Hundreds of Beavers (Review)
I don’t like overhyping things. I’ve fallen victim to hearing about how great something is, then I finally watch it and feel a little let down because I set the bar too high. It’s something that has influenced my writing. If I see something I love, I always try to remind myself not to hype it up too much. Whether it’s writing a little review, or even just telling a couple friends, I try to tone down my excitement.
That being said… Hundreds of Beavers is the funniest movie of the 2020’s so far. This thing is hilarious, inventive, and wildly original. If you love movies, you owe it to yourself to see this.
Of course, if you love movies and have an eye for indie films, this probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard about this either. The movie has been available to rent, buy, or watch for free on Tubi, yet continues to sell out in theaters across the country since the beginning of the year. The movie is fantastic on its own, but to see it be this successful is a tremendous cherry on top.
Before I dive in, I strongly suggest going in as blind as possible. If you enjoy silly comedies, I think you will get a lot out of this just letting it unfold. Those still not convinced, feel free to keep reading.
Filmed in black and white and nearly wordless throughout its runtime, the movie follows Jean Kayak. Jean is an applejack maker running an orchard that’s enjoyed by many, but nobody more than himself. That all comes crashing down when a couple of beavers eat the legs off a giant wooden keg, exploding the orchard and a drunk Jean. He later awakens in the middle of a brutal winter and must learn how to survive on his own.
What follows is a slapstick epic, as John learns the cartoony rules of the world and goes from clueless drunk to expert fur trapper. Along the way we meet some great side characters, including a veteran fur trapper, a merchant and his daughter, and a wide variety of animals including rabbits, frogs, birds, skunks, wolves, and of course, beavers. By the way, all the animals in this movie? They’re either puppets or people in animal costumes.
If you couldn’t tell by now, this movie is relentlessly silly. I know we throw around the phrase “live action cartoon” a lot, but this is the peak of that saying. This is not a movie grounded in reality, and it lets you know that right off the bat. It’s silly, yes, but it’s also genius and inventive. The gags. My goodness, the gags. Whether or not this is the funniest movie of the year is obviously subjective. The style and absurdity unfortunately won’t be for everyone, but this has to have the most jokes of any film this year. Every creative choice is designed to get the most laughs possible, whether it’s poking fun at its low budget or cleverly working their way around it. There’s stuff here that’s funny on its own: this movie understands the classic rule that seeing people get the shit beat out of them is never not funny. But there’s hilarious stuff you might miss on your first watch, like seeing the animals mess around in the background. There’s also that classic Looney Tunes style where some gags are funny enough at first, but then build and build and come back in such an unexpected and hilarious way. It feels like something that’s bound to burn out as the movie goes, yet it miraculously never does. I wouldn’t dare spoil any of its jokes, but I’ve been dying for more people I know to see it to talk about them.
This many effective jokes is an achievement on its own, but it doesn’t stop there. This is truly a technical accomplishment. There was a lot of talk last year about how incredible Godzilla: Minus One looked despite its very modest budget (there’s more to that, but that can wait). I feel this needs to be in that conversation as well. It’s on a much smaller scale of course, but deserves praise all the same. Director Mike Cheslik cleverly plays around with green screen and effects to give it a style reminiscent of Buster Keaton films and Looney Tunes cartoons. It is so good and stunning to look at, especially on rewatches. A true testament to how sheer creativity is what makes a movie, not an expensive budget or fancy equipment.
There’s obvious movie influences, but there’s video game elements as well. Open world game cliches like Zelda or Red Dead Redemption came to mind when watching this, and it added even more fun. A map gets made that highlights key places. There’s a background location that you just know is going to be discovered at some point. Little exclamation points or question marks pop up above animals’ heads. All of this adds to clever world building that is super easy to follow and be invested in.
It’s also sneakily violent. Like, super violent. Of course, we’re talking fuzzy animal costumes, so there’s nothing actually gross. Yet the movie still cleverly gets away with brutal and hilarious kills that would make Art the Clown giddy. There’s a bar room brawl here that consistently outdoes itself with people and animals getting tossed around that ranks among my favorite scenes of the year, maybe the decade. All this is bolstered by hilariously gross sound effects that are just as inventive and funny as its visual effects.
All movies, good and bad, big and small, are the result of a ton of hard work. It’s not often you feel that insane amount of work when you’re watching something. Hundreds of Beavers is that rare exception. It might sound odd for a slapstick to get this feeling out of me, but you really can’t help but marvel at just how much is put into this silly little movie about a guy fighting a bunch of beavers (the movie makes good on its title, trust me). It’s a movie that loves movies and wears its influences on its sleeve, yet is one of a kind. It’s so cleverly designed and meticulously crafted. Its cast, including everyone in an animal costume, is so committed and hilarious. Its score is perfect. Its sweet and heartfelt, and by the end of the film, I was truly inspired and in awe. It’s the kind of movie that reminded me why I fell in love with them in the first place, and that maybe someday I can make something special too. All of this work and heart… just to get as many laughs out of you as possible.
And that’s the best thing. All of the craft on display is obviously impressive. But more than anything, this movie is just a straight up hilarious time. I’m sure reading all this can feel like the movie is overwhelming, but I promise that’s not the case. If you want a laugh, this movie has got you taken care of. It might take a little while to get used to its tone and atmosphere, but if you’re patient and give it a chance, you’re going to have a fantastic time. My advice? Get together with friends, family, or both, get some drinks (if that’s your thing), and just have a great time with this (they even came out with a drinking game for it!) Even better, see if it’s playing near you and check it out with a packed theater. I saw the movie at home back in April and had a great time. Then I was lucky enough to see it in a packed theater a couple months later, and man, nothing beats that. It’s supposed to be playing one last time this year in December. So if this sounds like your kind of thing, I cannot urge you enough to go check out Hundreds of Beavers. It is truly something special
