THE BEAVER (2011) (a reivew)

THE BEAVER (2011) (a review)

This reteams Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster (who were in Maverick together). Jodie Foster also directed.

The story: Walter (Mel Gibson) is a chronically depressed man who is disconnected from his family and finally sick of it his wife (Jodie Foster) throws him out. Walter then finds a puppet that he puts on and begins to talk to him. He cedes control of his life to the puppet and the puppet begins to turn his life around. During this time his son, who has deep resentment toward him, begins a relationship with a girl who is the class valedictorian who is paying him to write her graduation speech. Everything gets better until people want him to put the puppet aside at which case the puppet decides it isn't going anywhere.

Was it good?

Um...yeah. It was good, but not great. It feels like a movie that wants to be a twisted AMERICAN BEAUTY, with a depressed, miserable family that finds a way to reinvent itself and find happiness. However, where A-B starts miserable, but gets happier and has moments of real honesty and a simple, powerful message -- if you are depressed just find someone to screw and you will be happy -- this movie keeps turning dark and obsessive and is lacking both the romantic optimism of A-B and those painfully honest moments that made that movie really connect with people.

There's still alot to like here. Mel Gibson gives a great performance. And for the first half most of the movie works. However, it's actually with the best moment of the second half (where the puppet claims to be alive!) that also signals when the movie becomes dark and violent that loses all the uplifting momentum it had built. The ending does find a positive moment, but it's too little too late. So while I wouldn't recommend it for theatrical, as a rental -- if you don't mind a movie that gets a little darker than most -- it's worth a watch.

**** RENTAL ****