Butter premiered last year at the Telluride Film Festival before heading to TIFF and the rest of the festival circuit. After a year of hitting as many of the festivals as possible, it is now ready to hit theaters on a regular run. It still hasn’t received a lot of press, but it could be one of those movies that becomes a favorite thanks to word of mouth.
Jennifer Garner plays Laura Pickler, a small town wife of a popular butter carver. Her husband Bob (Ty Burrell) has won the competition for many years in a row, and after he’s asked to take a step back and let someone new win, Laura takes it upon herself to take his place. Standing in her way however is a 10 year old orphan named Destiny (Yara Shahidi) who finds that she is not only talented in the field but also a popular choice among the townsfolk, as well as a stripper/prostitute named Brooke (Olivia Wilde) to whom her husband owes money.
Jennifer Garner usually plays sweet characters that the audience falls in love with, but this time around however she plays the complete opposite. She’s conniving and cold-hearted, with only a single purpose in mind. It’s an interesting choice for her, and one that works. The actor you fall in love with is played by Yara Shahidi. This young actress has a terrific future ahead of her. Olivia Wilde on the other hand is the one who steals almost every scene she’s in. She is really only one of two characters who sees how absurd the entire competition is, and she let’s everyone know it. When one hears that the movie is about butter carving they might shy away from seeing it, but they shouldn’t. It’s not what you you think. It’s full of political undertones that enrich the story, and the uniqueness of the plot keeps you entertained throughout.
Butter may not be something you need to rush out and see at the theater, but it’s one that is worth renting at least. At an hour and a half it’s not too long, and you’ll find that the time just flies by.
Tags: butter, butter movie review, Jennifer Garner, jennifer garner in butter, movie review, movie reviews, olivia wilde as stripper, olivia wilde in butter, what is butter about, yara shahidi