Butter, released in North America in October 2012, is the
latest film from director, comedy writer and actor Jim Field Smith. Smith is
best known in North America for directing the 2010 comedy She’s Out of My
League, but started his career in Britain as a member of the popular British
sketch group 'The Dutch Elm Conservatoire'. The influence of British comedy
mixes perfectly with American Jason Micallef’s Blacklisted debut script.
Bob Pickler (Burrell) is a 15 year Iowa State Champion of
butter sculpting. However, wanting to allow other competitors a chance, the
judges ask if he’ll step aside and let some new talent succeed. Infuriated by
his lack of backbone for not refusing, his controlling wife Laura (Garner)
decides she’ll compete in his place. She would be a shoe in to win the county
competition if not for some unlikely competition: Carol-Ann (Schaal), the goofy
president of Bob’s butter sculpting fan club; Brooke (Wilde), Bob’s mistress;
and Destiny (Shahidi), an orphan bouncing through the foster care system with a
natural artistic talent. As Laura’s world starts to collapse around her, she
enlists aid from old flame Boyd Bolton (Jackman). The cast is rounded out by
Corrdry and Silverstone playing Destiny’s newest foster parents, who according
to her are “the whitest people she’d ever met.”
Butter is a political comedy loosely based on the 2010
Democratic primaries, with Jennifer Garner’s role as a super uptight suburban
stepmother referencing Hilary Clinton, and Yara Shahidi as a young, black
upstart contender. Garner has played a similar role in Juno, but takes it to a
comedic extreme as a Martha Stewart with severe OCD. Shahidi is the same age as
her character Destiny, but with Micallef’s sophisticated narration and
dialogue, Destiny appears to be a Calvin like character (of Calvin and Hobbes),
possessing an advanced ability to read the nuances of adult behavior. Schaal is basically playing her obsessive fan
character from Flight of the Conchords and her character could easily be
removed from the film. Most of the characters are played almost to the point of
ridiculous, but Destiny’s foster parents provide an anchor of normality to view
the other characters from.
Overall, Butter is a movie that can be enjoyed with, or
without the political commentary. While some political features frame their
theses in flashing lights, Butter allows you to just go along for the ride and
enjoy some clever writing and entertaining characters.
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