improvement of character would be a disservice to the sarcasm of the comedy. All of the actors fill their roles well, though I was particularly amused by Rob Corddry and Hugh Jackman, both playing against type here. Jackman is hilarious as a dim-witted car salesman used by Garner's character as a sexual pawn, and Corddry is surprisingly effective as Destiny's foster father, giving this mostly superficial comedy a few brief, heartfelt moments and a bit of emotional depth that I quite enjoyed.While the film is generally superficial, it does make an attempt at some social commentary, and while it does so with a satirical tone, it is not truly satire. By definition, a satire must work toward the goal of evoking change. Butter points out some common flaws in human behavior, but it does so with such a wink that change seems less necessary than a brief chuckle. It doesn't take itself quite seriously enough to encourage social change, particularly since none of the characters, with Laura as a possible exception, feel the need to do anything drastically differently themselves. The contrast between Laura, who is excessively put-upon in spite of her privilege, and Destiny, who seems bothered by nothing--likely because she has never had anything, certainly emphasizes the triviality of those things so many of us lament in our own lives. But that doesn't really lead to anything here, other than a quick mental note or personal criticism. The film does raise a question in the end about the nature of art itself, particularly about the difference between an artist's intent and her audience's interpretation, but it is more to evoke further reflection than to encourage any change.Ultimately, I did enjoy the film and I would recommend it for a quick, light watch. The cast and crew did their jobs well, and it was fun to watch. The cast was impressive, and they didn't disappoint; in fact, the surprises arising from those actors playing against type was very p0ssibly my favorite aspect of this movie. Make sure to stick around for the credits, too. The outtakes are a great reminder of the absurdity of the story's content, and the actors' difficulty in playing the comedy straight-faced actually drive home the director's goals in the film.
skibummm143
While this "film" does have some moments of laughter, it is mostly a series of head scratching moments strung together by cellulose.To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what happened on the set of Butter, the cast is made up of some seasoned veterans and the director has made some decent comedies before ("She's out of My League")but Butter falls flat.The scenes between Brooke and Bob's daughter are completely unrealistic and gratuitous. Laura's sudden clarity seems cliché, and the whole movie feels cobbled together.Suffice to say, I'll think twice before assuming that the likes of Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Hugh Jackman and Olivia Wilde can put together a quality flick.
