Hand puppet a star in ‘Beaver’

“The Beaver”

Director: Jodie Foster

Staring:… “The Beaver”

Director: Jodie Foster

Staring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin

Grade: B+

Mel Gibson is depressed and getting older, with nowhere left to go — at least that’s the part he plays in Jodie Foster’s extremely dark comedy “The Beaver.”

His character, Walter Black, finds solace in the form of a beaver hand puppet with a British accent that he uses to separate himself from the problems that affect his personality. While Walter struggles against depression with his furry friend, his teenage son Porter (Anton Yelchin) struggles both to win the affections of cheerleader Norah (Jennifer Lawrence) — who has some unexpected qualities — and to present the exact opposite of his father’s sullen image.

When The Beaver enters the family’s life, it immediately seems to fix numerous problems at Black’s workplace — where it becomes the inspiration for a line of wood model kits — and his home — where it charms Black’s young son Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart). But as the puppet stays, the originally effective strategy begins to show cracks, and Black must make a decision about who he will be for the rest of his life.

The film lives in the tradition of classic dark comedies, like “M.A.S.H.,” while it embraces modern touches and moves closer to the mode of recent teen dramadies like “Adventureland,” with Porter’s storyline in particular.

This hybrid conveys the admittedly ridiculous premise well and, along with Foster’s apt direction, ensures that the gravity of Walter’s predicament is always treated with respect as well as a laugh.

Following his role in the last year’s thriller “Edge of Darkness,” Gibson puts on a commanding performance that’s both sweet and insane. And aren’t those his best? The similarities his character’s troubles share with his own struggles with depression seem to have given him some extra power, and, along with the rest of the cast, he shines on screen.

Although the film’s originality keeps it mostly above the pack, “The Beaver” does devolve at points into several clichés that harm its effectiveness. The audience will probably see the twist coming a mile away, for example. The shortcomings are forgivable, though, and hold together a film that takes a poignant look at humanity’s shared sense of depression.

Whatever your opinion of Gibson or a movie that centers on a man who talks to a puppet happen to be, “The Beaver” remains an entertaining film that sets a different tone and eats the pulp of most comedies and dramas alike.