Butter

Name: Butter
Genre: Comedy
Released: October 5, 2012
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 40
Cast: Ashley Greene, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Ty Burrell

2012

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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Butter

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: October 5, 2012 | R

Starring: Ashley Greene, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Ty Burrell, Yara Shahidi

Summary: A tale of competition at its most cut-throat, "Butter" surveys the raw ambition of Laura Pickler, the wife of Bob Pickler, Iowa's long-reigning champion butter carver. For 15 years, Laura has relished her high-profile role as the beautiful, loyal helpmate to her affable, artistically gifted husband. But when Bob is pressured to retire andA tale of competition at its most cut-throat, "Butter" surveys the raw ambition of Laura Pickler, the wife of Bob Pickler, Iowa's long-reigning champion butter carver. For 15 years, Laura has relished her high-profile role as the beautiful, loyal helpmate to her affable, artistically gifted husband. But when Bob is pressured to retire and allow someone else a chance at glory, an indignant Laura decides to enter the competition herself. She is first in line on sign-up day, only to see her odds of victory fall below 100% with the arrival of an unlikely yet formidable contender: 10-year-old Destiny, the African-American foster child of local couple Julie and Ethan. And that's not all. Bob's would-be mistress, bad-girl stripper Brooke also declares her candidacy, as does his #1 fan, Carol-Ann. Facing three opponents, mocked by her stepdaughter Kaitlen and furious with her husband, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to win. And if that means resorting to sabotage – and recruiting her dim-witted former boyfriend Boyd as a co-conspirator – then so be it. (Radius-TWC)… Expand

Director: Jim Field Smith

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 90 min

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Critic Reviews

Peter Debruge

Oct 5, 2012

Butter might have been a dark comedy; here, the humor is twisted but the world is bright as can be. Conservatives and liberals alike take a licking, and yet the art of butter carving emerges unscathed. Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine Pete Hammond

Oct 3, 2012

With a razor-sharp script and Jennifer Garner winning laughs in a nice change-of-pace role, this cynically funny and pointedly pertinent not-so-subtle spin on the national battle between right and left wing politics scores lots of comic bullseyes. Read full review

The Guardian Catherine Shoard

Sep 19, 2012

There's something about this film's churn of goo and grit that lingers ambivalently, difficult to digest. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Oct 3, 2012

Garner hasn't come across as amusing as she is here in quite some time. Despite many funny bits, Butter also, at times, seems to excoriate the blinkered Midwesterners in the flyover states. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Oct 4, 2012

Appropriately enough for a movie built on two-dimensional cartoons of amoral adults and innocent children, Shahidi is the only actor who emerges with her dignity fully intact. Read full review

Scott Bowles

Oct 7, 2012

It's been a long time since a movie wasted this much talent. Read full review

Bilge Ebiri

Oct 5, 2012

Butter essentially eats its own premise, then proceeds to bludgeon us with unfunny, unoriginal political satire. Read full review

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User Reviews

nms1215

Dec 25, 2013

This movie is simply hilarious. From the reviews I have read, people took it far too seriously. A movie about Ty Burrell as a master butter art sculptor is in no way meant to be taken seriously. This film pokes into the satirical style a few times, but overall stays as one of thoseThis movie is simply hilarious. From the reviews I have read, people took it far too seriously. A movie about Ty Burrell as a master butter art sculptor is in no way meant to be taken seriously. This film pokes into the satirical style a few times, but overall stays as one of those over-the-top, ridiculous-yet-hilarious-characters type of films. It is hilarious and is really a movie that uses a silly plot to provide a setting for great comedy--in a good way. This movie is filled with jokes, and the plot is insignificant. If you came into this expecting to care about a butter sculpting competition, then I am not sure what movie is for you. Watch this movie expecting a lot of great scenes that could stand alone in any movie as comedy gold.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

YeetusMcGeetus

Aug 22, 2019

An underrated indie film for sure. Really enjoyed the black comedy and the strong cast!

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

beingryanjude

Sep 2, 2014

A dark comedy to its very core, Butter is a unique look at both competition and competitiveness. If you don't think you'll be entertained by competitive butter carving, you are sorely mistaken.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

DTDunn

Dec 14, 2012

What starts as a mildly assuming farce, devolves into a pedestrian trudge to the long awaited finish line. The bar for comedy is often set awfully low. In the case of this film, they barely cleared the bar.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

tofutombstone

Feb 20, 2019

Pretty bad indie rip-off. There could have been a cool movie underneath all that saturated fat of one-dimensional characters, poor writing, and fake ass quirkiness. The film tried way too hard to be meaningful and eccentric and it missed on both marks. The well-acted silent suffering of TyPretty bad indie rip-off. There could have been a cool movie underneath all that saturated fat of one-dimensional characters, poor writing, and fake ass quirkiness. The film tried way too hard to be meaningful and eccentric and it missed on both marks. The well-acted silent suffering of Ty Burrell was the only redeeming quality in this over-churned slop.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

GreatMartin

Oct 8, 2012

One of the many amazing things about movies is that it can take you from a rainy, no beach, Columbus holiday to a butter sculpture contest at the Iowa State Fair. tA wife, Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner), of the ma, Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell), who won it for 15 years in a row and has been sortOne of the many amazing things about movies is that it can take you from a rainy, no beach, Columbus holiday to a butter sculpture contest at the Iowa State Fair. tA wife, Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner), of the ma, Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell), who won it for 15 years in a row and has been sort of pushed not to enter this year, finds herself in a … Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

Spanky

Jan 26, 2013

Just another excuse for Hollywood to mock middle class white people in flyover country. The only wise and profound person was an 11-year-old token black child. They even managed to rope in Hugh Jackman to mock God and praying.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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