The Beaver

This sometimes maudlin melodrama about the destructive effects of mental illness opens with Walter Black (Mel Gibson) lying on a float in his pool, as a narrator says, “This is a hopelessly depressed individual.” Dejected and drunk, Walter is so unhappy that he seriously considers suicide—until a beaver hand puppet he pulls out of the trash begins to talk to Walter. Explaining the Cockney-accented critter as “a prescription,” Walter starts to emerge from emotional isolation, much to the delight of young son Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart), bewilderment of wife Meredith (Jodie Foster), and consternation of conflicted teenage son Porter (Anton Yelchin), who takes money for writing other students' papers and has a crush on cheerleader/valedictorian Norah (Jennifer Lawrence). Although first-time screenwriter Kyle Killen didn't write the screenplay specifically for Gibson, the parallels to the actor's life produce a jarring sense of realism. Unevenly directed by costar Foster, The Beaver was filmed during Gibson's much publicized personal troubles; so much inner turmoil is mirrored onscreen that his anguished performance is not only believable but insightful and compelling. Sad, sobering, and bizarrely disturbing, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Jodie Foster, an “Everything is Going to Be O.K.” making-of featurette (12 min.), deleted scenes (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)