Foxcatcher - 4 smiles

“Foxcatcher” is a dark drama based on a true story. And while it involves sports, the focus is on the warped side of human nature, specifically the murder committed by the wealthy John E. du Pont in the late 90s. The murder takes place during the last moments of the film because director Bennett Miller is more interested in analyzing the relationships and exploring the motives. The screenplay by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman suggest that the roots of the tragedy can be traced back to the fractious relationship between uber-wealthy du Pont (Steve Carell) and his mother, Jean (Vanessa Redgrave). Everything du Pont does is influenced by his desire for his mother’s respect (which he doesn’t get) and his pathological need to overshadow her achievements.  The screenplay compresses events that transpired over a ten-year period into a much shorter time. It beings in the run-up to the 1987 world wrestling championships where brothers (both former Olympic gold medalists from 1984) Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave (Mark Ruffalo) plan to compete. Du Point asks Mark to visit him at his Pennsylvania estate with a proposal: if Mark will relocate to train at his facility, he will pay him $25,000 a year. Du Pont wants to be associated with a champion, to bask in reflected glory. The repressed homosexual attraction remains largely in the subtext. Mark agrees, but Dave remains behind, unwilling to uproot his family. Du Pont is disappointed, but he makes due with what he has. Mark and du Pont forge an odd friendship, but events take a dark turn when Mark loses focus and doesn’t win. Dave is then enticed to move to Pennsylvania.

Du point is an odd character. He isn’t good in social situations and has trouble with interpersonal relationships. He views wrestlers in much the same way his mother perceives her horses: a way to get status and add to her trophy collection. And Carell, under makeup that occasionally renders him unrecognizable, effectively conveys du Pont’s peculiar personality, making his eccentricities chilling and disquieting. Channing Tatum is equally good, easily giving the best dramatic performance of his career. He makes Mark Schultz a guy who can quite reconcile the fact that winning a gold medal didn’t solve all his problems. As du Pont grows weirder e grows more resentful. Tatum captures his simmering anger with skill. Mark Ruffalo has a comparatively smaller role, yet he is also stellar as the more congenial and easy-going Dave, providing a stark contrast to the more awkward du Pont. “Foxcatcher,” filled with layered performances and emotional storytelling, is a must-see. 11/2014