Getting better isn’t always going to happen the way you think it will, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen. This is the message of The Beaver, a movie about ones battle with sadness, a battle that takes some people years to overcome, and Walter Black (Mel Gibson) is one of those people. He is the CEO of a toy company that is failing. His marriage with Meredith (Jodie Foster) is becoming increasingly empty, and his eldest son Porter (Anton Yelchin) has one goal in life: avoid becoming like his father. Eventually, things hit rock bottom and Walter finds himself fishing something out of a car park’s rubbish bin: a toy beaver. It’s a hand puppet, one that quickly becomes Walter’s only chance at survival. It’s a hand puppet that is a big fan of tough love.

Somehow Walter’s life starts to improve as he lives through the beaver, who challenges him to step up and make some very necessary changes. His wife lets him back into the house, his youngest son Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart) wants to spend time with him and his company makes a bold move that brings it some serious rewards. However, Porter is still generally disgusted with his father, and there’s a very real sense that this can’t last forever. Eventually, the beaver will have to go.

At first, the idea of a grown man having serious conversations with a hand puppet (while it’s actually the man that’s doing all the talking) is hard to take. It’s especially difficult in the scenes where the beaver really doesn’t belong – such as in the love scenes between Walter and Meredith. Despite this, the toy becomes a seriously likable character, which is a credit to Gibson’s acting prowess. Gibson successfully portrays a man at war with himself, and powerful scenes such as a fight between Walter and the Beaver show just how talented the actor really is. Foster’s character wasn’t especially notable, but the fact that she directed the film deserves serious respect.

This movie is about a person changing their life, but it’s certainly not another Eat Pray Love. It’s much more real than that, despite the fact that the title character doesn’t exist. Walter Black’s transformation is a powerful story that won’t disappoint.