Review of Butter (2012) by Jayvee D — 20 Oct 2012

Butter is so great I have seen it twice this week!

Discovering it on On Demand, without having heard of it prior, I assumed it was some kind of business revolutionizing experiment to go straight to OD, rather than giving it a theatrical release, especially since it has several current top stars, including a supporting role that has Hugh Jackman, a very esteemed leading man, thanking God for the tightness of his paramours privates, and the sublime Olivia Wilde threatening to defecate on her "John"s car.

Plus Jennifer Garner plays her role so perfectly, she is both fun to watch as the hysterically neurotic, power hungry "Laura" and sympathetic as a woman with nothing in her life but being the Queen of the butter carving subculture. And when she finally ments in the end, her facial expression there enables us to see just how subtly angst ridden she had played it prior. Very well done.

To add extra punch, as well as a giant dose of artery clogging heart, a 10 year old African American orphan girl is pitted against Garner in the butter carving state finals since she happens to be a prodigy, so we get very involved in her story, as well as how everyone's stories weave through each other's coming together in a well imagined climax.

This film was hilarious both times I saw it, and was also poignant on two fronts, one as a political satire and two as a film with a message, which is: go for your dreams because the worst thing that may happen is you will fail, which is a liveable consequence.

Olivia Wilde is even hotter than she was in Tron Legacy and she shows how agile and liberated she really is by leaving nothing to the imagination as a stripper turned hooker with a vengeance.

Sometimes a film is so well crafted that the writing, art direction, direction and acting all stand out as being in parfect harmony to create a sumptuous end result. This is one of those times.

Considering both sets of friends I viewed it with loved it, we were all perplexed as to why we had not heard of it before.

I will surely purchase it immediately upon its DVD release since it has become a brilliant new favorite to enjoy and be inspired by.

Kudos to all involved, starting with the writer, producers, and director, who visualized it and to the actors who dared to go as far as the script called for.

Satire. Americana. Butter carving. Politics. Liberal vs. conservative subtext. Great dialogue, design, photography, character development and arcs, make this good on nearly every level of filmmaking.

It deserves to succeed. Enjoy it and then spread "Butter" all around.