| Photos (See all 13 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 14) |
| 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 | |
| Jon Stewart | ... | Jon Stewart | |
| Terry Gross | ... | Terry Gross | |
| Folake Olowofoyeku | ... | Nurse | |
| Lorna Pruce | ... | Nurse | |
| Bill Massof | ... | Prosthetic Technician | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Orli Hersch | ... | Hector's Sister | |
| Ernest E. Brown | ... | Drum circle Drumer (uncredited) | |
| Chiquita Camille | ... | Physical Therapist (uncredited) | |
| Barbara Ann Davison | ... | Seamstress (uncredited) | |
| Ai Kiyono | ... | Asian Escort (uncredited) | |
| Michelle E. Mancini | ... | Student (uncredited) | |
| Sakura Sugihara | ... | YUMI (uncredited) | |
| Bill Walters | ... | Bongo Drummer in Drum Circle (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Jodie Foster | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Kyle Killen | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei | .... | executive producer (as Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei) | |
| Dianne Dreyer | .... | associate producer | |
| Steve Golin | .... | producer | |
| Paul Green | .... | executive producer | |
| Jonathan King | .... | executive producer | |
| Keith Redmon | .... | producer | |
| Ann Ruark | .... | producer | |
| Jeff Skoll | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Marcelo Zarvos | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Hagen Bogdanski | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Lynzee Klingman | |||
Casting by | |||
| Allison Hall | |||
| Avy Kaufman | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Mark Friedberg | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Alex DiGerlando | |||
| Kim Jennings | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Rebecca Meis DeMarco | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Susan Lyall | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| LuAnn Claps | .... | makeup department head | |
| Tony Gardner | .... | special makeup designer | |
| Timothy Huizing | .... | specialty props | |
| Michael Marino | .... | prosthetic fx: reshoots | |
| Nicky Pattison | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Nicole Wodowski | .... | additional makeup artist: extras | |
Production Management | |||
| Gwen Bialic | .... | assistant production manager | |
| Luca Borghese | .... | post-production supervisor | |
| Ann Ruark | .... | unit production manager | |
Art Department | |||
| Anthony Baldasare | .... | set dresser | |
| Nikki Black | .... | assistant art director | |
| Paul Camarro | .... | on-set dresser: reshoots | |
| Lydia Fine | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Kim Fischer | .... | art department intern | |
| Frank-Joseph Frelier | .... | art department coordinator | |
| Vanessa Frost | .... | construction assistant | |
| Isaac Gabaeff | .... | set dresser | |
| Jonathan Graham | .... | key construction grip | |
| Arlo Hoffman | .... | on-set greens | |
| Jonathan Huggins | .... | leadman | |
| Aaron Jacobs | .... | construction grip | |
| Warren Jorgensen | .... | camera scenic artist | |
| Francis Maiorino | .... | set dresser | |
| Brick Mason | .... | storyboard artist | |
| Nick Miller | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Kris Moran | .... | property master | |
| Jessica Panuccio | .... | set decorating buyer: reshoots | |
| Jessie Pellegrino | .... | art department assistant | |
| Susan Perlman | .... | assistant set decorator | |
| Ernie Sandidge | .... | industrial scenic | |
| Will Scheck | .... | greens coordinator | |
| Theo Sena | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Kimberly Slosek | .... | assistant property master: reshoots | |
| Joel Weaver | .... | assistant property master | |
| Ryan Webb | .... | assistant property master | |
| Anastasia White | .... | art department assistant | |
| Wolf-Dieter Stoeffelmeier | .... | scenic (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Wade Barnett | .... | adr recordist | |
| Wayne Bartlett | .... | adr recordist | |
| Sean England | .... | foley artist | |
| Doug Ford | .... | engineering services | |
| Nia Hansen | .... | foley mixer | |
| Matthew Hartman | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Lora Hirschberg | .... | re-recording mixer | |
| Tom Johnson | .... | re-recording mixer | |
| Michael Kirchberger | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Scott R. Lewis | .... | assistant sound re-recording mixer | |
| Travis MacKay | .... | adr mixer | |
| Dmitri Makarov | .... | digital editorial services | |
| Michael Miller | .... | adr mixer | |
| John Nutt | .... | foley editor | |
| Jan Petrov | .... | adr recordist | |
| James J. Sabat Jr. | .... | sound recordist | |
