Reviewing Foxcatcher Before it Comes Out

Foxcatcher

It’s no secret that I was a fan of Foxcatcher after watching that first teaser trailer. (you’ll find me gushing about it here, here and oh here) Hailing it as my most anticipated movie of this year and giving it accolades like “Oscar winner” etc. was something that I had grown accustomed to and still hold firm on. It had a limited release on November 14th of this year but now for whatever reason they’re releasing the film as a “slow opener” across the US in January of 2015. They just want to see me squirm, I know it.

You want to watch the trailer again don’t you? Yeah, I do too.

I’m not sure what it is about this trailer but it unsettles me, in a good way. That one shot of everyone chanting  du Pont’s name as he grins ever so devilishly, is just chilling. There are going to be spoilers abound for those that have no idea what Foxcatcher is about, so please be aware of that before proceeding any further.

Foxcatcher is first and foremost a true story told from the perspective of Mark Schultz an Olympic gold wrestler. The movie takes place during the 1980’s and 1990’s and revolves around the Schultz brothers and their involvement with the Foxcatcher camp where they trained under John du Pont. I tend to gravitate towards true story type films because I can go online and read an abundance of material on the subject at hand before ever watching anything. What really pulls me in about this movie is that it’s about such a compelling crime that only happened just 17 years ago. I should also mention that one of my younger brothers was a wrestler and as the older brother of said wrestler, I know what it’s like to sit on the sidelines and watch what goes down on the mat. Knowing full well of the brutal torture that they put themselves through in order to achieve greatness.

Reading up on the tragedy of Dave Schultz’s death at the hands of du Pont was something that I found hard to bare. Skimming through the written words of the events that took place and learning what not only Mark had now gone through but Dave’s wife and children as well really hit home for me. There was one article I read in which it mentioned that Dave’s wife, Nancy, actually brought Dave’s glasses and some clothes for Mark Ruffalo to wear saying that he showed such dedication to the part that he needed to look the part too. How powerful that must’ve been for Ruffalo to know that Nancy was in full support of the movie and how he was depicting her late husband.

Team Foxcatcher

Speaking of Ruffalo, he is just one of the many great additions to the cast that this movie is going to just ooze over in talent with. Mark for example seems to be one of those flying under the radar actors that does a great job with each and every role he’s in without ever garnering much praise for his efforts. I don’t think he ever seeks out the praise but he is definitely deserving of it.

Then you have Channing Tatum, Magic Mike if you will, and many people still can’t take the poor guy seriously. I’ll admit that I’m one of them until I saw what he did with 21/22 Jump Street. Granted those are comedic performances but coming from him, I’d count that a huge win because he pulls that off so well. I think this will be the first time we can see what Channing really wants to bring to the table as far as his acting goes and I’m sure he won’t disappoint.

Finally we come to the big one out of the three, Steve Carell. The only thing I can really say that I’ve ever liked that Steve Carell has done was Brick from Anchor Man and the voice of Gru from Despicable Me. I was never a fan of the Office and honestly, he always seemed to play the same character no matter what role it was for. Then I saw his transformation in the trailer for Foxcatcher and I was completely blown away. I immediately wanted to compare what he looked like and how he sounded to the real John du Pont – and I tell you now my Unrealtors – he will earn an Oscar nomination for sure. I truly hope that the Academy takes note of the extreme amount of skill and talent that Steve is showing with this part.

Foxcatcher

I’m sure that the film will touch on many events that transpire within the time given and I hope that they develop all the main characters as best as possible. I say that because I wouldn’t be surprised if we walk away with some kind of sympathy for John du Pont even if we know he’s killed someone in cold blood. He was said to had suffered from Schizophrenia and other mental illnesses – such that he was carrying around a gun just to shoot at things that weren’t there. I’m not saying that you should shed a tear for the guy, but if we’re given enough character development for all parties involved then I’m sure the audience will walk away with very mixed emotions.

So that’s it, a pre-review of sorts. I know it’s not much but I just wanted to highlight a few key points about what I think will be an instant hit among critics and audiences alike. (Once it’s actually in all of our theaters of course) What will be interesting is my follow up review of the film a few months from now and if it sounds as positive as this write up does. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Oh, I should give it a pre-star rating too shouldn’t I? … I’m going to go out on a limb here and give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

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