The Beaver
Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin &; Jennifer Lawrence
Directed by: Jodie Foster
Written by: Kyle Killen
Few films of 2011 have thus far been I wouldn’t say anticipated, but more likely pondered over than The Beaver. The reason for that of course being that this is “Mad” Mel Gibson’s return to the big screen following the latest of his many shall we call them kindly “incidents.”
Much less in the spotlight but also of note is that it is Jodie Foster’s first directorial effort since 1995’s largely forgettable Home for the Holidays.
Rightly or wrongly, The Beaver has sort of been viewed as a crossroads in Gibson’s career. Will it be enough to earn him back some good will in the eyes of the people after his series of very embarrassing and very public blunders? Or will it be but a blip on the continuing descent of this once shining star? To me the answer isn’t quite so clear cut.
Walter (Gibson) is a man who is seriously depressed. Nothing he tries, and he has tried everything, helps. Finally his wife Meredith(Foster) can take no more and kicks him out of their house. When Walter finds a beaver hand puppet in a dumpster it allows him to step back from himself and start to try and figure his life out as he uses the puppet to talk to those around him. Meanwhile his older son Porter (Yelchin) struggles to do everything in his power not to end up like his father even as he pursues Norah(Lawrence) his school’s seemingly perfect soon to be valedictorian who has sparked his interest.
The Beaver is a film that I was curious about well in advance of its release. The reason for that is that back in 2008, this screenplay topped Hollywood’s annual blacklist. This is a list of the most liked as yet unproduced screenplays as voted upon by Hollywood insiders. If you feel like taking a look at it, the site is here. You may note that a number of the top screenplays listed in the 2010 edition are actually in production at this juncture.
That’s nice but I’m sure the question is how was the film, and perhaps most importantly Gibson himself. I actually felt Mel was pretty effective as the habitually depressed Walter. In one scene Walter drunkenly contemplates suicide; it may be the most honest scene in the film as you can look at Gibson’s eyes and know the pain Walter feels right then comes from the most genuine of places, his own experiences. He and Foster have an easily formed chemistry which makes sense given their long time friendship and previous work together. How he interacts with his children in the film is good too; it truly is the portrait of a man falling to pieces who is trying to put himself and his world back together.
Foster on the other hand I was sadly a little disappointed in. Her character (perhaps out of necessity) is pretty one dimensional. She is focused on caring for husband and trying to create the illusion of family that for them has vanished long ago. But that at the same time is the problem. Although it is alluded to that she loses herself in her work to cope with the situation there are really no scenes of her alone that really delve into her character. I haven’t read the screenplay so I don’t know if that’s how it was meant to be, but given that Foster was directing herself it seems like an odd choice.
As compelling as Walter’s story line is, the real heart of the story in my mind is the relationship between Yelchin and Lawrence. Yelchin is very talented and certainly under rated as an actor and after Winter’s Bone (and the Oscar nomination that came with it) I’m sure no one can doubt Jennifer Lawrence’s talent. Their characters, Porter and Norah, are similar in a lot of ways. Both of them feel like there is a perception of them that doesn’t fit who they really are (uncommon in teens I know. –sarcasm), both have something that they need to say but are having trouble expressing themselves. Porter is trying his damnedest to not turn into his father, a man he once loved and now despises. And Norah lives under the very strict rule of her mother who stifles her creatively as a reaction to family tragedy. But in each other they are able to find someone who takes them for who they are and lets them speak, to be free. That search for freedom is easily the most important theme of the film.
Which leads me to the Beaver itself. The hand puppet that Walter finds and allows him to be free by creating a psychological barrier between himself and the world he has such difficulty functioning in. Many would perhaps assume that the film is intended as a comedy given the presence of the puppet. If anything it’s a family dramedy. There’s a decent amount of drama, but there are some funny bits, including one sequence that I found hilarious but the rest of the audience apparently did not as I’m pretty sure I was the only one laughing. This either makes me a sociopath or the audience utterly humorless. I have top men working on that right now.
For a screenplay so highly regarded and for such a strong ensemble The Beaver had the potential to really be something unique. As it stands, it never seems to fully realize its potential. This may not be the grand entrance back into the limelight that Gibson needs, but it certainly is not without it charms.
I give it 3 and a half beers out of 5.
