Butter (Jim Field Smith, 2011): USA

Reviewed by Seth Lawyer.  Viewed at AFI Fest 2011.

Butter is a film about butter sculptures.  Boring right?  Well that’s what I was thinking but it has a good cast so I gave it a shot.  Best decision I made because this was by far my favorite film at  the festival.  Jim Field Smith is an absolute comedy genius.  The film revolves around two families.  Jennifer Garner is the wife of a fifteen year butter sculpture champion who has just been asked to step down and give others a shot at glory.  Jennifer Garner finds this absurd and decides to enter herself, thinking she could easily do it after fifteen years of watching her husband.  The second family consists of Rob Corddry and Alicia Silverstone who have recently adopted a 10-year old little girl who has just found her passion…butter sculpting.  Her new adoptive parents feel an obligation to support her and help her enter the contest.  After the little girl, Destiny, wins she is accused of being a cheater and having someone sculpt for her.  The accuser just so happens to be Jennifer Garner’s male mistress, Hugh Jackman.  This leads to an inevitable rematch where the two face-off head to head.