Butter (2011)

Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell) has reigned as butter carving champion at the Iowa State Fair for the past fifteen years. The judging commission, however, believes it is time for a change and asks him to step aside from competition. His wife, Laura (Jennifer Garner) sees this as a threat to her social aspirations. Bob doesn’t deal well with his wife’s anger and seeks solace with a local stripper Brooke (Olivia Wilde) Laura finds out and decides to take matters into her own hands, entering the competition to preserve the Pickler name. At the same time, ten year-old foster child Destiny (Yara Shahidi) discovers her talent for carving and convinces her newest parents Ethan (Rob Corddry) and Jill (Alicia Silverstone) to support her in the competition. Destiny and Laura emerge as the favorites and both want to win.

With a cast like this, you’d think this film would be better. Alas, with poor direction, it doesn’t focus enough on the characters that make the film interesting. This meandering left some plot lines unresolved and the tone of the film uneven. There’s no resolution for Bob’s relationship with Laura or his personal identity outside of butter carving. His daughter (Ashley Greene) is just kind of there. Hugh Jackman’s character is criminally underused, although his character is barely present enough for us to care.

Trying to focus on two lead narrators, Destiny and Laura, sets up a weird dynamic for the film that just doesn’t work. This movie should have been either a Best in Show-esque inside look at the world of butter carving, documenting the lives of butter carvers who dream of “winning the big one”, or following “normal” people (Destiny, Ethan, and Jill) as they experience this subculture. Instead, it tries to be parts of both those movies, with a little bit of attempted satire on middle America thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, it’s too much for director Jim Field Smith to handle. I laughed enough that this isn’t a complete failure, but it’s too disjointed. This is why it didn’t get a wide release.

2/5

The Change-Up (2011)

Best friends Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) have been living different lives: Mitch is a Lothario whose acting career has stalled considerably; Dave is a committed family man, married to Jamie (Leslie Mann) with a daughter and twins, and a promising law career. Jamie is upset by Dave’s long hours at the office and they’ve been in counseling to deal with his lack of work-life balance. After carousing one night, Mitch and Dave drunkenly pee into a public fountain and simultaneously exclaim that they want the other’s life. The next morning, they get their wish. The fountain has been moved, so while they wait for the city to locate it, Dave tries to keep Mitch from screwing up his life too much and vice versa.

As far as body-swapping comedies go, this one is pretty funny. The premise has been tried time and again with varying results, but instead of the comedy coming from the main characters switching ages and genders, it’s about dealing with different priorities, different lifestyles. The film suffers, though, from not giving the stakes for each man equal weight. Mitch could literally destroy Dave’s life acting the way he does: marriage, kids, and career all gone because of his attitude. Dave, on the other hand, just has to show up. Mitch’s life is distasteful, sure, but Dave’s not at risk of making serious missteps. This unevenness made it hard for me to stay with the movie once it began moving to its resolution.

2.5/5

TRON: Legacy (2010)

This movie started off really strongly, engaging me with a suspenseful beginning and getting right into the action. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has been missing for 20 years and his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), is zapped into the digital world with the opportunity to save his father from captivity. Flynn’s programmatic counterpart, Clu (Bridges), is hoping to use Sam’s presence to escape into the real world, and father and son must reconcile their long separation to overcome this threat.

The graphics aren’t overwhelming, but the overall aesthetic, along with really great directing and a solid score, make the film a great ride. You don’t have to over-think it. There’s a long period of exposition about two-thirds through the movie, but by then you’re so invested in the film, you don’t really notice. It’s a fun popcorn movie that is truly enjoyable.

4/5

Year One (2009)

So much wasted potential in this one.  Two hunter-gatherers (Jack Black and Michael Cera) are exiled from their tribe and in quick succession meet Cain (David Cross) and Abel (Paul Rudd), Abraham (Hank Azaria) and Isaac (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and venture to Sodom to try and free their clansmen from slavery.  So we advance from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age pretty quickly.  Historical quibbles aside, the movie just isn’t as funny as it could be.  It never goes into inanity or resorts to poop jokes.  Black, Cera, and Cross are formidable comedians.  In one sense, the movie suffers from too much plot, quite the opposite problem most comedies have.  It’s full of chuckles, but not greatly done.  I will always love Harold Ramis for giving us Groundhog Day, but this one misses the mark.

2/5