The Beaver tells the emotional story of a once successful man named Walter Black(Mel Gibson) so plagued by his own demons that he resorts to the use of a
beaver hand puppet in order turn his life around and reconnect with his family. Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), and Anton Yelchin(Star Trek)also co-star in the film which is both a darkly comic journey of self-discovery and the importance of family and the strength they can provide.

Film (4 out of 5 stars)
The Beaver is a high concept
movie that could have gone many different ways. At one point both Jim
Carrey and Steve Carrell were interested in it and it could have been a
surreal or outrageous comedy but director Jodie Foster decided to take a
more dramatic path. There’s still some dark humor present but the film
straddles the line between comedy and a serious drama for the entire
running time. I can imagine the most difficult aspect of making this
film for both Foster and Gibson was maintaining that balance and the
tone of the movie. Despite the laughs that are there, this is also a
very serious film about a man suffering from depression and how it
negatively affects the rest of his family.
Mel Gibson is Walter Black, a man
suffering from a deep depression that a variety of medication can’t
help. The medication just makes him numb and he floats through life cut
off from his family. Walter spends his days in either a daze or asleep
and his condition has ruined his toy company, alienated his older son
while made his younger son feel invisible, and pushed his long suffering
wife Meredith (Jodie Foster) away. It’s not that Walter wants all of
these things to happen but he feels trapped since he can’t seem to beat
the depression and he doesn’t want to be drugged any longer. After
being told to move out, Walter buys a lot of alcohol to drown his sorrow
but to make room for it in his trunk, he has to throw away some other
items. When he throws his stuff in a dumpster, he sees a ratty looking
beaver puppet in the trash, which he impulsively takes with him. Alone
in his dilapidated motel room, Walter finally hits rock bottom and after
drinking far too much, attempts to kill himself a couple of different
ways but is foiled each time. The first time, the shower bar he tries
to hang himself on breaks and the second time he is about to jump off
the balcony when he is interrupted by the beaver puppet on his hand .
It’s at this point, the movie begins its
risky tightrope walking as Walter insults and chastises himself as the
beaver. Walter is so desperate at this point that his mind sees the
beaver as his only salvation since nothing else has worked. The aspect
of Walter’s psyche that the beaver represents is disgusted with Walter
and the mess he’s made of his life and isn’t afraid of telling him so.
After being verbally harassed by the beaver, Walter accepts the
beaver’s advice and starts to rebuild his life with the beaver as his
spokesman. Needless to say, Walter’s wife Meredith is bewildered by
this new development but is convinced to go along with it after Walter
tells her that it’s a radical new psychiatric tool given to him by his
therapist. Their older son Porter (Anton Yelchin) is furious that his
mother is giving Walter and his beaver a second chance while the
youngest boy (Riley Thomas Stewart) is just happy to have his Dad back.
Walter and the beaver don’t limit their
efforts at home alone, as they return to his work to enact some changes
including a focus on creating a new woodworking toyline focused on the
beaver. While his employees and his second in command (Cherry Jones)
are skeptical at first at being ordered around by a beaver, they soon
embrace it when their profits go through the roof once the beaver kit
becomes a blockbuster success. Back at home, Walter’s relationship with
his wife and younger son have also improved and Meredith begins to
believe that Walter may fully recover from his depression. It’s not
until their 20th anniversary date when she tells Walter that she just
wants him and not the beaver that she finds out just how damaged Walter
really is.
The oldest son Porter keeps his distance
from his father and his puppet but can’t help but still have feelings
for his father despite his fears that he will end up like him. Porter
has a collection of observations on post it notes that feature the
qualities that he shares with his father and there’s a lot of them but
he misses one crucial one that is a main subtext of the movie. While
his father uses the beaver to communicate in ways that he can’t do
himself, Porter is just as lost in his own fashion as he’s so determined
not become his father that he’s sublimated his own identity to the
point that he makes a good living writing papers for others in their own
voice. Since Porter has buried his own personality he finds it easy to
read others and say what they can’t say for themselves. It’s obvious
that unless circumstances change for Porter, he too will follow his
father’s path much like Walter is following his father’s. The
opportunity for change appears in the form of a pretty cheerleader
named Norah (Jennifer Lawrence) who hires him to write her valedictorian
speech for her. Norah has her own family issues and needs a positive
change as much as Porter.
After awhile, Meredith realized that
Walter isn’t going to recover any further than the beaver has brought
him and she decides that she can’t take it anym. After losing
Meredith and his kids a second time and seeing Porter suffering like
him, Walter is forced to take a look at his life and decide what’s
important to him. On one hand, (no pun intended) the beaver
resuscitated his life in many ways but Walter begins to understand that
while the beaver is helpful to him personally, it’s driving a permanent
wedge between him and his family. Once he realizes that, the question
is: does Walter have the inner strength to move on without the beaver to
win his life back?
The Beaver is a very original film and
it’s powered by Mel Gibson’s incredible performance. It’s impossible to
view the story of a man trying to overcome his personal demons to
become a better person without thinking about the actor’s real life
struggles. In a way, I believe that his past mistakes and actions fuel
this performance to a great extent. Gibson has always been good at
portraying men on the edge whether it’s as Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon movies or as Hamlet,
and he’s equally good here but instead of his usual manic energy, he
plays Walter as a morose individual who wanders through life aimless and
haunted. It’s a fantastic performance and it shows why he became a
huge star in the first place. I really can’t imagine another actor
playing this role any better because it seems tailor made for Gibson.
Jodie Foster, Gibson’s co-star and director, has worked with him in the past on Maverick
and has been friends with him since then, also does good work as his
wife Meredith. Meredith is at her wit’s end since she loves Walter but
doesn’t know how to reach him or help him. It’s bad enough that she’s
losing Walter, but when she sees her family start to implode because of
his depression, it forces her to choose between her children and Walter.
Foster directed this movie well, but I really don’t think that the
Porter/Norah subplot was needed. I would have preferred the story to
remain on the immediate family and their trials to get Walter back.
There’s also a rather dark turn towards the end that a lot of people
may not be expecting but then again, the plot doesn’t leave too many
options for Walter to take by then so I wasn’t surprised at all. It may
be a somewhat dark turn but it makes sense to the story and by Walter’s
logic necessary. I really liked The Beaver and its cast and the original story of a damaged family trying to survive life’s challenges together.

