The Beaver preview/synopsis

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Directed by Jodie Foster ( Little Man Tate, Home For The Holidays ) starring Mel Gibson, Foster, Jennifer Lawrence, Anton Yelchin. Written by first time screenwriter Kyle Killen, cinematography by Hagen Bogdanski ( The Lives Of Others ), editing by Lynzee Klingman ( Ali, City Of Angels ) and original score by Marcelo Zarvas ( The Good Shephard, Hollywoodland )

Premise: The Beaver follows a depressed CEO of a toy company (Gibson) who dons a beaver handpuppet to communicate better with his wife (Foster) and his two sons (Yelchin, Riley Thomas Stewart) in a quest to repair his damaged life.

Rated PG-13 for thematic elelments, some language and sexualty. 91 min.

Oscar chances: If Gibson wasn't so reviled by a lot of the American public and many of those being film critics he'd be a shoe in for a best actor Oscar nomination. It's clearly his best performance to date. Foster may garner a supporting actress nod as well as the screenplay. The early release date always hurts a films Oscar chances. Not my rules but it hurts more than it helps. Gibson is very moving in the role regardless how you feel about his personal antics off camera. Very much worth seeing.