Two of the most misunderstood professions in Occidental society are elite athlete and rock n' roll musician. Actor would be a close cousin of these two. It's difficult for normal people to understand the reality, the highs and the lows of the people we all want to be. Everybody would love to be an Olympic champion because it's an universal symbol of success in our society, so no one is second guessing the inherent happily ever after that comes with such an achievement. FOXCATCHER is a creepy, surreal and frighteningly realistic drama (based on a true story) that exposes the unhealthy dynamic amateur athletes are prey to in our day and age. It's odd, uncomfortable and sometimes even funny, but what carries this movie is that IT HAPPENED FOR REAL *. Let that sink it and keep reading...
Mark and Dave Schultz (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) are brothers and both Olympic gold medalists in freestyle wrestling (1984, Los Angeles). They're both still dirt poor though, training for the Seoul Olympic games, because amateur athletes aren't paid and live off sponsorship. Dave is getting by on coaching contracts to support his family, but Mark, who's single, is particularly hurting. It all changes one day, when a Godfather offer falls on his lap: John E. Du Pont (Steve Carell), a wealthy and eccentric sports enthusiast offers him a salary and housing on his farm in exchange for representing his team (Foxcatcher, also the name of the farm) in competition. What John Du Pont offered and what he really wants are different things, though and Du Pont isn't all that easy to figure out, but he's got severe issues.
A lot was said about the latent homosexuality in FOXCATCHER. I thought it was overstated. Aside from two scenes where it's not all that latent (booty shorts and hair dye/midnight practice), most of what there is to it is wrestling. It's actually a rather accurate depiction of the sport. It's way more accurate technically than any boxing movies out there. If you ever start practicing the sport, it'll feel gay to you only for twenty-four hours. Otherwise, I thought the latent homosexuality in FOXCATCHER was better represented through the unspoken control Du Pont exerted on Mark and later on Dave. Seeing Mark change under tutelage of the multi-millionaire, get molded into somewhat of a fantasy and struggling with what his life has become really is what's unsettling about FOXCATCHER. It's as psychological of a movie as it gets.
* Well, the timeline is somewhat fucked, but the facts are verifiable.
Mark and Dave Schultz (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) are brothers and both Olympic gold medalists in freestyle wrestling (1984, Los Angeles). They're both still dirt poor though, training for the Seoul Olympic games, because amateur athletes aren't paid and live off sponsorship. Dave is getting by on coaching contracts to support his family, but Mark, who's single, is particularly hurting. It all changes one day, when a Godfather offer falls on his lap: John E. Du Pont (Steve Carell), a wealthy and eccentric sports enthusiast offers him a salary and housing on his farm in exchange for representing his team (Foxcatcher, also the name of the farm) in competition. What John Du Pont offered and what he really wants are different things, though and Du Pont isn't all that easy to figure out, but he's got severe issues.
A lot was said about the latent homosexuality in FOXCATCHER. I thought it was overstated. Aside from two scenes where it's not all that latent (booty shorts and hair dye/midnight practice), most of what there is to it is wrestling. It's actually a rather accurate depiction of the sport. It's way more accurate technically than any boxing movies out there. If you ever start practicing the sport, it'll feel gay to you only for twenty-four hours. Otherwise, I thought the latent homosexuality in FOXCATCHER was better represented through the unspoken control Du Pont exerted on Mark and later on Dave. Seeing Mark change under tutelage of the multi-millionaire, get molded into somewhat of a fantasy and struggling with what his life has become really is what's unsettling about FOXCATCHER. It's as psychological of a movie as it gets.
It's difficult to say what was mental health problems and what were deliberate psychological control techniques because both coexisted in DuPont. That's what made it so terrifying at times.
An underrated factor that helped heighten the uncomfortable delivery of FOXCATCHER is the minimalist usage of the soundtrack. There is little to no music throughout the movie and there never is during key scenes. Background noise are realistic details that anchor a scene in reality and it helped going the extra mile in suspension of disbelief. Not only FOXCATCHER is a true story, but its depiction of uneasy relationships is universal. Props to Mark Ruffalo also, one of my favourite working actors today, who transformed himself again to become Dave Schultz, which he brilliantly did without letting go of his own brand of acting. His game really put the understated, minimalist effort of Channing Tatum and Steve Carell in perspective. It would've been harder to appreciate their acting without the presence of Ruffalo.
FOXCATCHER is not everybody's cup of tea. Even Mark Schultz himself hated it. I can't even think of how much of a challenge it must've been to create a movie about such an ambiguous, uncomfortable story. It's an understated, minimalist drama that loves to use deliberate omission in order to make its point. It can be frustrating, and I can't imagine casual moviegoers actually enjoying FOXCATCHER. It's a difficult, unsatisfying movie by nature. I've enjoyed it because of its portrayal of psychological control, especially in a male environment (us men don't like to talk about stuff, so we do shit because we figure out that's the way it is). It's another ambitious, idiosyncratic project by director Bennett Miller and undoubtedly its most stylish and compelling yet. I'm still not sold to Miller's legacy, but FOXCATCHER is his best movie yet.
* Well, the timeline is somewhat fucked, but the facts are verifiable.
