You are here:

Butter

Name: Butter
Director: Paul A. Kaufman
Released: 2022
Duration: 110 min

Representation Score

6.5/10

Good

2022

PG-13

Director

Paul A. Kaufman

Runtime

110 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Butter is a character-driven drama that finds strength in its refusal to rely on easy clichés. By centering a story on severe obesity and a dysfunctional family, it avoids the superficiality often found in mainstream cinema. The portrayal of the protagonist's physical reality is treated with a grim, necessary seriousness. However, the film lacks systemic depth. While it explores individual tragedy and body image, it stays within conventional straight-centered and social frameworks. The diversity present in the cast does not translate into a narrative driven by multiple aspects of identity. Ultimately, the film functions as a mid-range study of personal struggle. It succeeds in challenging certain domestic archetypes but fails to challenge broader social hierarchies or provide significant representation for underrepresented groups.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Butter have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The story focuses on a heterosexual relationship, and the protagonist uses an online persona to explore identity, but there is no explicit depiction of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender expressions.

How does Butter portray gender?

Fair

The film presents a complex domestic hierarchy where the mother acts as an enabler rather than a traditional nurturer, while male characters occupy roles of disillusioned authority and aggressive masculinity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Butter?

Fair

A multi-ethnic cast suggests a diverse environment, but the narrative focus remains on the white protagonist. Diverse supporting characters are present, yet the plot is not driven by racial identity.

How does Butter represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film deconstructs the idealized Western family through a dysfunctional domestic unit and critiques modern digital voyeurism through the protagonist's public, self-destructive internet stunt.

Does Butter include disability representation?

Good

The narrative offers a nuanced look at severe obesity as a lived experience, avoiding treating the condition as a punchline and focusing instead on the protagonist's internal struggle and control over their life.

Present on Screen

Provides a nuanced, non-caricatured portrayal of severe obesity and body image struggles.
Challenges traditional maternal clichés by depicting an enabling, rather than nurturing, mother.
Critiques digital voyeurism and social alienation through the protagonist's actions.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender gender expressions.
The central narrative control remains tied to a white protagonist, limiting racial depth.
Fails to engage with systemic social critiques or broader multi-layered hierarchies.

Official Synopsis

A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death-live on the Internet - and everyone is invited to watch.

How are these scores produced? →