Writer: Kyle Killen
Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and Anton Yelchin
Things are really looking black in the eyes Walter Black (Mel Gibson). Though he in affluent company owner, married to a loving wife and has two healthy kids, midlife crisis has really set in and everything around him seems to have lost its sheen. As he keeps receding deeper into depression and apathy, his long-suffering wife (Jodie Foster) breaks the proverbial camel's back by kicking him out of the family house (much to the applause of the eldest son).
As he tries to take his life in the sole company of a hand puppet he pulled out of a dumpster (the eponymous Beaver), a freak accident occurs and Walker wakes up to find that the puppet he holds, may in turn hold the answer to his problems. You see, talking through this puppet (who, unlike him, speaks in a broad cockney accent) Walter becomes a very balanced individual, with humour and love for his family, vision for his company and general spunk for life.
Gibson has been talked about a lot in recent years for all the wrong reasons related to his personal life. If you factor in that he has been directing more than actually facing the cameras as of late, it is easy to forget that he has been first and foremost an actor for over 30 years.
I'll put this simply: while many feel he overacts at times, Mel Gibson puts in a downright masterful and passionate performance on this movie. You just won't be indifferent as he roller-coasts from the light-hearted premise of the film into the murky depths of finding out you can only be your best self, when you are not yourself. Gibson is aided, of course, by a strong performance by Jodie Foster who, for a change, plays a humane and tender role in stark contrast with her usual hard-boiled self.
Having said that, let me stress this: don't go into this film thinking it's a romantic comedy because it is not. It really is (especially towards the end) a dramatic display of the games people play and the tolls they have to pay to get by in life.
I'm sure this film will mostly go unnoticed by critics and film goers alike. And while this will not be the movie of the year by any means, there is still a lot here to like and I'm sure I won't be the only person that can really relate a lot with Black's plight.
My score: 7.0 / 10
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