Butter
Butter Image
Metascore
40 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critics What's this?

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  • 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 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

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 23
  3. Negative: 8 out of 23
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    Oct 5, 2012
    70
    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.
  2. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Catherine Shoard
    Sep 19, 2012
    60
    There's something about this film's churn of goo and grit that lingers ambivalently, difficult to digest.
  3. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Scott Bowles
    Oct 7, 2012
    38
    It's been a long time since a movie wasted this much talent.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

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  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 1 out of 1
  1. GreatMartin
    3
    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 sort of pushed not to enter this year, finds herself in a ‘butter-off’(?) with an 11 year old African-American foster child, Destiny (Yara Shahidi). “Butter” is a parody but of just quite what is hard to tell. With it’s R-rated language and a couple of sex scenes is it trying to sure that corn fed people can be as crude and rude as those in New York City, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale? Could it be a take off on bitter trophy wives who want more? Maybe it is taking a shot at the foster care problems everywhere? Hey it might even be taking a pot shot at smart strippers who does the right thing in the wrong way. Along with all this let’s get Hugh Jackman to make fun of dumb, horny car salesman. The problem with “Butter” is that while the shots land now and then they scatter too much to add up to anything. The cast is first rate with Yara Shahidi a stand out as is Olivia Wilde as the stripper. The butter sculptures are impressive and the bureaucracy who follows the rules and regulations is represented by Corena Shase as Mrs. Schwann. Alicia Silverstone and Rob Corddy as the foster parents, Jill and Ethan Emmit, of Destiny are the ‘hippies’, in their thinking, of Iowa. The director, Jan Field Smith, allowed first time screenwriter, Jason Micallef, to let loose without reigning him in when, obviously, he should have been. For a 90 minute movie there was way too many targets, consequently none got hit. By the way when the movie was over the rain had stopped, the sun was out and Columbus Day had become a beach day!… Expand

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