The Films of Jodie Foster

Little Man Tate

Home for the Holidays

The Beaver (May 23/11)

The Beaver casts Mel Gibson as Walter Black, a severely depressed executive who begins speaking through a beaver puppet as a means of distancing himself from the world - with the film subsequently detailing Walter's efforts at integrating the beaver into both his home and work lives. (There's also an ongoing subplot revolving around the unlikely friendship that forms between Walter's moody teenage son, Anton Yelchin's Porter, and a pretty cheerleader, Jennifer Lawrence's Norah.) It's clear almost immediately that Gibson's stirring performance plays a significant role in cementing The Beaver's mild success, as the actor's engrossing, down-to-earth turn as the disturbed central character proves effective at grounding the proceedings on an all-too-regular basis - which, in turn, ensures that the decidedly off-kilter premise never becomes as oppressive as one might have feared. The movie's perfectly watchable atmosphere is perpetuated by scripter Kyle Killen's reliance on crowd-pleasing elements, although it's worth noting that the whole thing does peter out slightly in its uneven second act - as the film adopts an increasingly somber feel as director Jodie Foster begins to explore the consequences of Walter's actions. And though the erratic vibe persists right through to the conclusion, The Beaver admittedly does pack an unexpected emotional punch at its end - which effectively confirms its place as a better-than-expected drama containing one of Gibson's finest performances to date.