Shazam!
High Life
Widows
The Walking Dead
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified.
Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service.
Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie.
All Critics (179) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (110) | 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. Oct 7, 2011 | Full Review…
It's a bummer of a movie -- dark and at cross-purposes with both itself and any image do-over [Gibson] might be seeking.
Leah Rozen
This is a wholly wasted opportunity for Gibson -- and a disappointing misfire from Foster. Aug 1, 2011 | Rating: 3/10 | Full Review…
This is a wholly wasted opportunity for Gibson -- and a disappointing misfire from Foster.
Ed Gibbs
Contrived, self-admiring and self-pitying, unfunny, burdened with a central performance which is unendurably conceited and charmless. Jun 16, 2011 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…
Contrived, self-admiring and self-pitying, unfunny, burdened with a central performance which is unendurably conceited and charmless.
Peter Bradshaw
It's commendable to capture depression on film, but a talking rodent and a fallen star aren't the way to do so. Jun 16, 2011 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
It's commendable to capture depression on film, but a talking rodent and a fallen star aren't the way to do so.
Lewis Bazley
Beyond the initial idea, this is kid gloves filmmaking, when what we need is a bit more of the gloves-off stuff. Jun 15, 2011 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
Beyond the initial idea, this is kid gloves filmmaking, when what we need is a bit more of the gloves-off stuff.
Dave Calhoun
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. May 20, 2011 | Rating: A- | Full Review…
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.
Tom Long
Gibson, of course, is well suited right now to playing a man in pain. But he has little chemistry with Foster, who plays the woman who gives him more chances than he deserves. Jan 8, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Gibson, of course, is well suited right now to playing a man in pain. But he has little chemistry with Foster, who plays the woman who gives him more chances than he deserves.
Kelly Jane Torrance
This really is one of the most unbalanced, incohesive, disturbing, vomit-inducing, yet strangely captivating movies I have seen in some time. Nov 7, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
This really is one of the most unbalanced, incohesive, disturbing, vomit-inducing, yet strangely captivating movies I have seen in some time.
Daniel Gumble
This might have been better as an intimate drama about mental illness and it doesn't have time to explore all of its themes. Aug 23, 2018 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
This might have been better as an intimate drama about mental illness and it doesn't have time to explore all of its themes.
Anna Smith
[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. Aug 7, 2018 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
[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.
Brandy McDonnell
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. Apr 4, 2018 | Full Review…
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.
Rebecca Cusey
The quirky concept and Gibson's powerhouse performance give The Beaver unexpected resonance. Mar 14, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
The quirky concept and Gibson's powerhouse performance give The Beaver unexpected resonance.
Roe McDermott
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....
View All Quotes
View All