Jadamwood Mel Gibson has always been one of my favorite actors and after Braveheart and Heartbreak Ridge I would say he is a visionary in the directing world. Mel Gibson gives a wonderful performance in this film that perfectly reaches out to the public about the subject of suicide it seems like everyone is uncomfortable with talking about. From beginning to end it captures what it's like on both sides of someone dealing with depression and suicidal tendencies and the separation of one's mind from the body to try to survive as well as the side of the family who is trying to deal with it. A fantastic movie for someone who can relate to dealing with in anyway depression or suicide. It has a few outspoken moments reaching out to people who have this mental affliction.

moonspinner55 Mel Gibson plays a troubled middle-aged toy company executive, no longer able to relate to his job nor connect emotionally with his wife and two sons, who is ready to end it all before a discarded beaver hand-puppet changes his outlook on life. "The Beaver" isn't a comedy (problem number one); worse, the psychological ramifications which transpire are misshapen. The film, written by Kyle Killen, is all Ideas: snippets of insight and personal awakening which director Jodie Foster attempts to wring pathos from. Humor might have been a saving grace here, but Foster is surprisingly straight-faced in her approach, while her performance as Mel Gibson's wife is curiously benign. It's likely that Gibson (speaking mostly with a Cockney accent) saw a potentially marvelous actor's turn in the role of Walter Black; unfortunately, the character isn't nurtured along with any shading, and Gibson is all on one (annoying) note. In its latter stages, Killen's script (complete with that dreaded 'story arc' they teach in writing courses) outrageously crosses the line while hoping to be shocking, ironic and provocative. Foster's poignant tag at the very end helps a bit, but the damage has already been done. This "Beaver" has small chops. *1/2 from ****

larry.launders I saw this movie last night for the first time. I've done my best to remove any possible spoilers in this review. I had heard about it when it came out, and it had always been on my radar, so I finally made time to watch it. First off, I suspect we need to discuss Mel Gibson. If I recall, this was his first big movie after getting splattered across the press for some poor behavior, and the general movie-viewing public largely turned against him.Well, I am not here to comment on any off-screen antics, merely the movie and the talent involved. Mel Gibson is a tremendous actor. That statement is very well displayed in this movie. He is helped by a very strong supporting cast, and an interesting story about a subject that, overall, nobody is comfortable talking about or dealing with. Having read the trivia, I get why it took Jodie Foster awhile to get a backer for the movie because she did not want to change the ending. I found myself with a mix of thoughts on that - I side with Ms. Foster in not wanting to change the ending of the story, however I might have fought for changing how it was displayed/portrayed to the audience. Not that what she chose didn't work, it did, but I'm considering the overall 'feel' of the movie at that point. Honestly, from what I had remembered from the trailers, I thought this would be more comedic. It is still a serious subject matter, and there are comedic moments to be had, don't get me wrong! But this does lean very much more to the serious side. It of course also includes a few other sub-plots to round out the overall story - the two children provide their own personalities and issues that need to be dealt with; and the wife trying to balance everything going on along with maintaining her own responsibilities as well as sanity is expertly done by Ms. Foster. And the end makes sense, ultimately. And it provides some things the story needs to tie things up, and to make it a movie worth watching, albeit a bit...tragically? Or at the least, unfortunately. I do recommend watching The Beaver. While it includes Mel Gibson, and dear readers I semi-understand those that won't watch anything with him in it, but remember he's not the only person in it. :-) It does deal with the very serious subject of depression, and is well worth the watch.

Michael Radny This film tries to be a masterpiece, failing on the way due to it's over pretentiousness and overall boring execution of the film. It's nothing short of plain torture for the viewer. It's slow pace and confronting themes don't make for an enjoyable ride. Though quirky, and I give it props for that, nothing that this film tries to do makes the adventure worth the time to watch it. Whilst Mel Gibson does his best to play the character, you can't help but feel you are going through the suicidal thoughts that he is when investing yourself in this film.Nothing short of pure boredom. It's story is bleak and slow, whilst the depressing nature of the film makes you feel depressed watching it. Something to consider if you have nothing else to watch, but otherwise give this one a miss.