Video (4 out of 5 stars)
The film’s 1080p (2.40:1) transfer is a
pretty strong one with some excellent clarity evident throughout. This
is a very clean transfer and looks good despite some occasional white
specks and soft shots. Colors are mostly natural and consistent but
intermittently fall on the warm side of the spectrum. Black levels are
suitably dark and inky and the contrast is spot on. Summit
Entertainment has done a nice job on this transfer and there’s a nice
amount of detail offered although overall it could have been a little
better.

Audio (4 out of 5 stars)
The Beaver’s DTS-HD Master
Audio 5.1 track is also very good and sounds much better than most other
movies of this kind. This is primarily a dialogue driven movie and
it’s crystal clear which is a good thing since the beaver as performed
by Gibson sounds like a mix of Michael Caine and Ray Winstone. The
music (both the score and the soundtrack) are also well presented across
all of the channels. This mix is primarily a front channel affair but
the rear speakers do get some subtle cues as well. This mix provides
more than enough for this type of film and most fans will be happy with
it.

Special Features (3 out of 5 stars)
I have to admit that I’m disappointed
with the extras on this disc. It would have been very interesting to
hear Gibson’s thoughts during the commentary or even in a lengthly
documentary. I also thought they would cover more of Walter’s
depression and possibly a real life look into that and it’s treatment
but that wasn’t included either.
- Audio Commentary with Jodie Foster - This is a fairly dry and deliberate commentary by the director/star Foster that covers why she was interested in making the movie, casting Mel Gibson and the others, and the film’s production. Foster is friendly and collegial during the track, but she doesn’t really offer any new perspectives on the film that you couldn’t figure out yourself from watching it. Be prepared for many silent gaps as well.
- Deleted Scenes – There are two deleted scenes including: Role Play and Puppet Pull with optional commentary by Jodie Foster. None of the scenes really add a lot and were wisely cut.
- Everything is Going to Be OK – This is the sole behind the scenes look at the making of the movie and it’s very brief and plays as traditional EPK fluff. We hear from the cast and Foster and how they tried to maintain the tone of the movie. This is better than nothing but there should have been more.

Final Thoughts (4 out of 5 stars)
The Beaver is original and
offers a brilliant performance from Mel Gibson who clearly identifies at
some level with Walter. The supporting cast are also all very good
even though I believe the teenage romance subplot should have been
jettisoned. This is a darkly comic drama so don’t watch it thinking
that it’s a zany comedy about a man who talks to a puppet. Instead,
it’s a look at the psyche of a damaged man and how his inner demons are
inadvertently destroying his family and any future he might have. It’s
different and I really liked it and recommend it but if you aren’t sure
then go ahead a rent it as it won’t be suitable for everyone.
Order your copy today!
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