Leave it to Beaver

 Giving “talk to the hand” new meaning
  by
Morgan P Salvo

When word of mouth and previews mislead you to believe that you’re in for black comedy it’s a rotten shame. About a third of the way into The Beaver I realized that the only humor I was going to find in this flick was to heckle it or count how many obvious beaver jokes there could have been. No, Beaver is not pornographically in-joke humorous or that weird. The only strange part is how serious this movie takes itself. Actually the puppet itself delivers some one liners in a Cockney accent, as the only spice in this dismal stew.
A chronically depressed father/husband/executive aptly named Walter Black (Mel Gibson) adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his only means of communicating to try to get his life back on track. With this oddball therapy Walter seems to be getting better: his toy company excels and even gets a blast of positive media attention. But that dang puppet eventually gets in the way of real life and takes a toll on the family.
Conveniently quirky and heavy on the drama this movie just doesn’t know what kind of flick to be. Directed by Jodie Foster (who plays Black’s wife) from a first-timer screenplay by Kyle Killen, the story takes a wacked out idea and makes it homogeneously familiar. While ideas swarmed in my head as to where I thought The Beaver might go, the plot slugged forward with understated, humorless conviction placing too much emphasis on introspection and self discovery. Every scene has one or more characters coming to grips with their inner demons, submerged in grave conversations about their troubled lives. The movie’s feigned bleakness turns out to be Hollywood schlock disguised as indie quirky.
The weirdest part is the handling of the puppet and I don’t mean the way it sticks to Gibson’s hand but the way it was filmed. At first the beaver puppet is distracting, then part genius, part annoying, then full on ridiculous as it takes a back seat to Black’s pathos and pain. We see Gibson’s mouth move, as the camera is careful not to focus on the puppet so much as Gibson’s performance.
Beaver boasts a standout cast delivering some outstanding performances. Foster and Gibson have come a long way since Maverick. Gibson looks good and haggard and a far cry from his latest drunken interview calling people assholes while totally shit-faced. Personal life aside, this dude can act. The sadness he conveys in his eyes takes talent and he nails every scene. I felt Foster just went through the motions while Anton Yelchin (Terminator Salvation) as son Porter and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) as cheerleader love interest Norah both tried to breathe fire into their tame dialogue.
Foster is only marginally impressive as director, providing an artistic yet by the numbers feel. Her choices are too contained and familiar, leaving us wanting more out of such a strange premise. I get it---it‘s supposed to be touching and serious and make you think about insanity, truth, loneliness and depression. But where Beaver could’ve gone all kooky-weirdo instead slides down simple escape routes to tell an over told story about family dysfunction.
We are supposed to believe that somehow this form of therapy will work but we can see trouble a mile away and an ending you hope to God doesn’t go were it does. And at the end of the day this yet ANOTHER father son bonding movie. Can someone start a pool here?
This Beaver is not too eager to please.There’s an attempt to provide us with a Network-type monologue via the Today Show that is just a bunch of psycho babble gobbledy-gook intended to ring out with heartfelt insight to the truth and everyone’s collective psyche but is just immersed in poorly written hogwash. Plus the sight of Gibson/Black talking to real life media hosts Matt Lauer(getting way too many cameos lately) and Jon Stewart is painfully not funny. I'm sure the outtakes are hilarious though.
My favorite part was the short lived fight scene between Wally and Beaver (the only in joke of the movie.) This scene invites then just as quickly drops the concept of scary psychosis and mental illness like the ventriloquist’s dummy taking over control in Twilight Zone’s “Dummy” episode, the 1964 creepy Devil Doll or the Anthony Hopkins vehicle Magic or at the very least something along the lines of Mr. Garrison and Mr. Hand from South Park.
The Beaver, while touching on intense pain and growth from within, is still an old-fashioned, heavy handed, gut-wrenching, emotional flick disguised as ”quirky” that wants you to believe that the truth shall set you free and make you cry a bunch. Too clever and forced for its own good, what this flick invokes is so old hat that one new twist can’t mask its intentions. I left wondering …wait a minute, Zoloft wasn’t an option?

The Beaver
Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Jennifer Lawrence, Anton Yelchin
Directed by Jodie Foster
Rated PG 13
2 stars