I have to give Jennifer Garner credit for playing a despicable character in sheep's clothing with such unfettered brio in this 2012 comedy, one that aspires to be a darkly eccentric political satire but ultimately becomes too soft-centered for its own good. That outcome is a real shame since the stellar cast is obviously quite game for something edgier, the women in particular, and the scabrous tone works well for at least the first half of the movie. Director Jim Field Smith and first-time writer Jason Micallef certainly make their political proclivities clear with their broad caricature of corn-belt values and status-hungry elitists who intend on attaining power any way they can. With her constantly pinched voice, crisp color-coordinated outfits, perfect hair and make-up and a triple strand of pearls strung tightly around her neck, Garner is obviously playing Laura Pickler as an amalgam of Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman but with a more naked malevolence toward anyone who stands in her way toward the White House.
Even though her congenial husband Bob, the Iowa State Fair's 15-time butter sculpting champion, is asked by the judges to bow out of the latest competition, Laura is not about to relinquish her powerful position as queen of the fair and decides to enter the contest herself. However, she faces unexpected competition from a ten-year-old African- American child named Destiny, who has been moving from one foster home to another with her packed suitcase in tow. She somehow maintains a level head about her life as she tries to figure out what her true talent is. The answer lies in butter. For most of the first hour, the film provides a lot of easy laughs at the expense of Middle America conservatism and Tea Party stereotypes. It was clever to cast Ty Burrell since he plays Bob as a slightly duller variation on his classic portrayal of dimly lit Phil on "Modern Family", but he's quickly relegated to the sidelines here. The first butter sculpting contest is set up quite amusingly with the addition of two other contestants: Carol-Ann, a devoted fan girl of Bob's played with ditzy dexterity by Kristen Schaal ("30 Rock"), and a vengeful, hard-edged stripper named Brooke, who is waiting for a $600 payment from Bob for services rendered.
As an unsavory character who wants desperately to annihilate Laura's dreams of higher status, Olivia Wilde is a genuine comic revelation who almost steals the entire movie as Brooke. Having just seen her as the overly patient, put-upon girlfriend in "People Like Us", I am surprised at how bracingly funny she is here in her 180-degree turn as a foul-mouthed nihilist trying to look tough riding on a girl's bicycle. Playing what has to be considered the too-good-to-be-true Obama figure, Yara Shahidi brings quiet depth to Destiny and makes her feeling of isolation palpable even as her foster parents show their unconditional love for her. As the liberal-minded couple who take her into their home, Rob Corddry ("Seeking a Friend for the End of the World") tamps down his antic comic style just enough to resonate, while Alicia Silverstone ("Clueless") makes a welcome return as the one likable grown woman in the story. Although the movie has a sharper edge than "The Campaign", Micallef's screenplay reaches a certain point where you begin to realize that there is little to Laura's motivations beyond her small-minded ambition.
It's at this juncture in the story that Hugh Jackman shows up as her former flame Boyd Bolton, a successful car dealer who still holds a torch for Laura and colludes with her to ensure her victory at the fair. In only a few scenes, Jackman hams it up considerably, especially in a silly prayer scene. Phyllis Smith ("Bad Teacher"), on the other hand, has a few sharply funny moments as the continually flummoxed contest moderator. The final showdown feels rather repetitive with little variety in the build-up of suspense and a denouement that feels far too predictable and contrived to make the story's resolution feel like it was earned. Nevertheless, the central concept of butter sculpture as the means of driving the absurdist plot somehow works. Seeing all the blocks of yellow lard turn into hilariously inappropriate creations like Schindler's List, T-Rex Eating Girl, The Last Supper, and even JFK's assassination provides the film's biggest laughs. At the same time, in a dilemma that it shares with "The Campaign", I just wish the filmmakers maintained their initial audacity all the way through instead of slapping on an ending that lets the story sputter out insipidly.
Even though her congenial husband Bob, the Iowa State Fair's 15-time butter sculpting champion, is asked by the judges to bow out of the latest competition, Laura is not about to relinquish her powerful position as queen of the fair and decides to enter the contest herself. However, she faces unexpected competition from a ten-year-old African- American child named Destiny, who has been moving from one foster home to another with her packed suitcase in tow. She somehow maintains a level head about her life as she tries to figure out what her true talent is. The answer lies in butter. For most of the first hour, the film provides a lot of easy laughs at the expense of Middle America conservatism and Tea Party stereotypes. It was clever to cast Ty Burrell since he plays Bob as a slightly duller variation on his classic portrayal of dimly lit Phil on "Modern Family", but he's quickly relegated to the sidelines here. The first butter sculpting contest is set up quite amusingly with the addition of two other contestants: Carol-Ann, a devoted fan girl of Bob's played with ditzy dexterity by Kristen Schaal ("30 Rock"), and a vengeful, hard-edged stripper named Brooke, who is waiting for a $600 payment from Bob for services rendered.
As an unsavory character who wants desperately to annihilate Laura's dreams of higher status, Olivia Wilde is a genuine comic revelation who almost steals the entire movie as Brooke. Having just seen her as the overly patient, put-upon girlfriend in "People Like Us", I am surprised at how bracingly funny she is here in her 180-degree turn as a foul-mouthed nihilist trying to look tough riding on a girl's bicycle. Playing what has to be considered the too-good-to-be-true Obama figure, Yara Shahidi brings quiet depth to Destiny and makes her feeling of isolation palpable even as her foster parents show their unconditional love for her. As the liberal-minded couple who take her into their home, Rob Corddry ("Seeking a Friend for the End of the World") tamps down his antic comic style just enough to resonate, while Alicia Silverstone ("Clueless") makes a welcome return as the one likable grown woman in the story. Although the movie has a sharper edge than "The Campaign", Micallef's screenplay reaches a certain point where you begin to realize that there is little to Laura's motivations beyond her small-minded ambition.
It's at this juncture in the story that Hugh Jackman shows up as her former flame Boyd Bolton, a successful car dealer who still holds a torch for Laura and colludes with her to ensure her victory at the fair. In only a few scenes, Jackman hams it up considerably, especially in a silly prayer scene. Phyllis Smith ("Bad Teacher"), on the other hand, has a few sharply funny moments as the continually flummoxed contest moderator. The final showdown feels rather repetitive with little variety in the build-up of suspense and a denouement that feels far too predictable and contrived to make the story's resolution feel like it was earned. Nevertheless, the central concept of butter sculpture as the means of driving the absurdist plot somehow works. Seeing all the blocks of yellow lard turn into hilariously inappropriate creations like Schindler's List, T-Rex Eating Girl, The Last Supper, and even JFK's assassination provides the film's biggest laughs. At the same time, in a dilemma that it shares with "The Campaign", I just wish the filmmakers maintained their initial audacity all the way through instead of slapping on an ending that lets the story sputter out insipidly.