Review: Foxcatcher

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Do you have a problem with me?

Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) won an Olympic gold medal at the 1984 games. When we meet him in this story, it's three years later and he's drifting by and training for the Worlds. He trains with his brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo) who tends to overshadow him. One day, a mysterious billionaire named John du Pont (Steve Carrell) contacts Mark and asks him to train at his Foxcatcher farm. This starts a troubled relationship that ends in tragedy. 

At first, I had planned on not reading about what really happened in this true story. Then I ended up having to read the bare minimum because a lot of reviews talked about the ending in their opening paragraph. This film changes quite a few things, but it doesn't matter. This is the definition of a slow burn. It moves at a snail's pace while building tension. It reminded me a bit of how Audition was structured. 

The score is pretty ominous and sets the tone, but the best thing about this film is the acting. Channing Tatum plays Mark with a stick shoved so far up his ass he barely cracks a smile. That's a compliment, it works here. Then you have Mark Ruffalo, who's so sweet and attentive, but realizes rather quickly something is wrong. Last but not least, we have Steve Carell who completely disappears in his role. The only thing recognizable about him at all is his voice. You've probably seen pictures of him, but seeing him actually move around (all these actors seem to have altered the way the walked) is quite jarring. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote: "Horses are stupid." - John du Pont (Steve Carell)

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 24, 2015 at 2:37 PM

    Awesome review. "The definition of a slow burn is a good way to describe this movie. And I agree that the best thing about it was the acting. I like the way you described the characters and performances.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aditya BJanuary 25, 2015 at 8:14 AM

    Great, great review. It was definitely a slow-burn, but the payoff was worth it. The acting was brilliant, not only from Carell, Tatum and Ruffalo, but also Miller and Redgrave, who I thought were quite good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 25, 2015 at 9:22 PM

      They were both good too with what little they had. Definitely the best I've ever seen Tatum.

      Delete
  3. s.January 26, 2015 at 12:54 PM

    Glad you liked this so much! I love your impression on Tatum's performance :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 26, 2015 at 3:10 PM

      Thank you :) That's what I was thinking in the theaters, so it had to go in the review.

      Delete
  4. JoshFebruary 2, 2015 at 1:38 PM

    I thought Carell's acting was a bit questionable at times, but the cast did a great job on the whole. Thrilled that Miller got a directing nod for this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 2, 2015 at 3:54 PM

      Miller came out of nowhere for me. He deserves it though, I'm happy for him.

      Delete

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