Jodie Foster’s third directorial effort is “The Beaver,” starring Mel Gibson. In his role as the mentally ill Walter Black, Gibson puts forth a very raw performance, which really gets you to sympathize with him. Foster is also solid as caring his wife, and Anton Yelchin gives credibility to his angry son, but what really makes this movie interesting is its strange parallels to Charlie Sheen’s rise and fall from public approval.
When Walter first dons the beaver puppet, people are supportive of his measure. They buy into his crazy antics, giving him more and more attention, however once they’ve tired of him, they turn on him. Even though she did not say this parallel was intentional in my interview with her, Foster makes some interesting statements about how we chew up and spit out celebrities as a society.
My Grade: B+