The Butcher's Wife
A clairvoyant thinks she's met her husband to be because she's seen him in her dreams. They marry quickly, and return to the husband's ("the butcher"), home in the city. She has a big impact on everyone she meets by anticipating their questions and actions and advising them on their love life. Her interference then brings her into contact with the real man of her dreams.
The film earned $9.7M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Butcher's Wife (1991) demonstrates deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Terry Hughes's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 47 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Marina
Dr. Alex Tremor
Leo Lemke
Stella Keefover
Robyn Graves
Grace
Main Cast & Characters
Marina
Played by Demi Moore
A psychic young woman from North Carolina who moves to New York and marries a butcher, bringing her mystical abilities to the neighborhood.
Dr. Alex Tremor
Played by Jeff Daniels
A psychiatrist struggling with intimacy issues who becomes Marina's neighbor and eventual love interest.
Leo Lemke
Played by George Dzundza
A friendly butcher who Marina marries after having a vision, though he is not her true soulmate.
Stella Keefover
Played by Mary Steenburgen
Alex's depressed patient who transforms after Marina's psychic intervention and romantic guidance.
Robyn Graves
Played by Margaret Colin
Alex's girlfriend, a singer with commitment issues who struggles with their relationship.
Grace
Played by Frances McDormand
Leo's wise and observant sister who helps run the butcher shop and befriends Marina.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Marina, a psychic living on a small island, experiences visions of her future husband arriving by boat. She lives simply, guided by her mystical connection to nature and premonitions.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Leo proposes to Marina after a whirlwind courtship, and she accepts, convinced he is her destiny. She leaves her island home to move to New York City with him.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Marina actively chooses to embrace her role in the neighborhood, beginning to give readings and advice to Leo's customers and neighbors, entering the world of helping others find their true paths., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Marina realizes she may have made a terrible mistake - Leo is unhappy, their marriage is wrong, and she begins to understand that her vision may have been misinterpreted. The man she saw might not have been Leo., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Marina's marriage to Leo completely falls apart. Leo confronts her about Alex, and Marina must face that her greatest vision - her own destiny - was wrong. Her gift has failed her in the most important moment., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Marina gains clarity: she must free Leo to find his real love and acknowledge her true feelings for Alex. She understands that her vision showed her the boat, not the man - Alex was her destiny all along., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Butcher's Wife's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Butcher's Wife against these established plot points, we can identify how Terry Hughes utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Butcher's Wife within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Marina, a psychic living on a small island, experiences visions of her future husband arriving by boat. She lives simply, guided by her mystical connection to nature and premonitions.
Theme
An islander tells Marina that sometimes what we think we see isn't what's really meant for us, hinting at the film's theme about destiny versus desire and seeing clearly.
Worldbuilding
Marina's psychic abilities are established as she helps islanders with her visions. Leo, a New York butcher, arrives on the island to buy meat. Marina believes he is the man from her visions and her destined husband.
Disruption
Leo proposes to Marina after a whirlwind courtship, and she accepts, convinced he is her destiny. She leaves her island home to move to New York City with him.
Resistance
Marina adjusts to life in New York above Leo's butcher shop in Greenwich Village. She meets the neighborhood characters including Dr. Alex Tremor, a psychiatrist, and begins inadvertently affecting their lives with her presence and insights.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Marina actively chooses to embrace her role in the neighborhood, beginning to give readings and advice to Leo's customers and neighbors, entering the world of helping others find their true paths.
Mirror World
Marina's connection with Dr. Alex Tremor deepens as they have meaningful conversations. He represents the thematic mirror - a psychiatrist who deals with the mind while she deals with the heart and spirit.
Premise
Marina uses her psychic abilities to help neighborhood residents find love and happiness, transforming their lives. Her predictions come true as couples form and people discover their true feelings, while tension grows in her marriage to Leo.
Midpoint
Marina realizes she may have made a terrible mistake - Leo is unhappy, their marriage is wrong, and she begins to understand that her vision may have been misinterpreted. The man she saw might not have been Leo.
Opposition
Marina's growing feelings for Alex conflict with her marriage to Leo. Leo becomes increasingly frustrated and jealous. The neighborhood's transformations accelerate, but Marina's own situation deteriorates as she faces the truth about her misguided vision.
Collapse
Marina's marriage to Leo completely falls apart. Leo confronts her about Alex, and Marina must face that her greatest vision - her own destiny - was wrong. Her gift has failed her in the most important moment.
Crisis
Marina grapples with her mistake and what it means. She questions her abilities and her understanding of destiny. She realizes she must set things right, even if it means losing everything.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Marina gains clarity: she must free Leo to find his real love and acknowledge her true feelings for Alex. She understands that her vision showed her the boat, not the man - Alex was her destiny all along.
Synthesis
Marina helps Leo find his true love and dissolves their marriage. She brings together the neighborhood couples she's helped and confronts her feelings for Alex. All the relationships find their proper alignment.
Transformation
Marina and Alex come together, and she has finally learned to see clearly - not just visions of others' futures, but the truth of her own heart. She's transformed from someone who misread her destiny to someone who understands true love.