The Beaver (film)
Encyclopedia
The Beaver is a 2011 drama film directed by Jodie Foster
and starring Mel Gibson
and Foster in their first film together since 1994's Maverick
.
Porter gets paid for clandestinely writing papers for schoolmates. He also takes on the job of writing the graduation speech of Norah (Lawrence). He likes her and is embarrassed by Walter showing up with his beaver puppet.
Walter's wife moves out of the house with the children, because she hates the beaver, and because he lied about it being part of a treatment monitored by his psychiatrist. Part of Walter's personality wants to get rid of the beaver to reconcile with his wife, but another part wants the beaver to stay. Walter and the beaver fight until Walter dramatically cuts off his forearm. He winds up getting a prosthetic hand and is placed in a psychiatric hospital. After her speech, Norah admits publicly that she did not write it herself, and explains her trauma caused by her brother's death, some years ago. Porter, who hated his father and kept track of all similarities to him in order to work on avoiding them, reconciles with him. Walter's life soon returns to normal.
and New York City
. A portion of the movie was filmed at White Plains Senior High School
in White Plains, New York
. Filming was completed in November 2009. Before Gibson was hired, Steve Carell
and Jim Carrey
were both signed on to star at different stages of production.
film festival on , 2011, where the Los Angeles Times
reported that it was given "a relatively warm embrace".
The film had a limited release in on , 2011.
and several media outlets reported that the film's box office performance was a "flop" with a haul of only $4,890 per theater against its production budget of $21 million (not including marketing costs). Entertainment Weekly
compared the box office gross of "The Beaver" against Mel Gibson's other most recent "box office failure", 2010's Edge of Darkness -- which debuted to a per-theater average of $5,615 at more than 3,000 locations -- and the box office success of 2010's Black Swan
which grossed a per-theater average of $88,863 in limited release at only 16 theaters. The Beaver was the worst debut for a Foster-directed film.As of , the film has grossed $898,492. The distributor Summit Entertainment
had originally planned for a wide release of "The Beaver" for the weekend of but after the initial box-office returns for the film came in the company changed course and decided instead to give the film a "limited art-house run". Michael Cieply
of the New York Times
observed on June 5, 2010, that the film had cleared just about $1 million, making it a certified "flop". The film's director Foster opined that the film did not do well with American audiences because it was a comedy-drama
and “And very often Americans are not comfortable with (that).”
gives the film a score of 63% based on reviews from 125 critics and reports a rating average of 6.4 out of 10. It reported the overall consensus, "Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie." At Metacritic
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 59 based on 32 reviews.
Roger Ebert
gave the film 2 1/2 (out of a possible 4) star rating, saying, "The Beaver is almost successful, despite the premise of its screenplay, which I was simply unable to accept."
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
and starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and Foster in their first film together since 1994's Maverick
Maverick (film)
Maverick is a 1994 Western comedy film based on the 1950s television series of the same name, created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by William Goldman and features Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, as well as several cameo appearances...
.
Plot
Walter Black (Gibson) is a depressed CEO of Jerry Co., a toy company nearing bankruptcy. He is kicked out by his wife (Foster), to the relief of their elder son Porter (Yelchin). Walter moves into a hotel. After unsuccessful suicide attempts, he develops an alternate personality represented by a beaver hand puppet found in the trash, which from then on he always has with him, and through which he communicates with other people. This helps him recover greatly. First he reestablishes a warm bond with his younger son Henry, then with his wife, although not with Porter. Also he is successful again at work by creating a line of Mr. Beaver Building Kits for kids.Porter gets paid for clandestinely writing papers for schoolmates. He also takes on the job of writing the graduation speech of Norah (Lawrence). He likes her and is embarrassed by Walter showing up with his beaver puppet.
