EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

jessy zaki When I came to watch this movie, I didn't know what to expect, actually not expecting much as I wasn't sure about Foster's direction, and it didn't well at the box office. Then I decided to watch it as I am a biggg fan of movies dealing with psycho/mental illness. To be honest, the movie is categorised under the comedy genre, but I found no comedy, maybe light scenes but didnt amount to be so funny. Also, it isn't very dark or serious drama. It is in between; a good story with fine performances. The original plot is really appreciable; a man seeking help out of his depression by adopting a beaver as his soul. It is a bit weird, but it is totally new and original idea, which I liked. About the acting, it is really good, no one could deny this fact. Mel Gibson in my opinion delivers one of his best performances, and the teens too. Jodi Foster is convincing as the caring wife who tries her best to keep her family. The pace of the movie flows well that it didn't bore me, and nearly the last 30 or 40 minutes form the best part of the movie. There is more than a scene worth watching -in my opinion- such as the one in which the protagonist fights with the puppet. Actually, through the whole movie you'll never doubt that the two are two different characters that the beaver has a real soul, thanks to Gibson's performance and the camera cuts. One last thing, don't watch it with high expectations to enjoy it. It is just a good movie with really fine wise performances.

Michael Radny This film tries to be a masterpiece, failing on the way due to it's over pretentiousness and overall boring execution of the film. It's nothing short of plain torture for the viewer. It's slow pace and confronting themes don't make for an enjoyable ride. Though quirky, and I give it props for that, nothing that this film tries to do makes the adventure worth the time to watch it. Whilst Mel Gibson does his best to play the character, you can't help but feel you are going through the suicidal thoughts that he is when investing yourself in this film.Nothing short of pure boredom. It's story is bleak and slow, whilst the depressing nature of the film makes you feel depressed watching it. Something to consider if you have nothing else to watch, but otherwise give this one a miss.

PWNYCNY This is a good movie that attempts to make a statement about the human condition - that each one of us are vulnerable and under extreme circumstances, if threatened, will take extraordinary measures to survive. This point is shown through the principal character, Walter Black, convincingly played by Mel Gibson, whose performance is remarkable. Black is suicidal; he is despised by his son and scorned by his wife, neither of whom are willing to accept the fact that Walter is mentally ill. Driven literally to drink and wallowing in despair, Walter seems resigned to death, but deep down, he still wants to live. To do means to assume a mask through which to cope with the hostile outside world. Instead of Walter, the world will now deal with the a toy beaver who becomes Walter's alter ego. Thus, Walter is able to cope, not as Walter per se, but as something else. The problem is, of course, that to the outside world, the beaver is merely a mask, while to Walter, it is survival itself. Walter, spiritually, is dead. He has become the beaver. The question is: can Walter ever give up the beaver and still survive? To find out, one must watch the movie. Mel Gibson's performance is brilliant. The movie is skillfully directed by Jodie Foster who reveals a deep understanding of the issues relating to mental illness and of coping in a hostile world.

coltens14 It is about Walter Black, who copes with depression by speaking in a Cockney accent through a beaver hand puppet that he affixes to his left hand and leaves on at all times-whether Walter is in the shower, at the office or having sex. The movie's name and plot generate all sorts of connotations, and none of them suggest what the film actually is: A delicately told, insightful drama about metal illness that stand as one of the biggest, best surprises of 2011.Something that was not a surprise, however, is how few people found out first-hand what an unexpected marvel they were overlooking. Aside from its name and subject mater, The Beaver had another major road block in its box office outlook: Mel Gibson. So much of an actor's career relies on likability, and the Oscar-winning actor did not help himself in that department by having numerous, widely-covered incidents that suggest he is an angry, homophobic Anti-Semite. Those characteristics have made some people want to have nothing to do with him of his work, no matter what the movie.If people are ever willing to give Gibson another chance on-scree, The Beaver is the time to do it. Gibson gives on of his best performances as Walter, who opens the movie floating on a raft in a pool but does not look relaxed. Walter looks drained. This is not a man who has thrived in the two years he has worked as head honcho of his dad's toy company, since his father's suicide. He has been worn down by a job for which he was ill-prepared and that has driven him to a state of depression which has alienated his sons Porter and Henry, and left his wife Meredith wondering if the man she loves will ever return to the way he used to be. Cue the title character, a hand puppet that Walter spots in a dumpster, and, for whatever reason, feels compelled to pick up and put on his hand. It does not stop Walter from trying to hang himself from a shower rod in a hotel after he leaves his house, but, after that suicide attempt doesn't work, Walter's attempt to jump from his hotel balcony is thwarted when the beaver talks to him. Of course, that is Walter talking for the beaver, who, in the aforementioned accent, tell Walter that he is here to save his "god-damn life." Foster's direction and Kyle Killen's script treat this very unusual situation with exactly the right tone: What begins with the slightest bit of humour, as Walter cheerfully speaks only through the beaver and Henry delights in spending time with both, quickly becomes far more serious and urgent as the family accepts that this is really happening. Some mild comfort comes from the index card that Walter provides, explaining that the beaver is actually a prescription puppet as recommended by a mental health professional in order to establish a psychological distance between Walter and negative aspects of his personality. Too bad the card is a lie, and Walter actually has not been to see a doctor in more than a year.As all of this is happening, Porter continues to chart all the ways in which he is like his father in an effort to then eliminate them from his life. While many teenagers feel detached from and annoyed by their parents, Porter hates his father for the things that Porter hates about himself. The adds even more weight to Walter's struggle to regain his mental health and perhaps reestablish a bond with his firs-born. Until the, Porter is occupied by his commissioned task to write a graduation speech for the valedictorian Norah, who feels she does not know what to say or how to say it. The fact that she is beautiful increases Porter's interest in helping her, even though she also agrees to pay him $500 for the job. Though some viewers may doubt the progression of Porter and Norah's relationship, it is actually an intelligently crafted dynamic between a girl with bottled-up emotions and a guy who is bold and articulate enough to help her release a huge weight from her shoulders.Perhaps it is a stretch that Henry's excitement about the beaver inspires Walter to develop a new, company-saving kid's toy, which in reality might not even be moderately successful. Walter's colleagues' lack of protest about their boss' new style also seems far-fetched. The achievement of The Beaver, however, is not necessarily in crafting an air-tight realistic story. It is about chronicling the way that depression eats away at the self and that person's support system-this is reiterated in that the Blacks' house is literally falling apart, a metaphor that is a bit too obvious. One of the reasons depression can be hard to recognise is the same reason it is hard to portray on screen: This is an illness that is very hard to identify based on physical changes. Yet Gibson and the film dare to acknowledge the anguished emptiness that comes from depression and the lack of easy answers. Meredith tells Walter she needs to know that his old self is going to come back, and she even shows him photos of their 20th anniversary dinner to try to help him remember how happy their lives used to be. The beaver, dressed in a tiny, custom-made tuxedo of his own, is not having it. He reminds Meredith that Walter does not have amnesia, he has depression. It is a sickness that can not be fixed by flipping a switch, but it is one that can be better understood through daring films like The Beaver, whose blissful last scene is a fantasy of the way a person with mental illness, or a person who loves a person with mental illness, dream their lives might someday be again.