User Reviews

Duck Butter tells a story of two struggling artists (sigh, I know) that flee from their troubles into an intense relationship. The good part is that both Alia Shawkat and Laia Costa deliver amazing performances as reserved Naima and dramatic Sergio, respectively. The bad part is that the story elements are rather trite and the plot doesn't lead anywhere. Overall, it seems like a waste of talent. At best, Duck Butter is a movie to be enjoyed for the ride rather than the destination.

Duck Butter intrigued me because it delved into LGBT romance and starred an actress I greatly admire, Laia Costa (I've watched her in both English and Spanish movies and she's always great). The concept is simple: Naima (played by Alia Shawkat, an actress I was unfamiliar with before this role) and Sergio (Costa) decide on a whim to spend 24 hours straight with each other soon after they meet and become intimate based on initial attraction. Sex, intimate conversations, and shenanigans ensue.

My biggest problem with Duck Butter is that it features two of the most immature, emotionally-stunted characters I've ever seen in a movie like this. The movie doesn't fully explore why these two women are so outlandishly emotionally stupid save for some scant background details about poor parental relationships, nor does it offer any solution by way of character growth or learning from past mistakes, save for one consequence Naima suffers in her career for acting unprofessional (the email scene and its conclusion). Naima is immediately unlikable; she is introduced first, immediately acts pretentious at her job, then preaches about politics to some clearly unimpressed ladies at a gay bar a scene or two later. While her character does become a little more tolerable as the movie progresses, by contrast Sergio starts out charming and energetic and devolves into an even bigger mess by the movie's conclusion. At their worst, Naima is groan-worthy and Sergio teeters on the edge of psychotic; at their best, these characters are groaning their way through some entry-level sex scenes in which we feel nothing, for the mutual attraction between them is never explained, felt, or fully understood.

That's not to say these actresses did a bad job; both Costa and Shawkat do the best with the material they're given, but their characters are simply so unlikable and dull that the performances aren't particularly memorable. This is coming from someone who has seen Costa's other angst-filled, young love drama Newness, which is a movie whose characters are at times immature, but at least that film had something to say. Duck Butter dwells in the infantilism of its leads without coming to any conclusions or even appropriately exploring the nuances of such disturbed characters to make them interesting enough for the screen.

As a last note, much has been said about the movie's odd obsession with scatological references and attempts at humor. I'm someone who can appreciate good juvenile humor, but the references here just seemed odd and out of place. Overall, the only good thing I took out of Duck Butter is that while I still like Laia Costa, I'll also keep on the lookout for Alia Shawkat. She's uniquely beautiful and did her best with the material here, and I hope to see her in new (and better) films.

Two girls meet at a bar. One is an actor who worries about her motivation (played by Alia Shawkat, who also shares the writing credits). The other was the evening's singer at the bar (played by rising star Laia Costa). The following day they agree to try and spend a complete 24 hours in each other's company to explore their relationship.

They start out liking each other but as we learn more about them it's not so clear whether we really like them quite so much or whether they'll stay together. The characters are realistic and well acted but they have some strange attitudes and an interest in what might be described as toilet humour if it was even remotely funny - but it wasn't. Each to their own, I suppose.

Not the best accompaniment to a TV dinner. 5/10.

I get that some people love the more fluid, unscripted type of movie-"so RAW! So real!"-but I personally find that it's really really easy to do this kind of movie badly. And bad this was: in 24 hours of the characters being together, multiple film cliches came out of the woodwork regarding women-to-women relationships, including some obsessive/intense behaviors that just felt out of place. I didn't find this movie to be as realistic as some think it is, and some scenes were just straight up tasteless and vulgar. I get that we should be impressed that all the usual relationship drama can come out in a short period of time if you spend a lot of time together (apparently this is innovative for a plot device?), but I'm just not impressed.

Call me old-fashioned, but I wanted a decent script and a more compelling story.... and some more inspired acting would have been nice. Both characters needed better development.

Finally, I can't unlearn the definition of "duck butter" after seeing this travesty of a movie, so there's that, too. Just...no.

