Blucher One of the worst movies I've ever seen
Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
jessy zaki When I came to watch this movie, I didn't know what to expect, actually not expecting much as I wasn't sure about Foster's direction, and it didn't well at the box office. Then I decided to watch it as I am a biggg fan of movies dealing with psycho/mental illness. To be honest, the movie is categorised under the comedy genre, but I found no comedy, maybe light scenes but didnt amount to be so funny. Also, it isn't very dark or serious drama. It is in between; a good story with fine performances. The original plot is really appreciable; a man seeking help out of his depression by adopting a beaver as his soul. It is a bit weird, but it is totally new and original idea, which I liked. About the acting, it is really good, no one could deny this fact. Mel Gibson in my opinion delivers one of his best performances, and the teens too. Jodi Foster is convincing as the caring wife who tries her best to keep her family. The pace of the movie flows well that it didn't bore me, and nearly the last 30 or 40 minutes form the best part of the movie. There is more than a scene worth watching -in my opinion- such as the one in which the protagonist fights with the puppet. Actually, through the whole movie you'll never doubt that the two are two different characters that the beaver has a real soul, thanks to Gibson's performance and the camera cuts. One last thing, don't watch it with high expectations to enjoy it. It is just a good movie with really fine wise performances.
Davis P The Beaver is a movie that has a lot to say. Some may think because of the plot or the poster that it's a comedic movie, but nothing could be farther from the truth. This is a very serious movie that gets pretty dark at times. Jodie foster brilliantly directs this moving film. And she, Mel, Anton, and Jennifer all turn in fantastic dramatic performances. Gibson especially gives a great lead performance, his character is so complicated and has so many different aspects to him, from the spilt personality to the deeply depressed state he's stuck in. Mel and Jodie have great on screen chemistry too, whether they are fighting or in love and happy, they work so well together and they really grab you and make you believe everything that is happening. The movie is not long at all, about 1 hour and 25 minutes, which is a good suitable length because it's not the type of film that needs to stretch on for a long time, it says and accomplishes what it needs to in a good time. Jennifer Lawrence and Anton yelchin have really chemistry too and they are just great actors on their own, so they were both great choices. 8/10!
PWNYCNY This is a good movie that attempts to make a statement about the human condition - that each one of us are vulnerable and under extreme circumstances, if threatened, will take extraordinary measures to survive. This point is shown through the principal character, Walter Black, convincingly played by Mel Gibson, whose performance is remarkable. Black is suicidal; he is despised by his son and scorned by his wife, neither of whom are willing to accept the fact that Walter is mentally ill. Driven literally to drink and wallowing in despair, Walter seems resigned to death, but deep down, he still wants to live. To do means to assume a mask through which to cope with the hostile outside world. Instead of Walter, the world will now deal with the a toy beaver who becomes Walter's alter ego. Thus, Walter is able to cope, not as Walter per se, but as something else. The problem is, of course, that to the outside world, the beaver is merely a mask, while to Walter, it is survival itself. Walter, spiritually, is dead. He has become the beaver. The question is: can Walter ever give up the beaver and still survive? To find out, one must watch the movie. Mel Gibson's performance is brilliant. The movie is skillfully directed by Jodie Foster who reveals a deep understanding of the issues relating to mental illness and of coping in a hostile world.
grantss Well-intentioned, but flawed. Takes on a complex subject - depression - and handles it with sensitivity (as one would expect from director Jodie Foster). The set up - depressed man uses puppet as his voice - is interesting, emotional and well done. However, Foster fails to make any profound statements with this. The movie drifts after the set up, and in the end you feel that all the emotion is wasted, as the ending is rather tame.The secondary plot, involving Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence's characters, seemed unnecessary - padding. Though, it does mean we have the wonderful Jennifer Lawrence in the movie, so it's not all bad...Great performance by Mel Gibson in the lead role. His personal life may be a shambles, but he still has the acting skills. Good from Jodie Foster and Jennifer Lawrence. Anton Yelchin was a bit irritating, however.I really wanted to like this movie more than I did.
