Mel Gibson has done some great movies in his time and some
horribly cringe worthy along with other incidents such as those answerphone messages; however The Beaver is a difficult one to place. Whilst the
content and storyline are emotionally driven and in many respects, a tragic
reflection on the downfall of the main characters life, the accent Gibson
adopts for the ‘Beaver’ makes it oddly comical (although I doubt this was the
intention). I have to admit, there have been films recently in the past year
which have made me look down at my watch on numerous occasions, however this
film didn’t. It is strangely captivating and for that reason alone, it is
difficult to be wholly negative about it.
Jodie Foster did not only star in the film, but also
directed it. When it came to casting the lead role, Jodie said “Walter Black
and the Beaver had to be somebody who could fully understand and communicate
both comedy and tragedy at the same time. I’ve been friends with Mel for over
15 years and we’ve had many, many long discussions about life. It was a natural
place to go’. Having read this statement, I wondered who else might be suitable
for the role and it did leave me quite perplexed.
The DVD also contains an interview with Mel Gibson. His children told him not to do the
film, so that he wouldn’t make a ‘fool of himself’, however he warmly responded
by reminding them it was his ‘occupation’. Gibson even went to the extent of
picking up his dry cleaning with the puppet, to discover people’s reaction. On
that note, it’s one thing seeing the chap down the street doing that, but with
Mel’s stardom, I'm surprised this didn’t feature more prominently in the press
(even if it was mid film shoot).
Although highly unlikely that this
film will see Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson collect another Academy Award for
their mantelpieces, I'm sure it will create enough of a stir for us to find
Gibson make a relevant and worthy return to the screen.
Review by Dan Balchin