Butter (2011)

“My name is Laura Dean Pickler, and this is the cut-throat story of greed, blackmail, sex, and butter.”

            No offense to anyone out in the Midwestern United States but how bored are you guys out there that you hold contests to sculpt butter? Is sculpting butter something you do out there in some states? I am only asking because the 2011 movie Butter is about bored pure white Midwestern people who take the contest of sculpting butter super seriously. (Forgive my assumption I am from the NY/NJ area we can be pretty rude and presumptuous people).

            Laura Dean Pickler (Jennifer Garner) is the wife of the Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell) the champion of butter sculpting in Iowa. She enjoys her husband’s success and attention it brings to both of them. Since Bob has won the contest for fifteen years in a row he is asked to step down out of the contest to give someone else a chance. Bob has no issues with stepping down he is just worried that Laura will go out of her mind, which is of course does. Laura goes so far as to go to the house of the head judge of the contest to speak to him, well not so much speak to him as to yell at him. Bob needs to get away so he goes to the local strip club where he is given a lap dance and some more by Brooke (Olivia Wilde). Laura somehow finds out that Bob is at the strip club and rams her SUV in their van where Bob and Brooke are having sex.

            Since Bob cannot compete in the butter sculpting contest Laura decides to enter herself. When she goes to enter she is the only one there until a young girl named Destiny walks in and also a woman who is a fan of Bob and also Brooke the stripper. Brooke is determined to kick Laura’s ass in some form after she hit the van and Bob has not paid her for the rest of the night they spent together.

            Destiny, for years, has bounced around from foster home to foster home. One year while at the Iowa State Fair she sees Bob’s butter sculpture of The Last Supper. She goes into the room and finishes sculpting the small grail. Bob sees Destiny doing this and he is impressed by her art work. After that Bob helps to place Destiny in a nice home with a very white couple. When they ask if she has any hobbies she replies that she does not have one but she decides to go into sculpting butter.

            On the day of the contest Destiny is declared the winner and Laura comes in second place. Laura is infuriated. She decides to manipulate a former boyfriend Boyd Bolton (Hugh Jackman) who is dumb as a stick, to say that he helped Destiny to carve her sculpture. The idea is so stupid because everyone could see that Destiny made the sculpture herself but Laura has such weight and made such a fuss the committee decides to let Destiny and Laura duke it out again at the Fair. Destiny’s sculpture is of her real mother holding her as a baby in a rocking chair. Laura’s is the moments after JFK is shot in the head in the car with Jackie Kennedy reaching out for the Secret Service member. That night Boyd decides to sabotage Destiny’s sculpture for Laura without her knowing. He melts the face of the baby. Destiny’s foster parents are totally upset that something happened to the sculpture the following day. Despite the melted part Destiny’s sculpture wins the contest.

            The cast of Butter was awesome. I am a HUGE GIGANTIC Jennifer Garner fan so of course I had to watch this movie. I have actually had the DVD for years and only just today finally watch it. Garner is hilarious. She has not really played outrageous, fake, uptight women before so seeing her as Laura Dean Pickler was a panic. I died laughing hearing Garner yell out “mother fucker!” in one part! (also have to say that I was dying her character’s name was Laura… it’s an Alias thing). Olivia Wilde is insane with the types of characters she plays in movies. She was so good as Brooke! Her character was pissed off and out for revenge. She did not do the revenge aspect that well but she tried her best and it was so funny.  Ty Burrell was alright. He was not like his character on Modern Family (am I the only one who has watched that show and totally hated it?) which I liked. Kristen Schaal plays the huge Bob fan. I cannot hear her voice and not want to immediately watch Bob’s Burgers! Rob Corddry and Alicia Silverstone play Destiny’s foster parents. The girl who played Destiny was fantastic! She was excellent acting with all these awesome seasoned actors. Hugh Jackman was alright as Boyd Bolton. Boyd was an idiot which is not a character I think we’re really used to seeing Jackman play.

            Butter was one of the most hilarious, ridiculous comedies I have ever watched. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Trust me when I say I did not just like it because Jennifer Garner is in it, I would totally admit if a movie she was in was awful. Butter was just so good. I am so happy I bought it all those years ago. Definitely check out Butter if you are in need of a good laugh.