The Beaver

Summit Entertainment | Release Date: May 6, 2011

6.4	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 100 Ratings

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JimmyoftheDeadOct 16, 2012

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, but then again my expectations were not the highest. Initial ratings of this movie made it seem like it was going to be a boring ride through the mind of a depressed man, and instead i found a movieI was pleasantly surprised by this movie, but then again my expectations were not the highest. Initial ratings of this movie made it seem like it was going to be a boring ride through the mind of a depressed man, and instead i found a movie that was very well written up to certain points. Mel Gibson gives an extremely good performance that is believable and makes you generally care for him. His portraying of "the beaver" is above expectations for someone having to give his feelings through a puppet. The writing is great, but only to a certain point. The main characters raise from depression and the banter from the beaver is excellent, but the fall back gets sloppy. The problems with the eldest son seem forced, and his performance is overshadowed greatly by Mel Gibson. There is a point where i thought the story was coming to an end, but then a "shocking" point occurred to keep it going, but it was way too forced. It felt unnecessary, just a way to keep things going and make people think, but in the wrong way. I still found it a good movie, better than most stories about a depressed guy with a puppet...but Mel Gibson knocks it out of the park and his plight seems genuine until the writing gets forced. Go check it out, you might be shocked and actually like it.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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asthobaskoroJul 27, 2011

Outstanding and charismatic performance by The Beaver, and also Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. Beautifully directed, touching story, but not enough satisfying. Screen become black when outstanding trio are going off.

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mrdancinggeckoJun 29, 2012

This film misses the mark by a margin that should have never happened, considering those involved. It could have been a brilliantly witty and powerful insight into mental disorder, instead it seems rushed and at times a little trite.

IThis film misses the mark by a margin that should have never happened, considering those involved. It could have been a brilliantly witty and powerful insight into mental disorder, instead it seems rushed and at times a little trite.

I have no idea if the studio ran this through a focus group, probably, but it seems to be missing a good twenty minutes to half an hour. Was it left on the cutting room floor as a result, I have no idea, but it certainly feels like it. The opportunity of establishing the characters at the start, a slower, more measured look at the breakdown of Gibson's character, it's effect on his family and their breakup and a little more on his son's love interests loss, would all have contributed to a much better experience for the audience.

Mel Gibson's portrayal is good to a point, which is down to the script more than anything
and the lackluster direction, which very un-Jodi Foster like. Would I recommend it? Yes, but with the caveat that it's a half decent, made for TV movie.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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filmtrashreviewAug 7, 2011

The Beaver is strange, different and pretty complex. So complex that this film will go over a lot of people's heads. It tries to grab the charm of indie film however it never truly feels indie. The Beaver tries way to hard to grab ahold ofThe Beaver is strange, different and pretty complex. So complex that this film will go over a lot of people's heads. It tries to grab the charm of indie film however it never truly feels indie. The Beaver tries way to hard to grab ahold of deep means and because of this it falls short on my levels.… Expand

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csw12Mar 30, 2012

The Beaver is actually a decent movie. Some slow parts here and there but Mel Gibson gives and exceptional performance along with Jodie Foster. A good but very sad movie.

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jppl1999Dec 16, 2013

Normal movie. Its interesting besides sometimes it gets confusing, weird and unclear, but at the end it leaves a nice message to the viewer. As always, I really liked Jennifer Lawrence's performance.

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