‘Butter’ Movie Review – Dairy Gets Serious

There have now been movies made about absolutely everything thanks to the new film Butter. Starring Jennifer Garner, Ty Burrell, Hugh Jackman, OIivia Wilde, Alicia Silverstone, Steve Correll and Ashley Greene, the cast is all-star, and with only one or two odd spots, the movie is as funny as it is charming.

Butter itself takes center stage as the story revolves around the butter carving contest at the Iowa State Fair. Garner’s character, Laura, is the wife of the best butter carver in the state, but when the committee asks him to step down to let someone else win, Laura takes over the family business with a seriousness, dedication and willingness to win at all costs that would make any Republican politician proud.

Unfortunately, she has some competition in the form of Wilde, a tattooed stripper who has been having an affair with Laura’s husband and Destiny (newcomer Yara Shahidi), the ten year-old foster child of Silverstone and Correll who has a surprising talent for carving.

This movie reminded me a lot of the Reese Witherspoon classic, Election. It’s sardonic and bitingly funny, but also has a lot of heart and a message if you really listen. It could also be viewed as a commentary on contemporary politics…but mostly it’s just witty with a touch of sweetness.

My only complaint with the film was the random addition of a lesbian sex plot between Wilde’s crazy stripper and Greene’s rebellious stepdaughter. In any other movie it would have been fine. Here, though, it felt totally unnecessary and rather out of place. Had it been edited out, the film would have lost nothing, in all honesty. And that’s not a comment on the actors; they did a good job with the material. It just didn’t fit with the rest of the story.

I would definitely recommend ButterButter arrives in theatres on Friday, October 5th. You can watch the trailer here.