The clash of brute and blue blood is an interesting one, but
this is not a Carell comedy.
Foxcatcher
is a new film from Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller, who
directed one of the best sports films of all time (Moneyball). Foxcatcher
tells the story of brothers and Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestlers Mark (Channing
Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) and their encounter with millionaire
John du Pont (Steve Carell).
The clash of brute and blue blood is an interesting one, but
this is not a Carell comedy. In fact, this is a very dark film. The pacing is
slow and downright creepy.
The performances by all three leads are a knockout. The story
is intriguing but fails with some of the motivations, so I’d give that part a win
by default.
Simply put: Dark sports bio with arresting performances
Award potential: Carell
and Ruffalo will be nominated. Carell’s character is not lovable enough to win over
Redmayne or Keaton.
Potential for Best Film and Original Screenplay nominations too, but this is a “performance
film,” not a director/producer one.
The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.
Nice review Alan. Though it's cold, dark and as chilly as the winter air, the performances are so fantastic that it's nearly impossible to look away from the screen. Even if it is incredibly unsettling.
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