Podwójne życie

I was looking forward to seeing Mel Gibson because, despite his controversies, I believe he’s an excellent actor—one of those who deserves an Oscar but probably will never get one. He didn’t disappoint me here. His interaction with the TV, where an episode of the classic series Kung Fu is playing, is just perfect, and I had to laugh. One line, and he had me amused. That got me, and I was curious to see how the film would unfold. Mel Gibson is undoubtedly the film’s biggest asset. Jodie Foster knew exactly whom to cast in each role. This shows in the portrayal of the son, played excellently by Anton Yelchin, and in the role of his friend/girlfriend, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence of The Hunger Games. In The Beaver, she proved to me that she wasn’t chosen for the franchise just because of her looks. The film’s issue isn’t the acting—it’s the script. The central idea is Gibson’s connection with the stuffed beaver, and that works perfectly, but the rest, especially the son’s story and his friend, feels like filler meant to stretch the film to the standard 90 minutes. If it weren’t for the performances and some interesting ideas (the stuffed beaver, the hole in the wall, the graffiti), the film would be quite unremarkable. So, I’m giving my rating mainly for the great performances and the ending, which is exactly the kind of ending I can appreciate. Not a brilliant happy ending, but a rough conclusion that suggests things could get better. (23.02.2013)

Gibson is great. The Beaver may have a couple of faults, but the idea behind it is great and pretty original, in fact. I was even pleasantly surprised in a couple of places how far Jodie dared to go. Toward the end, the result seemed to be a little unsure what the lesson of this should be, or how to resolve the whole problem, but because no universal solution exists, the screenplay jumps into classic father-son mode. So much more could have been gotten out of this, but even so, this is a very exceptional picture. (02.09.2011)

A cautious yes for the scene where a mad Gibson fights with the puppet of the beaver on his hand, like Ash in Evil Dead. That said, if it wasn’t for the fairly funny title and premise (which isn’t that funny in the end, quite the opposite), Jodie’s new film wouldn’t be very attractive. The Beaver is a professionally executed film in every aspect, but the emotions never arrive. It’s quite dry… (15.08.2011)

The Beaver is definitely a quirky film about an equally quirky character, and Mel Gibson plays that role to perfection. Say what you will about him, but I’ve always appreciated his talent, no matter what people in Hollywood say. I mean, if he were as bad as they make him out to be, would Jodie Foster really work with him? Gibson’s portrayal of a man on the edge is spot on, and you can’t help but wonder how much of the role mirrors his own life. Honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing him in more films again. Whatever people think of him, he’s earned his place, and I hope he gets all the success he deserves. (16.04.2012)

If you really don’t already know what to do, it’s better to do what the beaver says… We let someone/something else speak for us (for example, a Facebook wall, whose “real” counterpart plays a significant role in The Beaver) and contact disappears from the process of communication. It is so much easier to live closed off in our own microworlds and to convince ourselves of our own invulnerability and that “everything will be okay”. It won’t. And the beaver won’t help us. A narrator speaks for the characters, pointing out the lack of originality in what is seen, just as (SPOILER) Norah points out the lack of originality in what is read at the end (END SPOILER). The Beaver is almost painfully earnest, though it works against itself when it makes light of the topic of depression with scenes so absurd that it’s impossible not to laugh at how much trouble Walter is in as he tries to hang himself from a shower-curtain rod with a puppet on his hand (and at how much shit Gibson had stepped in at the time, which gives the film another dimension). However, the unevenness of the form is offset by the maturity of the content. 75% (20.08.2011)