Review of Butter (2012) by Natalie R — 20 Jun 2013

Butter was several movies in one. There truly was no focal point; it was all very sporadic and nonsensical. It involves Bob Pickler who has been carving butter for sport for the past 15 years of his life; his wife Laura Pickler has made a career in being the trophy wife of the butter empire.

One unfortunate day Bob is asked to step down for new talent and Laura, completely invested in the butter empire loses her top over the news. So, Laura decides to enter the contest as she does not want to lose the famous "Pickler Butter Empire".

Add to the mix Destiny, an African-American girl who has been in many foster homes. Destiny also enters the butter carving contest. Only reason I mentioned her race is because the movie mentions it about every other scene.

Laura is so in her own world she sees Destiny's race and her being a foster child as a threat. Destiny even mentions her spite for white people the whole movie. The racism is out of place and does not mesh with any character.

In great comedy fashion Bob cheats with a stripper and is now stuck with an unpaid bill and stripper that won't go away until she is paid. Sounds funny. I admit the concept is hilarious and could have been very good.

But it all goes to Hell. The stripper gets involved with the butter contest, loses and is immediately no longer integral to the story. She instead becomes mentor to Destiny and a call girl for the Pickler's daughter who has decided to become a lesbian.

There are so many unnecessary side characters and one off situations that it is very difficult to follow the meaning. Was the point to make a film about butter, a film about cruel intentions in human nature that involved butter or a film about how race is only skin deep and butter just a back drop to present a higher cause? Whatever the intention, Butter was badly edited and tried so hard to be everything, while being nothing.

It put its focus on far to many characters and never moved past the racist banter. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't harsh, overly offensive racism but as previously stated, it never should have been used.

Maybe it could have been better under different direction; one with a better eye for suburban comedy with a cruel undertone. But this director could not find a rhythm. He attempted to be controversial with a heart but it all crashed under the weight of his ideas.

Butter intended to be a smart, innovative comedy but settled for being mean-spirited and racist. Butter has no brain and is not worth the talent used to make it. If the forementioned were not enough, Butter boasts a terrible ending.

If I had to choose a direction for this film it would have been to focus the story solely on Destiny and her fight for greatness. She was already the best part of the movie and a centralized story of her, minus the white jokes would have been a much better movie.