Foxcatcher: Movie Review

Director Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) is a filmmaker who likes to tell fascinating true stories and he is at it again and this one seems like it would have been perfect for film. Unfortunately despite some great cinematography and fantastic performances from Steve Carell and Channing Tatum, “Foxcatcher” never seems to go anywhere.

As “Foxcatcher” begins, Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrester Mark Schultz (Tatum) is poverty stricken. During his days when he is not training with his older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), he is speaking at local public schools for $20 a pop. That is just enough money to buy a decent lunch that day. Mark’s luck begins to change when he is invited to Foxcatcher Farm, the estate of wealthy du Pont Chemical Company heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) and given the opportunity to train with a hand-picked team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Foxcatcher Farm has a state-of-the-art training facility, and John du Pont is eager to be the benefactor as well as the team’s coach. Schultz and du Pont grow closer as Mark begins to look upon him as not only a coach but also a father figure. Mark is blind to John’s true nature which doesn’t allow him to see that something is off with his coach. John du Pont’s mother (Vanessa Redgrave) does not respect her son or his efforts with Team Foxcatcher, despite the fact that winning his mother’s respect is one of his main goals.

Carell is absolutely terrific here and his portrayal of John du Pont is haunting. Tatum also delivers and this could be his best performance to date. Unfortunately “Foxcatcher” feels empty and flat. Even the tragedy that comes towards the end lacks much of an impact. The story of John du Pont and Mark Schultz is a great one and it’s a shame that a better movie didn’t come out of it.

By: Marc Ferman