The Beaver

Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones
Directed by: Jodie Foster
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A depressed father (Mel Gibson) gets a second chance when he discovers a beaver puppet. He uses it as a bridge to connect with people, communicating almost entirely through it. This alienates his wife (Jodie Foster) and son (Anton Yelchin).

Review:

Tim: I was very much ready to hate this movie. The premise sounded dumb, the trailers looked awful, and Mel Gibson was primed for a disaster. I even had my facebook status update written about it. And yet, Jodie Foster manages to navigate the turbulent waters just enough to convince me this was a decent movie. It's by no means good, yet it wasn't the disaster I predicted. I want to be clear that I didn't like this movie- it is too often a clumsy, hamfisted movie that stumbles around without a hint of grace. However, Foster manages to hit just enough of the right notes to save the movie. This is a decent film, but that's more than I was expecting.

The cast really saves this movie. Mel Gibson, despite his personal problems, is a pretty fantastic actor. He proved with Edge of Darkness that he was unwilling to roll over and die just because millions of people were disgusted with him. He doesn't give a great performance here- but it's surprising. There were a few moments where he slipped into over acting, but for the most part, he gives a feeling, layered, memorable performance. His voice for the beaver was one of my favorite aspects of the movie. It was convincing, but not too convincing- I never felt like it was an actor behind the voice, but a regular guy. There are a few stunning scenes where Gibson goes back and forth between his voice and the Beaver's, while also acting and moving the puppet. Those moments are pretty incredible. So, Gibson has some great moments in an otherwise only decent performance.

Jodie Foster was fine as his wife. I felt like she put more effort into directing than her role (which doesn't really show off, because her directing was subpar), which translated into her not giving a great performance. By the way, when is the last time you were genuinely impressed/excited by a Jodie Foster performance? Has it been 10 years? I think it has. Anton Yelchin, on the other hand, completely steals the show. I'm impressed with him as an actor with every role I see, and that trend continued here. He gives a strong, emotional performance as Gibson and Foster's son. He never does this in big ways that make you think he's trying to escape from his more famous colleague's shadows, but by the end of the film, it was clear Yelchin gave the best performance, and constituted the true heart of the film. He was given a great part, but it's him alone who delivers. Jennifer Lawrence was good as his would-be girlfriend. I don't think I'm ever dazzled by Lawrence, but she always gives solid performances. She's definitely young and has so much room to grow, but I always feel like her performances are a work in progress. She seems like she's holding something back, instead of giving it all to the role. That works against her. I thought she worked with Yelchin far better than I expected, and the two had some believably chemistry. She was good, but I wanted more.

The story itself is pretty ridiculous. If I stop to think too much about it, I start to poke holes in the whole thing. I don't know much about mental illness, and while much of the film was based in some form of reality, I have to think it took some liberties as well. I'm not sure how accurate a picture of true mental illness this paints. That hurt the movie- it could have been 100% accurate, but it never really feels like it. Luckily, the more outlandish parts of the film are somewhat grounded with the realistic family turmoil. At its heart, The Beaver is a story about a fractured family, trying to hold itself together despite the odds against it. That is a story that people can connect with (beaver or no beaver), and it is that family struggle that helps elevate this film higher than it perhaps should have flown.

Still, The Beaver is a far cry from a strong drama, and doesn't even begin to approach the best movies of the year (I would love for Anton Yelchin to receive an Academy Award nom for Best Supporting Actor, but there's no way that's happening). I didn't like this movie a whole lot, but I begrudgingly have to admit it's pretty decent.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Nim's Island, The Brave One, Edge of Darkness