Three Strong Performances Make Foxcatcher A Less Tedious Affair

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2015)

From the director of Capote & Moneyball comes another biopic, this time concerning the multi- millionaire John du Pont which mainly covers his relationship with 1984 Olympic gold medalists, Mark & Dave Schultz. And even though Foxcatcher looks like an interesting character study on paper, the film itself is quite a tedious experience for the most part.
The story of Foxcatcher concerns John du Pont; heir of the multimillionaire Du Pont family & a wrestling enthusiast who recruits the 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning US wrestlers & brothers, Mark & Dave Schultz, in order to help coach aspiring US wrestlers for upcoming tournaments. The plot also tries to capture the relationship dynamics between these three characters.
Directed by Bennett Miller, the film starts working on developing a motive behind what actually led real-life John du Pont take such an extreme action considering that there's possibly none in reality but it's so static, uninspiring & unappealing at times that it becomes a chore rather than an immersive drama. The technical aspects are fine mostly but it's the performances where the film excels.
The cast comprises of Steve Carell, Channing Tatum & Mark Ruffalo, and the trio have done a terrific job in their given roles. It's a shame that the narrative is unable to keep the interest alive for the actors gave everything they had & are simply fabulous. Carell obviously is the biggest surprise here as the unhinged character but chemistry between Tatum & Ruffalo is also pretty much spot-on.
On an overall scale, Foxcatcher feels like one of those boring lectures featuring a teacher who's is reading out loud in front of the class but simply lacks the imagination to make the lectures interesting or engaging for the students. It had the resources & it had a fitting cast to pull it off but in the end, there's no reward for sitting through this slow burner. Watch it only for the trio of excellent performances.