The Beaver
CAST
Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster
RATING
PG-13
RELEASE
May 13, 2011
DIRECTOR
Jodie Foster
STUDIO
Summit Entertainment
RUNNING TIME
1 hour 31 minutes
STARS
***1/4
REVIEW:
Love him or hate him, Mel Gibson is unquestionably a fantastic actor. As a Jew myself, I am deeply offended by what he is towards Jews and it hurts that people can still feel this way. However, I did want to check out his new film 'The Beaver.' I personally have never seen a Mel Gibson movie before 'The Beaver,' but I can tell just by watching trailers for his movies that he is a sublime actor. Jodie Foster, a friend of Gibson's apparently wanted to bring his career back and give him a second chance with this movie, and that's exactly what has been done. I really wanted to check this movie out in theaters because of all of the controversy surrounding it. But because nobody I knew wanted to go with me to see this film, and the fact it barely did any business at the box office, I had to wait for the home video release to check it out. I am pleased to tell you that this movie is very dark, a bit disturbing, and all the more very good.
Mel Gibson gives a spellbinding performance as Walter Black, a depressed man on the verge of suicide who suddenly starts to wear a beaver puppet on his hand, communicating with a British accent through the puppet. However, as Walter suddenly gets his life back, how long will it be until he himself becomes the beaver puppet? Gibson gives a performance that was so amazing to watch that you could well believe that Gibson would be this way in reality. This film can obviously be compared to Gibson's real life troubles, only we wish that he in real life had a puppet on his right hand. The supporting cast, including the film's director Jodie Foster, Academy Award nominated Jennifer Lawrence, and Anton Yelchin of Star Trek' and 'Fright Night' fame are all great. It's nice to see this movie not being all about Gibson's problems and let the audience witness the story of Yelchin and Lawrence's relationship blossom, with both characters having problems of their own. If you want to see how acting is really done, watch this movie and prepare to be amazed.
The story concept will turn off many from watching the film, or just make you cringe while watching it. The final 20 minutes of the film are especially very disturbing and hard to watch. I can guarantee that this film may not be for everybody, but it really quite is something of a film if you let your feelings towards Gibson aside and just watch this movie. Gibson may be an Anti-Semite, but he is very talented. He should not have been exposed in the way it was, and he should have kept his personal beliefs to himself. I swear that I don't have a hand up my ass making me say this, I really mean that 'The Beaver' is a gem of a movie, and Mel Gibson is a great actor. Just see the movie for Jodie Foster's sake. We all still love her, right? Anyways, if you get the chance or can put your personal feelings aside, please do yourself a favor and get a load of 'The Beaver.' See what I did there: I rhymed, sort of.
