ButterMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 40 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | John Anderson

    The film grows increasingly mirthful as the characters come into focus, and the casting is the key: Ms. Garner, who also helped produce the film, has a gift for catty roles, and Ms. Wilde is so funny she should play hookers all the time. Read full review

  • 65
    NPR |

    Butter thrives on skewering characters whose self-importance isolates them completely from the consequences of their actions. And while the film's perspective is distinctly liberal, providing several thinly veiled criticisms of conservative politicians, nearly everyone (except Destiny) is guilty of something. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Observer | Rex Reed

    The film was shot in Louisiana, which looks nothing like Iowa. Nobody along the way seems to have a care in the world about cholesterol. And it's the first movie in history that makes Hugh Jackman look repulsive. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The chance for delicious satire melts away quickly in Butter, a spoof without oomph. Read full review

  • 50
    Slant Magazine |

    It's the film's unwillingness to deal with the sometimes hilarious and often problematic things its characters say and do that stands as one of its ultimate failings. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Appropriately enough for a movie built on two-dimensional cartoons of amoral adults and innocent children, Shahidi is the only actor who emerges with her dignity fully intact. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Butter dearly wants to be a hot-button social satire that plays rough with sacred cows: Midwestern power-moms, the religious right, race, sex, you name it. Mostly, it wants to be an Alexander Payne movie from the 1990s. "Citizen Ruth," say, or "Election." Instead, it's a shrill, cartoonish mess. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    It's been a long time since a movie wasted this much talent. Read full review

  • 33
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Self-righteous and smug in its use of heartland stereotypes, the movie backfires by assuming that its intended liberal audience is just as intolerant and condescending as the conservative opposition insists it is. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Butter is a misfire. At 90 minutes it feels inflated, and though clearly intended as funny, it's difficult to locate, except in the most general terms, the focus of the movie's satire, and there's not a laugh to be had. Read full review

View more reviews for Butter on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Quirky comedy pushes boundaries in the name of laughs.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Butter is an edgy comedy that pushes all sorts of boundaries. For the most part, it works, but for some viewers, the jokes may go too far into raunchy/offensive territory. Expect a steady stream of curse words (everything from "damn" to "s--t" and "f--k"), pot smoking by a teenager, drinking (mostly social), lots of references to sex, an older woman kissing a teenage girl, and some implied sex acts (complete with noises, if no actual nudity). Still, underneath the raunch is the heartfelt message that no matter how great the glory you're chasing, the rewards won't feel sweet unless you really love it and pursue it with good intentions and hard work.
  • Families can talk about the appeal of edgy/raunchy comedies. Movies like Butter push a lot of limits to make audiences laugh. Does it work? Or does it cross the line? How can you tell the difference?
  • Why do you think Laura is so hungry for fame? Does the movie sympathize with her or not? Is she a role model?
  • What about Destiny? Does the movie minimize her struggles or empathize with her?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: Beneath the raunch is a message about nurturing your talents and not being afraid to excel. Also: Do something for the love of it, not because you think it will propel you to the top. True passion will outwit calculation any day.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Many characters act out of misery or fear, but almost all of them are transformed in the end.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: A woman slams into another vehicle on purpose and out of anger, while there are still passengers in it. A man defaces a competitor's work of art.
  • sex false3 Sexy stuff: A stripper is shown in the middle of her act -- which she performs scantily clad -- and, later, grinding on a man's thigh. In another scene, the same duo has sex in a minivan; viewers see them making out and hear lots of noises, but no genitals or sex acts are shown. An older woman hooks up with a teenage girl; they're seen kissing. References to many different sex acts.
  • language false4 Language: Frequent use of a range of strong words, including "f--k," "s--t," "p---y," "bitch," "c--t," "c--k," "damn," and more. Also terms like "crackers" (used to describe Caucasian people).
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Brands/labels seen include Advil and Red Ribbon.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults drink in bars and at social events. A teenager smokes weed with an adult. A foster mom who's an addict is shown asking a child to get her a refill of prescription pills.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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