Review of The Beaver (2011) by Daphi A — 23 Dec 2012

I just watched this movie with members of my family aged 13+, and I can't say that I would ever watch it again. At first the concept of a split personality being brought to life through a hand puppet was appealing, even charming.

It was both intriguing and weird to watch as the Beaver resurfaced a spark of life that was hidden within a character who seemed to be so deeply wrapped up in depression, and used that spark to mend his relationship with his family.

However, Jodie Foster seemed to have written herself into a corner once the initial plot had been introduced. Things sort of fell into an unbalanced mishmash after that, and thereafter it seemed as if Foster was trying to compensate for the lack of shock value or emotional depth by peppering the film with bad language, teen angst, violence and a few awkward sex scenes.

I found myself hitting a wall any time I tried to connect with Walter emotionally because his depression seemed somewhat unrealistic, even frustrating. I won't include any spoilers in my review, but I will say that the main characters mania comes to a very bizarre peak that eventually crash lands into a gory conclusion - A conclusion that made even my thirteen-year-old brother say, "Uhhh, okay? What just happened?" This movie frustrated me, bored me, and - for lack of a better phrase - "weirded me out".

If you were expecting a lighthearted, feel-good movie like I was, prepare yourself for a major disappointment.