'Butter' Loses its Republican Primary Connection January 4, 2012, 3:53 pm LOS ANGELES - So Michele Bachmann is out of the presidential race. And that means a movie with partisan potential, "Butter," set for release by the Weinstein Company on March 16, will have to trade more on Hugh Jackman's smile and Olivia Wilde's good looks than on Jennifer Garner's parody of a seemingly Bachmann-like character who is caught up in the overheated world of Iowa politics and butter sculpting. Meanwhile, "A Better Life," about the travails of an illegal immigrant who works as a gardener in Los Angeles, has become something of a political artifact since it was released by Summit Entertainment in June. Demián Bichir, its star, was recently nominated for an award by the Screen Actors Guild. But its director, Chris Weitz, who is focused less on Hollywood awards than public policy, has been using the movie to provoke discussion about the Dream Act and other immigrant issues in appearances at universities, high schools, think tanks and Los Angeles City Hall. To judge from Mr. Weitz's tweets, which tell of encounters with senators, the Mexican ambassador, and White House staff, "A Better Life" - though it took in just $1.8 million at the box office - has had a robust, and politically charged, afterlife.