City Lights. Metropolis. Hundreds of Beavers.
From 1894 to 1931, the earliest period of moving periods is known as the Silent Era. These films, made with celluloid and glass (to help simulate color), make up a significant portion of our global history as they were the first to capture humanity in motion in all of their innocent and devilish sides. Of the three films above, two are considered among the best from the silent film era, the first being the 1931 Charlie Chaplin written/directed/starring romantic comedy and the second being the 1927 Fritz Lang-directed science fiction thriller. But that last one? It spent 2023 on the festival circuit and now, in 2024, the Mike Cheslik-directed/co-written slapstick absurdist comedy Hundreds of Beavers is attempting a roadshow tour plus wide release so you’ll understand why it deserves to be mentioned alongside the greats. Operating under the same comedic principles of Chaplin and Buster Keaton (The Cameraman) with the mania of Looney Tunes, Hundreds of Beavers is a pitch-perfect throwback executed with modern sensibilities.
Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as Jean Kayak of Acme Applejack in HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS. Photo courtesy of SRH.
When his Applejack distillery goes kaboom, the usual-drunken Jean Kayak of Acme Applejack (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) finds himself in a spot of trouble as the normally lovely weather has turned frigid and his skills are more aligned with apple fermentation than animal trapping. With his survival on the line (and the heart of local furrier (Olivia Graves)), Jean Kayak sets about to make his fortune, but nature’s got a few tricks up its sleeves to keep him at bay and away from his love.
Olivia Graves as The Furrier in HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS. Photo courtesy of SRH.
It’s one thing to make a silent film; it’s another to use the artistic language of the period to make something today. This isn’t just a film without dialogue where sound is minimal, kept primarily to the score by Chris Ryan (Scream VI) and natural(ish) sounds by sound mixer Bobb Barito (Molli and Max in the Future) and foley work by Blake Collins (Top Gun: Maverick). We’re talking about the use of fantastical, almost phantasmagorical, sets and character designs. We’re talking a blending of real and hyperreal and not being concerned with which is which in this wild 19th century Midwest era adventure. We’re talking about authentic cinematography by Quinn Hester (Disturbance in the Force) who creates period-specific visible grain, spots in the frame, a slight pulsing in the light source that’s common in even restored Silent Film Era productions. It’s heavy on larger than life performances, sight gags, and physical comedy. It relies on outlandish costumes, gags that get set up, utilized, forgotten, and then brought back around. The momentum, therefore, can’t be found in exposition dialogue, but in action and reaction, of which there is a great deal as Jean Kayak comes to terms with his new existence and how to make the best of it. Blessedly, Tews is more than up to the task whether getting into a fight with scene partners wearing human-sized full body suits (complete with copious cowboy switches) or having to manage conveying the ridiculousness or tenuousness of whichever situation he now finds himself with great ease. Tews demonstrates a clear grasp of his body in physical space in scenes that could be on-location one moment and green screen another, so much so that the projected reality before us is all we accept.
R: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as Jean Kayak of Acme Applejack in HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS. Photo courtesy of SRH.
If one is a film nerd, the most impressive thing about Cheslik’s world is how everything is presented in such a manner as one might expect from an Alice Guy-Blaché production (La Fée aux Choux). Yes, Hundreds of Beavers may use a lot of modern techniques, whether it’s creating a giant snowball, a hole Jean Kayak’s going to fall into seemingly out of nowhere, or the prying eyes of a nighttime creature that thinks Jean Kayak looks delicious, but each of these (and many many other moments) are stylized and presented as period appropriate, placing emphasis on creativity and imagination over authenticity. There’s a hypothetical version of Beavers where the animals are CG like a cartoon and, frankly, that version is an absolute horrorshow. There’s very little comedy to be found in the skinning and tanning of a cartoon animal, but to see a human-sized beaver suddenly go limp as if stuffed with packing peanuts, it’s eyes turned to Xs, well, that’s so totally absurd that all one can do is laugh. Impressively, where one may presume that this is all fine and good for a single-note gag, Cheslik and co-writer Tews express such creativity in keeping the setups and pay-offs coming that it becomes clear they studied at the altar of Guy-Blaché, Chaplin, Keaton and others to bring Beavers to life.
Wes Tank as The Master Trapper in HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS. Photo courtesy of SRH.
All the fantastic homages and stylistic flourishes in the world matter little if the story itself isn’t executed well. The script by Cheslik and Tews is a fairly straight-forward tale of a drunkard learning how to get clean and get the girl, all while battling the elements and nature’s various “gifts.” Broken into three clear pieces, each one propelling us deeper into the madness of Beavers, we come to realize that this is a story of perseverance and ingenuity wrapped up in one physical gag after another. To its credit, the film maintains its emotional core and narrative focus even when it seems to reach the point of disbelief and crosses over with the confidence of one George Washington “Bugs” Bunny. In fact, intentionally or not, and this is a massive hat tip to Cheslik and Tews as writers and Tews as the performer, so much of the characterization of Jean Kayak feels inspired by one Daffy Horatio Tiberius Duck — always underestimated, full of determination, and constantly sees himself as the hero. Of course, thanks to the script and pacing, we get to see Jean Kayak get taken down a few pegs and earn his stripes as a trapper and, due to Tews, we will root for him the entire way.
R: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as Jean Kayak of Acme Applejack in HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS. Photo courtesy of SRH.
Look — put simply, Hundreds of Beavers goes from having a slight downhome charm to completely ludicrous piece by piece, gag by gag, and it does so without losing its audience in the process. Sure, some of the gags reach a point in their repetition of “we got it,” but the way in which they get introduced, experimented with, and utilized throughout the course of Jean Kayak’s quest for love and success, one tends to forgive it and quickly. When people describe a film as something you have to see to believe, this is the type of film they mean. It’s unique, hilarious, sweet, zany, and undeniably memorable. More than that, it’s the kind of film you want to share as wide as possible so that others can get in on the jokes.
If you find yourself in the path of Hundreds of Beavers, hop on. Take the ride.
Great Lakes Roadshow runs January 26th – February 10th, 2024.
In select theaters nationwide February 9th, 2024.
Available on digital and VOD Spring 2024.
Available on Blu-ray Summer 2024.
For more information, head to the official Hundreds of Beavers website.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 5.
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Categories: Films To Watch, In Theaters, Recommendation, Reviews
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