"Foxcatcher" Review
There are so many interesting things about the story of David Schultz and John du Pont. du Pont came from a colorful family of unimaginable wealth. He was cut from Central Casting as a black sheep; awkward, a dreamer and almost certainly born with a mental illness. Schultz was a habitual overachiever. He was also a gregarious, giving fellow whose life was cut short in tragic fashion. Pick any one of those things, and there is the potential for a good movie. Foxcatcher didn't and it isn't.
Foxcatcher is Mark Schultz's story. Mark, played by Channing Tatum, is the younger brother of David, and is also a champion wrestler. Mark and David both won gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (a great accomplishment, but one sullied by the fact that the Soviet Union led a boycott of Eastern Bloc nations in retaliation for the United States' boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow) and Mark won gold at the 1987 FILA world championships in 1987.
It is Mark's post-Olympic time with Steve Carrell's John du Pont that is the central plot of Foxcatcher. Mark's desire for a more comfortable life (he begins the movie living a solitary life; scraping by financially while trying to keep his training at an elite level) and du Pont's desire to support American wrestling is initially a mutually beneficial arrangement. Mark puts up with du Pont's eccentricities (some that will draw laughs from the audience) and he gains a friendship in the process. The movie keeps clear that there was essential tension between Mark and du Pont (an intrinsic property of relationships with benefactors), but the two men seem to have genuine affection for each other. They were both missing something and for a time they both thought that they'd found it.
If Foxcatcher were just about Mark and du Pont, it may have been a better movie than it is. But it can't be. Mark Schultz is not the man who made headlines. David Schultz is.
David Schultz (played with uncanny precision by Mark Ruffalo) was an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, but he was so much more. He was an athlete without obvious physical gifts, thus making him easy to root for. He had a colorful personality. He was a great wrestler himself and a great coach to others. He was an asset to the American wrestling community, but more than that he was the type of guy who would've been an asset to any community he would've been a part of.
The factual history of the Schultzes' relationship with John du Pont is chronicled in the movie. Mark Schultz coached and trained at John du Pont's Team Foxcatcher, a training compound founded on du Pont's large estate outside of Philadelphia, starting in 1986. In 1989, shortly after Mark left Foxcatcher, David Schultz became the leader of that team. David stayed at Team Foxcatcher until his shocking death in 1996.
Mark Ruffalo gives the best performance in Foxcatcher, and that is one of several reasons why the movie ultimately disappoints. A story about David Schultz could have been superlative. It would have been great to see why he was so beloved, what type of sacrifices he made for American wrestling and how he managed his relationship with an erratic dilettante like du Pont for so many years. From a character perspective, it would have been great to see Ruffalo play the type of guy who thought that friendship trumps all; who believed that by being a friend, he would be able to neutralize the inherent evil that lied within John E. du Pont.
But the story is not about David Schultz. Whether it is because Mark is the one alive today to tell the story or because Channing Tatum is a bigger star than Mark Ruffalo or because of some other reason altogether, director Bennett Miller chose to tell the story of Mark Schultz instead.
Foxcatcher handicaps itself by attempting to solder Mark Schultz's story with David Schultz's death, but that is not it's only flaw. Most of the movie is free of deep conflict. Mark must go through some internal struggles, but it is mellow drama. There are no sharp choices or moments of hard suspense. It is Oscar-bait; a movie that gives the director and lead actors plenty of room for self-indulgence at the expense of the story. Maybe that is what the movie has to be. Maybe this sad, memorable story is something fit for a longform magazine article, but too thin for two and a half hours of screen time. Maybe the only way to get people to watch is to make it about the players rather than the play.
For long time fans of American wrestling and for film awards watchers, Foxcatcher is an obvious must-see. For pro wrestling/MMA fans and people who enjoy movies, I would also recommend it. It's a major movie set in the world of wrestling. We don't get many of those, and for all its flaws Foxcatcher chronicles an archetypal story of seeking success when your instincts tell you to beware.
Foxcatcher is Mark Schultz's story. Mark, played by Channing Tatum, is the younger brother of David, and is also a champion wrestler. Mark and David both won gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (a great accomplishment, but one sullied by the fact that the Soviet Union led a boycott of Eastern Bloc nations in retaliation for the United States' boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow) and Mark won gold at the 1987 FILA world championships in 1987.
It is Mark's post-Olympic time with Steve Carrell's John du Pont that is the central plot of Foxcatcher. Mark's desire for a more comfortable life (he begins the movie living a solitary life; scraping by financially while trying to keep his training at an elite level) and du Pont's desire to support American wrestling is initially a mutually beneficial arrangement. Mark puts up with du Pont's eccentricities (some that will draw laughs from the audience) and he gains a friendship in the process. The movie keeps clear that there was essential tension between Mark and du Pont (an intrinsic property of relationships with benefactors), but the two men seem to have genuine affection for each other. They were both missing something and for a time they both thought that they'd found it.
If Foxcatcher were just about Mark and du Pont, it may have been a better movie than it is. But it can't be. Mark Schultz is not the man who made headlines. David Schultz is.
David Schultz (played with uncanny precision by Mark Ruffalo) was an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, but he was so much more. He was an athlete without obvious physical gifts, thus making him easy to root for. He had a colorful personality. He was a great wrestler himself and a great coach to others. He was an asset to the American wrestling community, but more than that he was the type of guy who would've been an asset to any community he would've been a part of.
The factual history of the Schultzes' relationship with John du Pont is chronicled in the movie. Mark Schultz coached and trained at John du Pont's Team Foxcatcher, a training compound founded on du Pont's large estate outside of Philadelphia, starting in 1986. In 1989, shortly after Mark left Foxcatcher, David Schultz became the leader of that team. David stayed at Team Foxcatcher until his shocking death in 1996.
Mark Ruffalo gives the best performance in Foxcatcher, and that is one of several reasons why the movie ultimately disappoints. A story about David Schultz could have been superlative. It would have been great to see why he was so beloved, what type of sacrifices he made for American wrestling and how he managed his relationship with an erratic dilettante like du Pont for so many years. From a character perspective, it would have been great to see Ruffalo play the type of guy who thought that friendship trumps all; who believed that by being a friend, he would be able to neutralize the inherent evil that lied within John E. du Pont.
But the story is not about David Schultz. Whether it is because Mark is the one alive today to tell the story or because Channing Tatum is a bigger star than Mark Ruffalo or because of some other reason altogether, director Bennett Miller chose to tell the story of Mark Schultz instead.
Foxcatcher handicaps itself by attempting to solder Mark Schultz's story with David Schultz's death, but that is not it's only flaw. Most of the movie is free of deep conflict. Mark must go through some internal struggles, but it is mellow drama. There are no sharp choices or moments of hard suspense. It is Oscar-bait; a movie that gives the director and lead actors plenty of room for self-indulgence at the expense of the story. Maybe that is what the movie has to be. Maybe this sad, memorable story is something fit for a longform magazine article, but too thin for two and a half hours of screen time. Maybe the only way to get people to watch is to make it about the players rather than the play.
For long time fans of American wrestling and for film awards watchers, Foxcatcher is an obvious must-see. For pro wrestling/MMA fans and people who enjoy movies, I would also recommend it. It's a major movie set in the world of wrestling. We don't get many of those, and for all its flaws Foxcatcher chronicles an archetypal story of seeking success when your instincts tell you to beware.
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