The Beaver
The Beaver
PG-13 | 05 May 2011 (USA)
The Beaver Trailers

Suffering from a severe case of depression, toy company CEO Walter Black begins using a beaver hand puppet to help him open up to his family. With his father seemingly going insane, adolescent son Porter pushes for his parents to get a divorce.

Reviews
ada the leading man is my tpye
Sexylocher Masterful Movie
Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,
Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
cricketbat The plot may sound completely ridiculous, but The Beaver does manage to pull off a serious drama with a puppet in the leading role. Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster give excellent performances, as usual, but the problem with this movie is the tone - it's uneven. It seems like they were trying to please two different groups at the same time, but neither group will be really satisfied with how it all wraps up. Still, it's worth a watch.
moonspinner55 Mel Gibson plays a troubled middle-aged toy company executive, no longer able to relate to his job nor connect emotionally with his wife and two sons, who is ready to end it all before a discarded beaver hand-puppet changes his outlook on life. "The Beaver" isn't a comedy (problem number one); worse, the psychological ramifications which transpire are misshapen. The film, written by Kyle Killen, is all Ideas: snippets of insight and personal awakening which director Jodie Foster attempts to wring pathos from. Humor might have been a saving grace here, but Foster is surprisingly straight-faced in her approach, while her performance as Mel Gibson's wife is curiously benign. It's likely that Gibson (speaking mostly with a Cockney accent) saw a potentially marvelous actor's turn in the role of Walter Black; unfortunately, the character isn't nurtured along with any shading, and Gibson is all on one (annoying) note. In its latter stages, Killen's script (complete with that dreaded 'story arc' they teach in writing courses) outrageously crosses the line while hoping to be shocking, ironic and provocative. Foster's poignant tag at the very end helps a bit, but the damage has already been done. This "Beaver" has small chops. *1/2 from ****
ajlearmonth Quite a tour-de-force……not necessarily enjoyably, but dark, compelling and insightful. Gibson delivers a fantastic performance, in a role which could very easily have taken a left turn and ended up in a total mess. Ironically, Gibson's role is to play a total mess….Walter Black, whose life has spiraled downwards into chaos. In some ways the film is perhaps a bit labored – such as the need for it to so clearly draw parallels between the lives of the main protagonists. However, the gripping duel at the center of the movie - what's going on in Walter's addled head - is more than sufficient to carry the movie. It's a small cast, but all the actors (Foster, Yelchin and Lawrence) do a fine job. One's heart also goes out to Walter's young son, Henry (Riley Thomas Stuart) who is too young to truly grasp the magnitude of the "silent storm" that is ripping this family apart. And that is what this is all about – how one decent person's unresolved crisis can drive a relentless silent storm that destroys hope and creates carnage that may last generations. Count your blessings if you can detach, and watch this movie as a just a movie. My partner was deeply effected by this movie, as she could much more closely relate to some of the experiences it portrayed. At one point Walter gives a compelling insight into what's driving his need to assume his new persona, even if ultimately it's going to destroy the very family he loves. At this point my partner was literally floored, as it clarified some things that she'd experienced, but never been able to understand. VERY powerful stuff. It's not that often that a movie can tap so directly into what a person has experienced….and that's why this is, truly, such a great movie.
Ole Sandbaek Joergensen This is an interesting Drama / Comedy, I think it is mainly the characters and mostly Walter Black (played by Mel Gibson) and Porter Black (played by Anton Yelchin) that keeps this story diverse and interesting.It is kind of a good and bad story mixed together, much like every day life of many, and Jodie Foster has done a great job directing it and making it very believable. I also think the entire cast is very well chosen to their roles and fit them very well.I found it to be entertaining, fun and very interesting, the sickness that Walter has is not explicit, but gently introduced throughout the movie and at the beginning is very funny, but turns out to be an addiction and kind of sad to see Walter in this state.