The Beaver (2011)

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

Director:

Jodie Foster

Writer:

Kyle Killen

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin

2 wins & 5 nominations.

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:

depression | dysfunctional family | directed by star | directed by co star | directed by cast member | 

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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

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Le complexe du castor

Filming Locations:

Steiner Studios, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$107,577, 8 May 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$970,816

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

Jim Carrey and Steve Carell were previously attached to play the lead character.

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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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Crazy Credits

A letter or two from each cast/crew member remains and forms part of the next credit.

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Connections

Referenced in Half in the Bag: Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

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Soundtracks

Swim Until You Can't See Land
Written by Grant Hutchison, Scott Hutchison, David William Lawrence Kennedy (as David Kennedy), and Andy Monaghan
Performed by Frightened Rabbit
Courtesy of FatCat Records
By arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Good movie. Great drama. Depression awareness all in one.

I loved this movie. It found it sad that the timing of his personal implosion over-shadowed the importance and quality of this movie, but I loved it. All of it. Is it an Academy Award Nominee? No, but I'll recommend it to all who ask about it.

I wish his personal life had not unraveled to such a degree....who would want that for anyone. I wish Hollywood and the press wouldn't have exploited every last second of it, but such is the shallow world of both. I found it particularly fascinating and ironic that he was booted from the cast of The Hangover II because none of the actors wanted to support his woman abusing ways.....and then they brought back Mike Tyson (a wife beater and rapist)for a recurring role. Why would one be surprised by the shallowness of H-town.

Rent this. Besides the fact that everyone deserves a second chance, it's a good movie.