Mike Cheslik's Hundreds of Beavers is the sleeper of the year. It has kicked around the festival circuit for over two years and can be viewed now streaming on Tubi. A homage to silent comedy, Hundreds of Beavers is a dialogue free, black and white film that makes up in inventiveness and pure silliness what it lacks in budget. Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, who collaborated on the script with Cheslik (probably after a few pops), stars as apple farmer Jean Kayak who has to pivot into fur trapping after his orchard is destroyed. Trapping the various critters proves more difficult than expected, but Jean is compelled to make his fortune in order to win the hand of the fetching daughter of the proprietor of the local general store. The various animals (beavers, but also rabbits, skunks, wolves and frogs) are mostly portrayed by humans in mascot costumes, adding to the gloriously imbecilic tone of the proceedings. The humor is as broad as a barn, but the pacing and ingenious variations on the theme never flag.
The primary model for this film seems to be the work of Chuck Jones, particularly his Roadrunner and Coyote animation shorts. With the help of Adobe After Effects, Cheslik helps his protagonist defy logic and physics as his Rube Goldberg inspired traps provide much comic mayhem. Even the gutting and skinning of the varmints is done for comic effect. Despite a wonderful pole dance by Olivia Graves as the object of Jean's affections, this is PG13 fun for the ten year old in all of us. Cheslik tips his hat to many of his film forebears. The list of films and video games referenced is too long to include in full, but includes Seven Chances (see above), Steamboat Bill Jr., The Gold Rush, Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, Cannibal! the Musical, and Ernst Lubitsch's The Wildcat. However, you don't need to be a film buff to enjoy this one. Superior buffoonery!
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