The Beaver (2011)

Studio: Summit Entertainment/Participant Media

Theatrical Release: May 20th, 2011

Pg-13

Review by James Klein

The Beaver has been pushed back from release for over a year now. Director and co-star Jodie Foster has been trying to get the film shown by having small screenings of the film in various cities, generating positive word of mouth. I was lucky to see a special advance screening of The Beaver with Jodie Foster in attendance who spoke to the crowd after the film, answering questions. She is very proud of her film and she should be because Mel Gibson gives one of his finest performances. I am crossing my fingers in hoping that audiences can put aside their feelings about Mel and see this little film.

Mel Gibson is Walter Black, a man suffering from depression. From the very opening of the film, Walter is a mess. Constantly sleeping, unmotivated and feeling useless, Walter leaves his wife (Jodie Foster) and his two sons. When he comes across a beaver puppet in a garbage can while throwing away some of his possessions, he takes it. He goes to a hotel room, gets absolutely plastered and then decides he is going to kill himself. When two suicide attempts fail and he passes out, he wakes up the next morning talking in the voice of the Beaver. The Beaver is everything Walter can't be and with the Beaver's help, he is able to slowly get his family back until tragedy strikes again.

Although there are humorous moments in the film, make no mistake: this is a serious drama about depression. This is a story about a man who is so far gone that pills or yoga or psychiatry cannot help him. The man has become so introverted that he hides behind an object that protects him from the world but also secludes him and keeps himself at a distance from his own family. And no one can play pain and sadness better than Mel Gibson. Gibson brings so much sorrow and despair to his character simply with his eyes and body movement that it just makes your heart break. Gibson has never shied away from depressed characters as films like Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, The Man Without a Face, Braveheart, and Payback have all been tormented characters that Gibson has played and played very well I might add. The Beaver may be arguably his best performance yet.

Jodie Foster's direction is well done, using the camera by shooting not just the Beaver up close but also showing Mel in the background as he speaks in the Beaver's voice. She has grown a lot since her last film, 1995's Home For the Holidays. She does seem to be an actor's director but the film never looks bland or flat. Foster actually focuses more on her direction than in her role as the movie centers on Walter and not so much his wife. I would have liked to have seen more of Foster, focusing a little on what Walter's behavior has on his own wife. In what I feel is one of the best parts in the movie, Walter's wife takes him out to dinner forcing him to leave the puppet at home which he can't. The scene turns brutally heartbreaking and reminds us why Foster is a two time Academy Award winner.

The film however isn't without its flaws and it suffers a lot with an unrealistic subplot about Walter's son Porter who is much like his Dad even though he detests his father. Porter hooks up with a popular and attractive cheerleader who hires him to write her valedictorian speech. Porter agrees and the two fall for one another as both of them also suffer from depression. I never once bought that this supermodel looking cheerleader would ever fall for this guy. Lets be honest here: did any of these beautiful women in high school even look in the direction of anyone who wasn't attractive or popular? I would have preferred to have seen a straight A student whose kind of frumpy or nerdy ask him for help and the two fall for each other. I just couldn't get past this subplot that seemed to bring this great film to a halt. The movie should focus strictly on Walter and his family, not on this girl who also suffers from depression.

I also had a few problems with the music in the film. It seemed like this music was taken directly from a comedy and downplayed the drama too much. I also wanted to see how Walter got depressed, what exactly triggered his depression but then again depression is something that can just happen, something he/she can't control.

The Beaver is a film that even if Mel Gibson's personal problems didn't occur and was publicized, it would still have a problem trying to find an audience. The Beaver is almost a throwback to the dramatic films of the 1970's that touched on more serious issues. It will be hard for some people to accept Gibson again, not giving this film a chance. And that would be a shame as The Beaver is a great little film.