Butter

I'll admit, when I watched this I didn't have particularly high hopes. I never put much hope into a comedy, because so often they either aren't funny at all or put every joke in the preview. However, I figured it deserved a chance considering my love of Olivia Wilde especially, but also the other big names like Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Ashley Greene, and so on.

Now, be warned, this is not the movie to watch if you expect to take anything seriously. That isn't to say it's a comedy about people doing stupid things and being immature, quite the opposite, but everything is taken in exaggeration. After all, it is a movie about sculpting butter, so don't expect some pulse pounding drama.

That being said, if you have a good sense of humour, and want to laugh, then this is the movie to watch. The acting was amazing from everybody, Garner gave me chills when angry, Wilde had me in tears from laughing, and Yara Shahidi was unexpectedly amazing in her role as the young foster child. I absolutely recommend it.

"Butter" penned by upcoming writer Jason Micallef has plenty of flavor. The story is fun and uncomplicated. Yes, there are not-so thinly veiled political undertones that enrich the film, this is an easy watching fun film. I thought Micallef did a fine job balancing the very real world of butter sculpting competitions from the Great Plains states and the absurdity of this unreal black comedy.

Olivia Wilde is a tour d' force in this film. She plays the drifting, sexy Delilah with control and command. No doubt she steals her scenes or is allowed to steal the scenes from the rest of this straight laced line up of characters.

Not to be out done, Jennifer Garner offers a fresh and unpredictable performance. We have grown to love the often tender Garner, it was fun to hate her this time.

Ty Burell gives us more of what we love him for. Mr. Kicked in the Groin, has never been more masterfully perfected than by Burell.

If I could I would buy stock in Yara Shahidi. This young actress will win your heart and have you rooting for her from her first scene. Shahidi is surrounded by a strong cast but she finds her own light and performs above the fray.

The art direction, photography, costumes and other creative rolls are completed well within the expectations of well funded Hollywood backed indie film.

The Weinstein Co with their RADiUS distribution are are again testing the VOD prior to theatrical distribution model. Only time will tell how this will work out but Itunes users are popping for the $9.99 rental. I think the multi-platform distribution model will be perfected and small projects will benefit in the end.

This had all the feel of one of those made for TV Movies of the Week that were produced in the '70's. It contained all the elements of morality and preachiness that we expect from an afternoon special and a predictable conclusion where we all learn a moralistic fable lesson.

Simple story but well acted and a number of names that are surprising for a movie of this caliber. The characters are one dimensional but well played. I cannot for the life of me figure out why the language and adult situations were added. This could have been a PG rated movie easily and will not have a problem being edited for TV.

Not a waste of time but I can understand not wanting to shell out the price of a ticket.

In small-town Iowa, an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest.

Let me say right off the bat what I did not like about this film: the political angle. I did not mind the Newt Gingrich carving, but was it really necessary for the Picklers to be presented as Republicans? Their political views were not important -- their competitive spirit was.

That aside, it was pretty great. The ensemble cast is incredible -- Hugh Jackson, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde (who steals the show on her bicycle)? Awesome. Ashley Greene outside of Twilight? Incredible. And Alicia Silverstone, who I had completely forgotten existed, comes back in a big way.

Some of the humor here is weak, and some of it is a bit cheap (two sex scandals are a key part of the plot)... but for a film about carving butter, it all ends up being pretty decent.

12 May 2013. Surprisingly better than would be expected, this rather remarkable fusion of the delicate blending of comedy and drama that Jennifer Garner is able to pull off successfully is a work of either wickedly lucky directing and acting or a wonderfully brilliant but risky work of seriously hard-hitting meanness soften somehow by humor and lightness. This oil and water mixture somehow comes out like butter on the hotplate unburned. With echoes of similar comedy-drama competition genres such as Bottle Shock (2008) and Blow Dry (2001), the fascinating focus is a dueling plot line between a girl and a woman with a Little Miss Sunshine (2006) or Jersey Girl (2004) mixture in it. Unlike the more serious tone of People Like Us (2012) or August Rush (2007), Butter still is able to capture a strong emotive punch from both the girl and Jennifer Garner's performance.