Can a beaver hand puppet save Mel Gibson's career? Will it (and Jodie Foster) make you forgive him? Can you even suspend disbelief enough to forget his public meltdown, addiction, abusive nature, anti-Semitism, and the ridiculous plotline of the movie? Sometime back in 2009, Gibson was running around the city with this beaver on his hand filming the movie, and now Judgment Day has arrived as the final product finally hits the big screen—here's what the critics are saying.
- "The Beaver is almost successful, despite the premise of its screenplay, which I was simply unable to accept. I concede it is possible that a man in depression might be able to heal himself by projecting his personality into a hand puppet. I am not sure it is possible, or even advisable, to make a serious movie about that ...Yet here is another of Mel Gibson's fine performances, a reminder that he is after all a superb actor ... As good as Gibson is, his character is still caught between the tragedy of the man and the absurdity of the Beaver. Fugitive thoughts of Señor Wences crept into my mind. I'm sorry, but they did." — Roger Ebert
- "Maybe Ms. Foster thought she was doing Mr. Gibson a favor by showing that he could play a troubled man who simply needs help. The problem is that, as an actor, Mr. Gibson doesn’t do normal anymore ...[The character is] just a puppet with a bad attitude and good timing. A raggedy rage-aholic, it steals the show, handily. Take away his puppet, and the man disappears." — The NY Times
- "...despite that and the ludicrousness of the puppet prop, The Beaver is serious about portraying mental illness. And whatever your opinion about Gibson the man, so is Gibson the actor." — TIME
- "A risky bet that pays off solidly, Jodie Foster's The Beaver survives its life/art parallels to deliver a hopeful portrait of mental illness that while quirky is serious and sensitive. Viewers who can shake off tabloid preoccupations as they settle into the film will likely be surprised by a picture that (in a way reminiscent of Lars and the Real Girl) turns a crazy-sounding premise into something moving and sane." — The Hollywood Reporter
- "If you can distract yourself from the distraction that is Mel Gibson’s disastrous personal life, The Beaver is an effectively disturbing portrait of a man trying to cope with serious mental problems ... Ultimately the comedy and gravity are too much at odds: Comedy compromises the solemnity and solemnity compromises the comedy." — amNewYork
While critics seem to be lukewarm (EW gave it a B- rating, which seems to be the status quo), over at Rotten Tomatoes, the overall rating is a fresh 70%, with most praise going to Gibson's performance. Though one notes: "Mel Gibson's cinematic mea culpa might not equate to a public apology to the countless people he's insulted over recent years."