Walter's wife moves out of the house with the children, because she hates the beaver, and because he lied about it being part of a treatment monitored by his psychiatrist. Part of Walter's personality wants to get rid of the beaver to reconcile with his wife, but another part wants the beaver to stay. Walter and the beaver fight until Walter dramatically cuts off his forearm. He winds up getting a prosthetic hand and is placed in a psychiatric hospital. After her speech, Norah admits publicly that she did not write it herself, and explains her trauma caused by her brother's death, some years ago. Porter, who hated his father and kept track of all similarities to him in order to work on avoiding them, reconciles with him. Walter's life soon returns to normal.
Cast
- Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
as Walter Black, the CEO of a toy company. - Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
as Meredith Black, Walter's wife. - Anton YelchinAnton YelchinAnton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
as Porter Black, the teenage son of Walter and Meredith who lobbies his mother to get a divorce. - Jennifer LawrenceJennifer LawrenceJennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American film and television actress. She has had lead roles in TBS's The Bill Engvall Show and in the independent films The Burning Plain and Winter's Bone, for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress...
as Norah, Porter's love interest with a secret. - Riley Thomas Stewart as Henry Black, the younger son of Walter and Meredith.
- Zachary BoothZachary BoothZachary Booth is an American actor. He appeared in several productions with the Peterborough Players, before starring in The N's What Goes On as openly gay teen Ethan and on FX's Damages, as Michael Hewes, the son of lawyer Patty Hewes .Booth had supporting roles in the films Assassination of a...
as Jared - Cherry JonesCherry JonesCherry Jones is an American actress and recipient of the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series and the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.-Career:...
as Vice President of Walter.
Production
On a budget of $21 million, The Beaver was filmed in Westchester County, New YorkWestchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A portion of the movie was filmed at White Plains Senior High School
White Plains Senior High School
White Plains Senior High School is the main school in the White Plains Public Schools system of White Plains, NY. It was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a School of Excellence in 1986-87 but is currently only one of nine public high schools in Westchester County with four-year...
in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. Filming was completed in November 2009. Before Gibson was hired, Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
and Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
were both signed on to star at different stages of production.
Theatrical release
The Beaver had its world premiere at the South by SouthwestSouth by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
film festival on , 2011, where the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that it was given "a relatively warm embrace".
The film had a limited release in on , 2011.
Box office
Over its opening weekend, the film grossed $107,577. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and several media outlets reported that the film's box office performance was a "flop" with a haul of only $4,890 per theater against its production budget of $21 million (not including marketing costs). Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
compared the box office gross of "The Beaver" against Mel Gibson's other most recent "box office failure", 2010's Edge of Darkness -- which debuted to a per-theater average of $5,615 at more than 3,000 locations -- and the box office success of 2010's Black Swan
Black Swan (film)
Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis. Its plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by a prestigious New York City company. The production requires a ballerina to...
which grossed a per-theater average of $88,863 in limited release at only 16 theaters. The Beaver was the worst debut for a Foster-directed film.As of , the film has grossed $898,492. The distributor Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
had originally planned for a wide release of "The Beaver" for the weekend of but after the initial box-office returns for the film came in the company changed course and decided instead to give the film a "limited art-house run". Michael Cieply
Michael Cieply
Michael Cieply is an entertainment industry writer, first for the Wall Street Journal and then for Talk magazine. In the 1990s, he also worked as a film producer for Sony....
of the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
observed on June 5, 2010, that the film had cleared just about $1 million, making it a certified "flop". The film's director Foster opined that the film did not do well with American audiences because it was a comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
and “And very often Americans are not comfortable with (that).”
Critical reception
The Beaver received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a score of 63% based on reviews from 125 critics and reports a rating average of 6.4 out of 10. It reported the overall consensus, "Jodie Foster's visual instincts and Mel Gibson's all-in performance sell this earnest, straightforward movie." At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 59 based on 32 reviews.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film 2 1/2 (out of a possible 4) star rating, saying, "The Beaver is almost successful, despite the premise of its screenplay, which I was simply unable to accept."