| James Sabat | .... | sound mixer | |
| Mike Schmidt | .... | boom operator | |
| Robert Shoup | .... | dialogue editor | |
| James Spencer | .... | recordist | |
| Corey Tyler | .... | foley recordist | |
| Roy Waldspurger | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Ronni Brown | .... | foley artist (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Peter A. Chevako | .... | mechanical effects | |
| Tim Rossiter | .... | special effects coordinator | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| John Bair | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Jake Braver | .... | visual effects set supervisor | |
| Chris Connolly | .... | visual effects producer | |
| Molle DeBartolo | .... | digital restoration artist | |
| Brian Haimes | .... | digital compositor | |
| Tara Marie Jacobson | .... | rotoscope artist (as Tara Jacobson) | |
| Christian Lowe | .... | visual effects artist | |
| Thomas Panayiotou | .... | digital compositor | |
| Aaron Raff | .... | visual effects | |
| Scott Winston | .... | compositing supervisor | |
Stunts | |||
| G.A. Aguilar | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| John Cenatiempo | .... | assistant stunt coordinator | |
| J.C. Robaina | .... | stunt rigger | |
Casting Department | |||
| Stephanie Forrest | .... | extras casting assistant | |
| Leeba Zakharov | .... | casting associate | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Caitlin Doukas | .... | costume production assistant | |
| Amy Ritchings | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Minerva Diann Savoy | .... | tailor | |
| Hartsell Taylor | .... | costume supervisor | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Gilbert Carreras | .... | color timer | |
| Tara Fidler | .... | second assistant editor | |
| Joe Gawler | .... | digital intermediate colorist | |
| Michael Hofacre | .... | additional editor | |
| Anthony Raffaele | .... | colorist: dailies | |
| Tatiana S. Riegel | .... | additional editor | |
| Josh Salzberg | .... | assistant editor | |
| Jonathan Sanden | .... | digital intermediate editor | |
| Darrell R. Smith | .... | digital intermediate supervising producer | |
| Jered Zalman | .... | assistant editor | |
| Leslie Adkins-Garza | .... | post-production coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Matt Breitenbach | .... | assistant telecine colorist (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Christine Bergren | .... | music legal and clearance | |
| Mark Bächle | .... | orchestrator | |
| Gary Chester | .... | score contractor | |
| Paul Katz | .... | music consultant | |
| Richard King | .... | music scoring engineer | |
| Alexandra Patsavas | .... | music supervisor | |
| Michael Perfitt | .... | score engineer | |
| Petr Pycha | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Philip Rothman | .... | orchestrator | |
| Tim Starnes | .... | assistant music editor | |
| Erich Stratmann | .... | music editor | |
| E. Gedney Webb | .... | music editor | |
| Curt Sobel | .... | preview music editor (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Steven R. Guglielmetti | .... | driver | |
Other crew | |||
| Caellum Allan | .... | physical production | |
| Malcolm Alston | .... | location scout | |
| Emma Baksi | .... | assistant: Jodie Foster | |
| Ainsley Bartholomew | .... | accounting clerk/payroll assistant: additional photography | |
| Brian Bergdoll | .... | stand-in: Mel Gibson | |
| Charles Birns | .... | on-set assistant: Jodie Foster | |
| Justin Bischoff | .... | key production assistant | |
| David E. Bisson | .... | production secretary | |
| Anna Bosco | .... | key accountant | |
| Matthew Branin | .... | accounting clerk | |
| Stefan Brunner | .... | production executive: Imagenation Abu Dhabi | |
| Billy Bryan | .... | puppeteering coach (as Bill Bryan) | |
| James Coker | .... | key set production assistant: additional photography | |
| Christina Cortez | .... | production assistant | |
| Jeff Cossaboom | .... | office production assistant | |
| Charlie Dibe | .... | production coordinator: additional photography | |
| Dianne Dreyer | .... | script supervisor | |
| Guy Efrat | .... | location manager: additional photography unit | |
| Erik Feig | .... | production executive | |
| Matthew Fleischman | .... | production assistant | |
| Sarah Follett | .... | location assistant: additional photography | |
| Joshua A. Friedman | .... | paperwork production assistant | |
| Vincent Giarratano | .... | production assistant | |
| Kyle Gorjanc | .... | production assistant: additional photography | |
| Steve Grivno | .... | assistant location manager (as Stephen Grivno) | |
| Duck Grossberg | .... | data wrangler | |
| Katie Groves | .... | stand-in: Jennifer Lawrence | |
