[Movie Review] Foxcatcher (2014)

Posted on November 21, 2014 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

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Director: Bennett Miller

Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman

Runtime: 130 min

Main Cast:

Steve Carell as John du Pont
Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz
Sienna Miller as Nancy Schultz
Mark Ruffalo as David Schultz

Review: by Erika T

As a fan of Olympic sports, I was looking forward to this one.

This film is based on a true story centering around 1984 Olympic Champion Wrestler Mark Schultz and his quest to pursue another gold medal with the help of a new coach and sponsor, millionaire John du Pont. In his training for the 1988 games in Seoul, the presence of Mark’s revered brother and Olympic Champion, Dave Schultz complicates matters.

What I Liked:

I went in knowing very little regarding the background of this story, which became essential for a few elements of surprise toward the end. I think the film did a decent job of portraying how a one-sided sibling rivalry can work. Though Mark (played by Channing Tatum) is the star and you feel bad for him because he wants to do nothing more than to overshadow his brother.

Dave (played by Mark Ruffalo) is very likeable so you find yourself rooting for the brothers to find a common ground. I liked that Dave’s intentions were always pure and that he worked to manage what is best for his family vs. what is best for his brother.

I thought it was interesting to touch upon how having achieved everything is still never enough for some people. An Olympic gold medal for a gymnast or a figure skater means guaranteed millions and instant fame, but other athletes tend to struggle financially. The story does a good job of expressing the importance of the need for success beyond only the medals. At the heart of it it’s a story behind the characters’ different needs for acknowledgement. John du Pont (played for Steve Carrell) has everything financially, but even as a middle-aged man he seeks approval and acknowledgment from his mother.

What I Didn’t Like:

I thought the story ran a bit long for my tastes in the middle portion. I think the run time could have remained under 2 hours and the impact would have been just as effective. Channing Tatum, while I do love him as a personality, didn’t command the screen quite as well as Ruffalo or Carrell do. I think Carrell did a fine acting job at John du Pont, but the prosthetics were distraction occasionally. Nevertheless it was an effective departure from his typical comedic roles. I also feel like a bit more needed to be done to understand his character.

The ending didn’t actually resolve enough for me. I don’t know if this happened because it was based on a true story or not, but I was left with several questions that maybe have exceeded my knowledge.

Summary

Foxcatcher‘s story had a few interesting moments, but there was an intensity missing to completely bring me in. I would have liked a better moral to the story. If you don’t see it in theaters, it’s at least worthwhile to read about. It is certainly not a film that will leave you feeling inspired though; in fact by the end I was left feeling fairly Hollow. But I suppose not every tale can be a fairytale.

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