The Beaver (2011)

A troubled husband and executive adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his sole means of communicating.

Director:

Jodie Foster

Writer:

Kyle Killen

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Cherry Jones, Jodie Foster

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Walter Black
Cherry Jones	...	Vice President
Jodie Foster	...	Meredith Black
Anton Yelchin	...	Porter Black
Riley Thomas Stewart	...	Henry Black
Zachary Booth	...	Jared
Jennifer Lawrence	...	Norah
Jeff Corbett	...	Volunteer Dad
Baylen Thomas	...	Skeptical Man
Sam Breslin Wright	...	Man
Kelly Coffield Park	...	Norah's Mom
Michael Rivera	...	Hector
Kris Arnold	...	Waiter
Elizabeth Kaledin	...	Reporter
Matt Lauer	...	Matt Lauer

Storyline

Walter Black ('Mel Gibson' ) is depressed and sleeps most of the day. It's driving his family crazy, and his wife Meredith (Jodie Foster) kicks him out. Walter starts carrying a beaver puppet and tries to commit suicide (unsuccessfully). He uses the puppet to talk to himself, trying to bolster his spirits, and is trying to rebuild his life. Through the beaver, the family begins to learn about Walter's history and problems, and as he continues rebuilding, the beaver shows us all a way to cope.

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Plot Keywords:

puppet | beaver puppet | title directed by female | depressive disorder | animal in title | 

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Taglines:

He's here to save Walter's life.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some disturbing content, sexuality and language including a drug reference

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp] Summit Entertainment [us]

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Mi otro yo

Filming Locations:

1125 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$107,577 (USA) (6 May 2011)

Gross:

$958,319 (USA) (24 June 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summit Entertainment, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Before Summit Entertainment settled for a release date in Spring 2011, this film had been shelved due to Mel Gibson allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.

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Goofs

When Meridith, Henry, and Porter are moving out they are shown packing things. Porter is shown removing his map that covers the hole in the wall, he rolls it up and puts it away. Then Mel Gibson is on The Today Show his son Porter is shown sitting in his room watching television with the map back up and covering the hole in the wall. In the following scenes the map is removed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Walter Black: This is a picture of Walter Black, a hopelessly depressed individual. Somewhere inside him is a man who fell in love. Who started a family. Who ran a successful company. That man has gone missing. No matter what he's tried, and he's tried everything, Walter can't seem to bring him back. It's as if he's died, but hasn't had the good sense to take his body with him. So mostly what he does is sleep.

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Connections

Referenced in Chelsea Lately: Episode #7.5 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Exit Music (for a Film)"
Written by Thomas Edward Yorke, Jonathan Richard, Guy Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Colin Charles Greenwood and Phillip James Selway
Performed by Radiohead

User Reviews

A very emotional and enjoyable movie

People seem to forget that humans make mistakes, and that Mel Gibson has his shares of mistakes that I'm sure he is feeling bad about and trying to fix, but people are just so judgmental and non forgiving. the problem is, I'm sure that most of them had made similar mistakes in their lives, but are still going on about Gibson, sheesh !!

back to the movie, I was looking forward to it, because i think Mel Gibson is a really talented actor, and I gotta say, the movie did not disappoint me. the story as most of you might know from the trailers, is that Gibson's character suffers from depression, which has negative impact on him as well as on his family surrounding him. and just as things seem to be looking hopeless, he finds the Beaver, and with it, he finds his voice and his self. A simple yet effective story, executed in a very professional manner, it is a journey into healing and trying to beat that nasty depression. the characters are played to perfection, as Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, who also directs the film, deliver memorable performances.

It also tackles the family relations and how it is affected by the father's sickness and turmoil, about family supporting each other and an emotional father - son story.

Digging deep into Mel Gibson's character Psyche, and how he escapes his inner depression through the puppet, the beaver, is just so interesting. and they actually made the Beaver, the puppet itself so real, it appeared as a completely independent character, who was funny and at times even freighting. In summary, a highly recommended movie, great acting and a wonderful story. If you are one of those who are still obsessing about Gibson's mistakes, then just go watch Jumping the Broom.