Often set to resemble the likes of Christopher Guest's Best in Show and For Your Consideration, Jim Field Smith's Butter is a sharp and witty film that opens our eyes to the competitive world of butter carving.
Featuring a quirky, sharp, and stylistic script by first time screenwriter Jason Micallef, the film bears a unique flare that is simply unmistakable. Sure a few of the jokes come across as a bit desperate and forced, but the film is able to overcome the occasional mishap with near ease.
Jennifer Garner stars as Laura Pickler, the wife of Bob Pickler, Iowa's long-reigning butter carving champion. But when Bob is asked to refrain from entering the competition to allow for someone else to enjoy the spotlight Laura feels her role amongst her peers shift. In a desperate attempt to keep the glory in the family Laura opts to enter the contest herself, facing off against 10-year-old Destiny, a bad-girl stripper Brooke, and Bob's most loyal fan Carol-Ann. It will be a fight to the finish, but when it comes to the first place ribbon, nothing stands between Laura and butter carving supremacy.
Call it ridiculous or over-the-top, but the film gets creative in terms of its competitive edge. From a life-size recreation of The Last Supper to a highly realistic vision of the Kennedy assassination, things get pretty serious pretty fast. Luckily there is enough quirky dialogue and unexpected language to make it nearly impossible not to laugh. The jokes about American life and culture will hit home for many, but in a weird way, it is this internal awkwardness that gives Butter its edge.
The craziness of the Pickler clan will remind you of friends and family who helplessly fit the American mold. And every year, when the state fair comes rolling in, you'll be on the lookout for the next, great butter carving champion. But for now, cleavers down everyone, time is up.
