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Critics Consensus: Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie.
Critic Consensus: Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie.
All Critics (178) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (109) | Rotten (69) | DVD (2)
It's a bummer of a movie -- dark and at cross-purposes with both itself and any image do-over [Gibson] might be seeking.
Beyond the initial idea, this is kid gloves filmmaking, when what we need is a bit more of the gloves-off stuff.
The acting throughout -- Foster, Lawrence, Yelchin -- is superb, and this may well be Gibson's finest performance, just as it's Foster's most balanced job of directing.
The film is amusing, then melancholy, then weirdly funny, then not. It's a quiet, measured work.
With The Beaver, Gibson shows that for all his personal turmoil, he still may have a career in the twilight years.
For a film about the real problem of mental illness, it never feels authentic. Depression is not something neatly tied up. If this is meant as an allegory, it's vague and unconvincing.
This really is one of the most unbalanced, incohesive, disturbing, vomit-inducing, yet strangely captivating movies I have seen in some time.
This might have been better as an intimate drama about mental illness and it doesn't have time to explore all of its themes.
[Gibson offers] one of the most subtly complex turns of his long career, single-handedly pulling off Foster's strange, imperfect but ultimately affecting dramedy.
The other actors keep pace with Gibson, especially Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence as a teen love interest. The thick, meaty, rich, dark film offers only a few moments of gallows humor to lighten the mood.
The quirky concept and Gibson's powerhouse performance give The Beaver unexpected resonance.
It doesn't quite work, but it does provide something of a cinematic exorcism for the public's increasingly conflicted relationship with Gibson.
Like most viewers you won't know whether to laugh or cry when a grown man starts to deal through a puppet to deal with his depression. The tendency is that this is a more serious film than it looks. Sadly, it doesn't quite reach the audience with what it set out to do. The fantastic final scene hints at what could have been and makes you think much more fondly of the film than the 90 minutes before that.
Super Reviewer
Firmly directed by Jodie Foster and with a heartfelt performance by Gibson, this is an interesting drama about a depressed man suffering from schizophrenia and projecting part of his personality into a puppet. Even so, the script is unfocused and has an easy, sappy conclusion.
Thanks to Foster's directing, there is a superb balance between a serious drama and a dark comedy. This makes 'The Beaver' both an enjoyable and emotional movie. Along with strong performances by Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, this film really does make you aware of how easily depression can have an impact on families. Overall 'The Beaver' shows that Foster still makes a promising director, along with Gibson still capable of having a strong leading role.
What a surprise! I was not expecting to like this movie, but I did. Quite a bit! Very quirky. Rather dark. Some well placed humor, at times..but mostly sad, touching, and very well done. Jodie Foster is an exceptional director, in my opinion. The whole thing even made me forget that I dislike Mel now. He did a great job, I have to admit. It must have taken a lot of courage to attempt a comeback in a quirky movie like this. I think that he pulled it off quite well....
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