Butter is basically left-leaning Hollywood’s thinly veiled derision of tea party-esque values, in this election year.
Bob and Laura Pickler (Ty Burrell and Jennifer Garner) are a swell couple from Iowa! He’s a renowned champion. Of what? Butter carving. He’s carved The Last Supper, and he’s even carved … Schindler’s List. Schindler’s List! In butter!
Bob’s been top butter dog for 15 years running. He finally gets asked to step down (so someone else can have a shot at it already, for crying out loud).
The status of grand butter pooh-bah involves certain perks, and Bob’s wife Laura is loathe to relinquish any of them. It’s not just anyone who gets to be the first lady of butter carving. She’s backed him all these years, so now she feels highly entitled to get her some. She’s been paying attention. (How hard could it be?) So she enters the next contest herself.
In a parallel universe, er, storyline, we are introduced to a small African-American girl’s many experiences with foster homes and adoption. She’s 10 years old and her name is Destiny (Yara Shahidi).
Turns out, she’s seen butter king Bob Pickler’s work at a local fair, tried her hand at carving, and was acknowledged by the great Bob himself as having exceptional talent. She’s eventually adopted by Julie and Ethan (Alicia Silverstone and Rob Corddry)—a couple from Bob and Laura’s neighborhood.
And so who should enter the next great butter-carving contest? Well, cough—current presidential candidates—cough! Ahem, Laura and Destiny of course. As well as a contestant from a third storyline. Turns out, buttery Bob’s been seeing a lady (Olivia Wilde) who, among other things, dances on elevated stages that have poles on them. He owes her money.