Literally crap wait till you see this one scene about crap... this movie has no purpose, its just the two of them doing nothing other than having sex and talking in small sentences.

Save your self some time and do not watch.

SO. MUCH. CRINGE.

This film is about two women who decide to spend 24 hours together in the hope that they will skip the learning period of a relationship.

This film is directed and co-wrote by Miguel Arteta (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day). It stars Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) and Laia Costa (Victoria).

This films plot his ambitious and interesting, their are instances in the film where it feels like a storytelling experiment, and the cameos by Kumal Nanjiani and the Duplass brothers make for a fun part of the film.

However, the writing isn't so good, it does not capitalize on the interesting plot. The acting and directing isn't so good either, it is so plain and unimaginative.

There's nothing much more to this film than an interesting story. But I would recommend you see it just once if you like film.

6/10

Don't waste your time. Just another one of those really disappointing ones we all hate so much.

I actually enjoyed this film, although I must say I have really low expectations for lesbian films as they tend to be quite bad. I was relieved that the storyline was not based around straight girls or teenagers coming out. I felt like there wasn't enough depth for me to really connect with either of the main characters, but it was decent enough to watch it all the way through.

I've been using IMDB for years, and I finally created an account just to review this movie.

Duck Butter captures REAL human emotions, challenges, and conversations. In "24 hours", this movie takes you through all the things you may or may not experience when you're in love. I'm a straight gal, but these actresses represented all the nuances that every couple (regardless of sexual orientation) can experience: clinginess, irrational jealousy, unexplainable sadness, family anger that trickles down into every day life, desire for space and breathing room, and very real arguments about music.

I love that the movie represented two extremes of the human spectrum -- one person who is vivacious and care-free, and one person who is a little more mild and guarded.

You'll have fun watching these girls through the motions, and you'll feel sad and cringe-y. Somehow, no matter how crazy people drive us, we know that it was worth all the while to open our hearts to them and to just love them.

This is the most disgusting and nonsense movie I've ever seen. I would sue the director for making such an horrible movie. The characters only have sex and pee. That's it.

From the photography to the story, it could not get indier than this. The film aims at throwing a light at the gay women dating scene, but often feels too focused on rich people's problems. Some parts are touching though. Oh, and the title is actually kind of gross.

While I do like the vibe and the story, the script kinda stayed at a very shallow level throughout the movie. My biggest issue was though with the actress. While Laia Costa was amazing and carries great charisma (will look her up), the other actress just does not pass screen for me and her choice for the role was poor.

... seen a movie this bad. Here's the problem: this movie has no disclaimer at the beginning to tell us that these two characters are completely dysfunctional and only someone who has lived in this type of relationshp would recognize a Narcissist (Sergio) and her empath-target (Naima). As far as acting goes, these two woment are brilliant because they get the sick relationship completely correct. Unfortunately, for us innocent bystanders, we're left shaking our heads at the end wondering what we just saw and why we wasted 90 minutes on this "film".

This movie should be a requirement for EVERYONE in any college curriculum. Why? 1- Because college students are old enough to understand aberrant behavior and 2- because this personality disorder (narcissism, which has no cure) is mostly unknown to the general public and those who've experienced it are loathe to talk about it. It needs to be exposed.

This is pitched to us as a funky "let's do love differently" moment but it's actually a perfect example of how narcissists target their victims: Naima is overwhelmed by Sergio, can't EVER say no to Sergio lest Sergio pout, get angry, and then instantly threaten to throw poor deer-in-the--headlights Naima out with Naima wondering what just happened. It's PITCH-PERFECT narcissistic abuse.

If you're even wondering what narcissism is like, you just have to see the scenes with the feces to know that narcissists think they can do no wrong, have no concern for the other person's feelings, and in the next moment make love to them. Narcissists are never wrong (in their own minds) and will NEVER apologize for what we see as bad behavior, which of course is perfectly fitting in a narcissist's eyes and a justifiable outcome of their targets' failure to comply. Ever heard "You made me do it!"? Yeah, it's like that.

