Midweek Mention... Hundreds of Beavers

Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we're diving whiskers-first into the utterly bonkers, wildly inventive indie oddity that is Hundreds of Beavers — a film that may be about trapping furry woodland critters but ends up capturing something much rarer: pure, anarchic cinematic joy.Directed by Mike Cheslik and starring frequent collaborator Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Hundreds of Beavers is a near-silent, black-and-white slapstick adventure set in a surreal 19th-century frontier. It follows a hapless, hard-drinking applejack salesman (Tews) who finds himself stranded in a snowy wilderness and must learn the ways of the wild—specifically how to trap beavers—in order to survive, thrive, and maybe even win the heart of a fur trader’s daughter.What makes this film stand out isn’t just its lo-fi commitment to absurdity—it’s the hand-crafted world of practical effects, person-in-costume beavers, and cartoon physics that turn it into a live-action Looney Tunes episode by way of Buster Keaton.🧊 Why We Loved ItSlapstick Supremacy: Tews delivers a physical performance that channels Chaplin, Keaton, and even a little Mr. Bean. It’s a film where a single man getting smacked in the face by an anthropomorphic beaver trap is not just funny—it’s art.Pure Visual Comedy: There’s barely a word of dialogue, but it doesn't matter. The storytelling is crystal clear through a perfect blend of timing, performance, and imaginative visuals. It’s modern silent cinema done right.DIY Wonder: This is microbudget filmmaking at its most inspired. The inventiveness and sheer commitment of the cast and crew to an utterly ridiculous premise makes this a cult classic in the making.A Celebration of the Absurd: From farting outhouses to exploding traps to a cast of fully costumed beavers engaging in battle, this is a film that leans all the way into its nonsense, but never loses sight of structure or charm.Hundreds of Beavers is a joyous, gonzo achievement—a slapstick snowstorm of ingenuity, beaver costumes, and frontier lunacy. It doesn’t take itself seriously, but it seriously delivers on laughs, creativity, and heart. Whether you're a connoisseur of physical comedy or just want to see a man wage war against the local fauna in increasingly unhinged ways, this is a film that rewards the curious.It’s not just one of the most original comedies we’ve seen recently—it’s one of the most original films full stop. 🦫❄️🎬You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads