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Movie Review: Butter (Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Olivia Wilde) Who knew butter carving was so cutthroat?

Movie Review: Butter

Studio: The Weinstein Company

Release Date: AFI Film Festival, Sunday, Nov 6, 2011 (In theaters – March 16, 2012 (Limited Release))

Film Rating: R

★★★★★

Who would have guessed a film about competitive butter carving would get an ‘R’ rating? But here you have it. Butter is a slightly dark, sarcastic, sexually charged, and hysterically funny comedy focusing on one woman’s desperate desire to stay on top of the social ladder and a child’s struggle to fit into a town where color stands out.

Jennifer Garner as Laura and Ty Burrell as Bob

Jennifer Garner plays Laura Pickler. Her husband Bob (Ty Burrell) is the current Butter Carving champion of Iowa, 15 years running. But this year, the judges have asked Bob to step down and give someone else a chance at a little butter glory. Of course, this doesn’t sit well with Laura. She’s the type of woman who seems nice and cordial by all appearances, but there is an underlying menacing factor bubbling below the shallow surface. If things don’t go her way, she will definitely do what needs to be done to make it right; even resorting to cheap sabotage with the help of her ex-high school boyfriend Boyd Bolton (Hugh Jackman). Meanwhile, young Destiny (Yara Shahidi) is being shipped from one foster home to another which isn’t easy for any child, but even more difficult for a young African-American child in the middle of Iowa. There aren’t too many varying ethnicities in town but fortunately, Destiny has an excellent sense of humor about life. “White people are weird.”

Hugh Jackman as Boyd Bolton

I find myself recalling several scenes in the film and literally laughing out loud. When Boyd sits in a shiny new Camaro (that looks a lot like Bumblebee from The Transformers) and thanks God for sending Laura to sleep with him, it’s hysterical! The vulgarity may be a little shocking to some in regards to the context of the movie because of the setting being so benign. I mean, it’s all about the “mastery of butter carving,” not some sleazy nighttime skin-flick. However, I find it highly entertaining.

Olivia Wilde as Brooke

Butter is filled with comedic stereotyping ranging from race to profession. While Laura refuses to apologize for being born “tall, white, and pretty,” her husband’s stripper friend Brooke (Olivia Wilde) faces some opposition because of her chosen profession. Wilde does a great job of portraying a stripper scorned. She’s captivating because she’s different than the other women in town – she’s even enchanted Laura’s daughter Kaitlen (Ashley Greene). So when Brooke enters the butter carving contest, Laura is flabbergasted. Laura believes the entire competition should only be for those deemed worthy, socially. It’s not every day a stripper carves butter…right?

Destiny (Yara Shahidi) shows her new foster parents her carving talents

The sharp wit, colorful (no pun intended) acting, sarcastic dialogue, and every aspect that goes into making a really entertaining film are expertly folded into Butter. Shahidi is absolutely adorable! She immediately steals your heart with her cuteness but also with the delivery of her lines. When her new foster father, Ethan (Rob Corddry), gives her a pep-talk before she goes to sign up for the competition, he tells her to imagine all the scary things that could happen while she’s in there. She mentions “racist ninjas,” and I can’t help but chuckle. Their interaction is magical! Corddry’s performance is simply charming.  I love his comedic turns in other films, like Hot Tub Time Machine, but he really turns it down a notch to not over inflate the raunchiness he’s capable of. Instead, you find yourself completely believing he and his wife Julie (Alicia Silverstone) are two people living in Iowa who genuinely want to adopt Destiny as their own. It’s wonderful!

[singlepic id=2440 w=320 h=240 float=left] It was a treat to have cast members Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, and Yara Shahidi present the film at the AFI Film Festival screening. Garner looked amazing in her purple cocktail dress with her baby bump clearly visible. I saw Shahidi and her guardian at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in the Pepsi Cinema lounge after the screening as she indulged in the non-alcoholic beverages and yummy ice-cream cake!

Butter is a refreshingly realistic comedy about the way some people think of others, the highly competitive world of butter carving, and life in general. We all want family, we all want to be loved, and we all could use a little Butter.

Photos © 2011 The Weinstein Company. All Rights Reserved.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.