If this was shown in Psychology Departments at every university in the USA, then it'd be a 10 out of 10 as a warning to everyone watching it. Although, I suppose, if narcissists were watching, they'd be taking notes on Sergio's behavior, saying to themselves "Hmmm, why didn't I think of that! I'll have to remember THAT the next time some b!tch doesn't do what I want her to do!"

I really don't even know if this should be rated 10 stars or 1 star. Maybe if I rated it a 10, then everyone who stops by to read reviews would watch it. Narcissism is very subtle and subversive and before the narcissist's victim knows what's happening, it's often too late for the victim-target to extricate him/herself from their partner's foul clutches. Eww, I need to take a shower.

This films message struck a chord with me. There isn't an intricate plot or storyline but the acting left nothing to be desired and the chemistry between actors was intense at times. I appreciated the subtle, nuanced pieces of acting that made this movie shine through as authentic and made the characters very real. This is a film about persons ability to change, and how some of us can change quickly while others have to go at their own pace. It's a simple message but there is something comforting about being reaffirmed via film that we are all just trying our best to be better and that it takes time. Overall I'm rating this 7/10. The acting and the message were wonderful but in the end, it's a one-time watch.

Three reasons why the movie feels realistic: lesbians in love are dangerously intense; they tend to think they are the only ones who's ever had that experience in life; their relationship can be a long tantric sex session with emotional intromissions.

The plot is not fast and furious but it is what it says it is. It's impossible not to compare it to Room in Rome and realise how this millennial version of it is way more enjoyable thanks to the great performances of the actresses and the lack of that soft porn vibe that allured the old european version.

I hope one day that the future Gen Z version of this will stop with the cliché of the spanish lesbian constantly crossed by rivers of emotions who is so introspective but also absolutely unpredictable and unattainably artist.

Lacked subtitles for the elderly, disabled, hearing impaired, and ESL viewers. Disrespectful & cheap on the part of the producers especially when audio & enunciation was inconsistent. Dialogue is important! Acting was OK given that not much was asked of our two female leads. Not sure what the focal point of the script was except maybe if you think it's sex & not love that's binding the two of you together then better to get a dog (or cat or bird, etc.) as a companion for life, and skip the disappointments.

This movie could be compared to Blue is the Warmest Color but this is way better. It does include some of the same things as that movie but this movie actually makes you feel something and in a way it's relatable to any relationship or how we should go about our love life. I also love how raw this movie is like this felt like I was right there in that moment. Great movie. Alia Shawkat you've really outdone yourself and I hope you continue making movies.

How bad this film is, it is truly insignificant, inconsistent, impalpable, it cannot convey any kind of emotion, you cannot empathize with any of the interpreters, I watched the film Room in Rome some time ago thinking that it would have been impossible to find a good one Film, on the other hand, was extremely cute and interesting, instead in this Duck Butter I could not really find anything, it is horrible, the fault in my opinion is mainly of writing because as I said it is inconsistent, and even the two characters created are very insipid and They leave you nothing at all, really terrible movie.

My father watched this movie and actually called me to say that I should watch it immediately. My father is 68 years old and I'm 20 and bisexual. Duck Butter is just raw, so much like real life. Laia Costa is amazing (AGAIN), the tears and the singing, she's incredible. Also, Alia Shawkat she's always worth it, isn't she? The movie deserves a better rating!

One of the realist films I've ever seen- the opening scene felt like a documentary. The performances were so understated and yet so raw. I watched it because I absolutely love Laia Costa as an actress; but huge kudos to alia shawkat who gave a tremendous performance as well as co-wrote the script. Much watch!

A sensitive observation of a relationship, its ups and downs, its past and future, and its truths and lies, all in the space of 24 hrs. Marvellous performances and cool directing. Wonderful.

This film really is how Sergio talks about it at the start: 10 years in 24 hours. It was very frustrating because it was so realistic. Very raw and difficult to watch, but definitely worth the suffering.