The Beaver (film)

The Beaver
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jodie Foster
Written by	Kyle Killen
Produced by	Steve Golin Keith Redmon Ann Ruark
Starring	Mel Gibson Jodie Foster Anton Yelchin Jennifer Lawrence
Cinematography	Hagen Bogdanski
Edited by	Lynzee Klingman
Music by	Marcelo Zarvos
Production companies	Participant Media Anonymous Content Imagenation Abu Dhabi
Distributed by	Summit Entertainment
Release dates	March 16, 2011 (2011-03-16) (SXSW) May 6, 2011 (2011-05-06) (United States) May 19, 2011 (2011-05-19) (United Arab Emirates)
Running time	91 minutes
Countries	United Arab Emirates United States[1]
Language	English
Budget	$21 million[2]
Box office	$7.3 million[2]

The Beaver is a 2011 psychological drama film^[3] directed by Jodie Foster and written by Kyle Killen. It stars Mel Gibson, Foster, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence. Marking Gibson's and Foster's second collaboration since 1994's Maverick, it follows Walter Black, a depressed executive, who hits rock-bottom when his wife kicks him out of the house. At his lowest point, he begins to use a beaver hand puppet to communicate with people and overcome his issues.

The Beaver premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 16, 2011 and was released in the United States on May 6, 2011 by Summit Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised Foster's direction and performances of the cast but found the premise absurd. However, a series of controversies and criticisms surrounding Gibson regarding his statements and battery case affected the film's business, and it was a box office bomb, grossing just $7.3 million against its $21 million budget.