Surprisingly enough, I was looking forward to see this movie, as I thought watching Mel Gibson be something else on screen than a hero could be nice, for once. Well, I was right. Mel gives a really convincing performance doing the man-having- everything-but-what-he-truly-needs going through a recovery that just cannot leave him, his relatives and the viewer unharmed at the end of the flick. The story also focuses on the way his son tries all he can to avoid becoming like him, and his own discover of the f*cked-up way life takes sometimes, concretizing the Great Motto "Shit Happens" through his teenage relations & the unavoidable trans-generational psycho- genealogy, when coming to deal with identity—one's or another's.
Jodie Foster did a pretty nice job directing this flick, the photography & directing making slowly fading Mel for the Beaver, without transferring any sympathy to the puppet and keeping the character on the edge of recovery and/or a deeper failure for the whole movie. The viewer gets easily sucked in, considering the common of the situation & the fact that depression can really go so far, and even though the teenager part is highly predictable the rhythm makes it stable and enjoyable. Good acting performances, good directing, good story, a more than good movie.
Jodie Foster did a pretty nice job directing this flick, the photography & directing making slowly fading Mel for the Beaver, without transferring any sympathy to the puppet and keeping the character on the edge of recovery and/or a deeper failure for the whole movie. The viewer gets easily sucked in, considering the common of the situation & the fact that depression can really go so far, and even though the teenager part is highly predictable the rhythm makes it stable and enjoyable. Good acting performances, good directing, good story, a more than good movie.