| David 'Gus' Gustafson | .... | production assistant: additional photography | |
| Jennifer Hallmark | .... | assistant accountant | |
| David Hsu | .... | set production assistant | |
| Eric A. Knapp | .... | location coordinator | |
| Kyle Knauf | .... | stand in: Anton Yelchin | |
| Kristina Lee | .... | assistant production coordinator: reshoots | |
| Giovanni Lopez | .... | insurance broker | |
| Jess Magee | .... | location assistant | |
| Anney McKilligan | .... | puppet wrangler | |
| John Merchant | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| Liz Modena | .... | post production accountant | |
| Matthew Monaco | .... | first assistant accountant | |
| Tim Monich | .... | dialect coach | |
| Morgan Newell | .... | assistant: Ann Ruark | |
| Patrick O'Connor | .... | production assistant | |
| Eric Papa | .... | location assistant: additional photography unit | |
| Ellen Parnett | .... | production assistant | |
| Jennalee Rhodes | .... | production assistant | |
| Pamela Rook | .... | office production assistant | |
| Matthew Roper | .... | set medic | |
| Michael James 'Scotty' Scott | .... | manager: production finance | |
| William Sepulveda | .... | key craft service | |
| Missy Simms | .... | welfare/studio teacher | |
| Ryan Smith | .... | location manager | |
| Todd Steiner | .... | production financing | |
| Daniela Tully | .... | vp of development and production: imagenation abu dhabi | |
| Eva Vedock | .... | key craft service | |
| Daniel Wagner | .... | production coordinator | |
| Lynn Witty | .... | stand-in: jodie foster (uncredited) | |
| Brenda Yoo | .... | first assistant accountant | |
| Michael Gugger | .... | intern: locations (uncredited) | |
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| Bee Season | Country Strong | Little Man Tate | Foxes | Black Dog |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
I'd give this movie a full ten if not for confusion over the "weighted average" system in which IMDb supposedly disregards a lot of extreme highs or lows. And speaking of highs and lows, who better than a bi-polar actor to not only accept a stigmafied role of someone with a mental disorder but also to get past that and offer the meat and potatoes of entertainment as well? Full disclosure: I am on Team Mel when it comes to an ex girlfriend making headlines with her personal life with reckless disregard for the personal and professional toll; an overkill gesture followed-up ultimately by withdrawal of charges. . .
I won't get into debates over context and word choices in someone's private conversations or during a fit of rage. But others like to, and perhaps for that reason I was only one of about 21 people in the late showing of The Beaver opening night at the Varsity in Toronto, cinema 8. Apparently the VIP cinema there had a screening that started 20 minutes earlier, but I don't know how that or earlier screenings were attended. I'm hoping the movie does better. Even with a small crowd, the audience I was in responded with laughter where appropriate, and the atmosphere was often charged with anxious energy.
Jodie Foster is very dear in her own performance, and her directing choices don't falter. Mel gives glimpses of his goofy persona and one can speculate about which bits of whimsy might have been his contributions, but he also lets us dislike the character a bit or the condition he suffers and the film goes to some dark places. Nobody in the theatre dared laugh at the point that is most drastic and also anxiety inducing. In someone else' hands this film could easily be a TV Movie of the Week.
The woman who played the Sheriff in Signs is again Mel's confidant in The Beaver for the half of the story involving his business. Anton Yelchin (the new Scotty in Star Trek) is impressively grounded even as he suffers through some of his father's inherited symptoms and those typical of teens anyway.
If you are poisoned against Mel, I'm not going to say go see it but I'll go out on a limb and suggest that one of the opening sequences where he is at his lowest ebb might be especially entertaining for people who hate him and there is a certain gallows humour that might allow you to relax your guard. The daring premise and loving execution of the film from everyone involved is a nice mix and the film deserves a better fate than it is likely to get with gossips fanning the flame of scandal.
"Everyone loves a train wreck, especially one they're not in." - The Beaver
I know people are clogging the box office lines for Thor this weekend, and I haven't heard anything negative about that movie but I'm glad I saw The Beaver and that I can honestly say it is more than just weird; it is actually also out on a limb and inspiring without feeling like a cheat. That's my two cents anyway.