It’s always a strange thing sometimes when a friend recommends a movie or television show with a weird title or premise. That was the case with Hundreds of Beavers. My friend saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival last September and was raving about it. The thing is, my so-called friend likes a lot of strange, weird, and off-the-wall types of films. So, I took this recommendation with a grain of salt.  Against my better judgment, I finally saw it. My instincts were right.

Mike Cheslik directs this film about Jean Kayak (Ryan Brickson Cole Tews) an Apple Jack Salesman who wants to get respect in his community and attract a pretty furrier (Olivia Graves) whose father doesn’t want him near her. In order to accomplish these things, he embarks on a mission to be the best beaver hunter in the area. This is a lot harder than this man thought it would be. The Beavers are a lot smarter than he thought they would be, and they avoid this man and his contraptions at every turn.

Besides this film’s title, which is a dead giveaway that this is an odd movie, there are a few other things about it that set it apart. By the numbers, first, the movie mixes animation with live-action footage, second similar to a Looney Tunes cartoon there are zany sound effects and third it’s primarily in black and white. Combined these three things set this wacky film apart from other movies. There is nothing else I’ve ever seen quite like this movie.

There are a couple of other things in the film that are a bit odd, though. There is a score that is a bit out there musically, and the visual effects the movie uses to mix the animation and live-action styles together. The oddest thing, though, is that the film puts the animals in costumes. While watching the movie I thought this was a strange decision but once I was invested in this man’s mission and how this played into the overall context of the film I was fine with it. After all, it’s a weird concept to begin with.

The key to making this film entertaining and that’s a stretch for me to say it’s entertaining,  is the comedic aspects it tries to get its audience to buy into. If you are fully invested in the funny nature of what the movie is trying to do then you will probably like it more than I did. I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy odd or weird films from time to time but this one takes those two words to the next level. I also enjoy a good comedy if it’s indeed funny. This movie is just a little too strange for my liking.

Hundreds of Beavers is an interesting concept with a lot of strange aspects to it. The mix of black and white, animation, and live-action styles is very different from anything I’ve seen before. The score, visual effects, and men in animal costumes make it one of the strangest movies I’ve seen in a long time. The main performance is a pretty funny one though and the slapstick humor is something I’ve needed in a movie lately. This isn’t for everyone but it was just what the doctor ordered for me when I sat down to watch it.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen