“Jodie Foster’s ‘Beaver’ Finally Opens”
Let’s pretend for a moment that Mel Gibson never had a real-life mental breakdown. That he’s not violent toward women. That he’s still the biggest movie star on the planet. And that the public is still unaware of the anti-semitism of Gibson. Pretend that Jodie Foster’s latest film “The Beaver”, which stars Mel Gibson, is being released during Gibson’s most successful period among films like “Maverick”, “Braveheart” and “What Women Want”.
Now, imagine how a film like “The Beaver” would be received in that world. A film in which Gibson plays a family man so depressed with his life that he can only communicate with people through a beaver hand-puppet he found in a trash bin. And if you’re wondering why this role wasn’t given to Jim Carrey, it’s because “The Beaver” is definitely not a comedy. The only laughs generated by this film (mostly embarrassed snickers) are from people laughing at it, not with it.
So, in a world where Mel Gibson is still a much-loved movie star, “The Beaver” is one of those movies that could actually be considered a career-killer reminiscent of things like Sylvester Stallone’s “Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot”.