The Beaver

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In this indie film, Paul Giamatti plays Mike Flaherty, a part-time wrestling coach and attorney, who tries to keep his struggling legal practice afloat by becoming his elderly client's caretaker. Mike also ends up with a houseguest when his client's troubled grandson unexpectedly turns up on his doorstep. Mike takes the teenager under his wing, bringing him along to wrestling practice, where he discovers that the rebellious teenager is the star his flailing team has been missing. The movie offers a heartwarming tale about an underdog, while still providing a fair share of laughs. DVD extras includes deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes interviews.

94%

The Beaver

Mel Gibson stars as Walter Black, a once-successful toy executive who finds himself battling depression and unable to connect with his family or friends. He then turns to an unconventional means of therapy: a beaver puppet. The film follows Black as he communicates solely through the use of the stuffed animal — using a British accent — to work through his personal problems. While the plot seems bizarre, Gibson actually ends up offering an honest portrayal of mental illness, and Jodie Foster's turn as a director also adds to the film's merits. DVD extras include audio commentary and deleted footage.

62%

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Is there anything more heartwarming than a man and his beaver? I know what you're thinking, but just play along with me for a moment. In The Beaver, Mel Gibson plays Walter Black, a man who's failing in his family life and career. When his wife (Jodie Foster, who also directs) kicks him out of his house, the depressed Walter turns to an unexpected solution: a beaver hand puppet that "talks" for him.

In the trailer, Walter uses the puppet as a means of therapy, a tool to put "a psychological distance between himself and the negative aspects of his personality." While that sounds quite highbrow, there's no getting around the fact that this is a movie in which a man uses a puppet with a British accent to reconnect with his family. Considering that Gibson's reputation has lost him many fans (and recently, a cameo role in The Hangover 2), I can't imagine that this will be the movie to get audiences back in his good graces. Judge for yourself and watch the trailer, when you read more

The Beaver, a dark comedy about a depressed man "who finds solace in wearing a beaver hand-puppet," has been in the works for a long time now, with Steve Carell originally attached to play the lead role. At some point, Jim Carrey was rumored to be taking over the role, but now it's official: neither of these men will star in The Beaver — Mel Gibson will play the lead instead.

Jodie Foster will direct Gibson in the comedy, and she may also play the man's wife. Foster is no stranger to the director's chair, having already helmed Little Man Tate and Home For the Holidays.

The script, written by Kyle Killen, "has generated enormous interest in development circles, drawing comparisons to Being John Malkovich and Lars and the Real Girl." I'm actually looking forward to seeing what Gibson does with this role. I'm not a huge Mel Gibson fan, but I do like it when he plays the more offbeat characters, like the unstable Jerry Fletcher in Conspiracy Theory. Pairing him up with Jodie Foster as director is also pretty intriguing.