When it was released in the Spring of 2011, Jodie Foster’s
The Beaver – a title which is kept from being a crude double entendre thanks
only to that one tiny definitive article – was overwhelmed and obliterated by
the controversy surrounding its star, Mel Gibson, and vile remarks he made
to his ex-girlfriend which were recorded and disseminated online. Whilst it would be disingenuous and wrong-headed to try to excuse Gibson’s
actions, it’s a shame that a
film as idiosyncratic and distinct as The Beaver was overshadowed by his actions. It’s unlikely that it would have found a
particularly huge audience had it been released sans controversy, but it would
have had a better chance to become something other than a footnote in a
troubled actor's career.