Foxcatcher (2014)
79%RT Audience Score: 66%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 5 Oscars
13 wins & 81 nominations total
A chilling true crime drama, Foxcatcher offers Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum a chance to shine — and all three of them rise to the challenge
Foxcatcher is a movie that will leave you with a knot in your chest, but not because of the wrestling scenes. While the acting is impressive, the ending falls flat and leaves much to be desired. However, Steve Carell’s nuanced performance as a figure of madness and entitlement is worth the watch. Plus, who knew Channing Tatum could be so searing? Overall, Foxcatcher is a hypnotically eerie drama that’s well worth the time and effort it demands.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some drug use and a scene of violence
Year of Release
2015
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Datasat Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 14m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 3, 2015
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall, directed by Bennett Miller, written by E Max Frye, Dan Futterman, crime, drama, R rating, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, Anthony Bregman produced, $12.1M box office, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Jason Bailey, Jocelyn Noveck, Ryan Gilbey, David Sexton, Leslie Felperin, Leigh Paatsch, Steve Carell as John du Pont, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz, Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz, wrestling, 1988 Olympics, American aristocracy, true crime drama, tragedy, psychological currents, patriotism, control, power, authority, paranoia, physical prowess, character study, bleak, bizarre, Pennsylvania farm, neutral, lifeless, documentary style, shocking, tragic ending
Worldwide gross: $19,206,513
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $23,974,882
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,639
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,614,491
US/Canada gross: $12,096,300
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,099,428
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,493
US/Canada opening weekend: $270,877
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $338,127
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,505
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $24,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $29,958,440
Production budget ranking: 1,159
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,132,620
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$22,116,178
ROI to date (est.): -48%
ROI ranking: 1,678
Channing Tatum – Mark Schultz
Mark Ruffalo – Dave Schultz
Vanessa Redgrave – Jean du Pont
Sienna Miller – Nancy Schultz
Anthony Michael Hall – Jack
Megan Ellison – Producer
Bennett Miller – Director, Producer
Jon Kilik – Producer
Anthony Bregman – Producer
E. Max Frye – Writer
Dan Futterman – Writer
Director(s)
Bennett Miller
Writer(s)
E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Producer(s)
Megan Ellison, Bennett Miller, Jon Kilik, Anthony Bregman
Film Festivals
Cannes, Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 5 Oscars
13 wins & 81 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (251) | Top Critics (80) | Fresh (219) | Rotten (32)
While the acting is mostly impressive, the ending of the film leaves much to be desired as screenwriters E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman’s script simply flutters to a close without much of an impact.
September 1, 2017 | Rating: B-
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
In the back hour, the music quietly turns the screws, and Miller stops letting the air in, and I realized that a knot had formed in my chest.
June 18, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
[Miller] is equally adept at portraying the peculiarities of wrestling here, and how those physical moves — beautifully choreographed and executed — sync with deeper psychological currents.
December 11, 2015
Jocelyn Noveck
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
It imitates deliberately the pace of wrestling where nothing happens for ages, bar imperceptible shuffling and nudging, until suddenly someone wins.
January 16, 2015
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
It is, in many ways, beautifully made, giving its scenes the time to unfold, holding its shots patiently, showing, not telling. And the performances live up to this approach.
January 9, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
David Sexton
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Tatum is on searing form, and Carrell really knocks it out of the park with his first straight dramatic role.
January 9, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Leslie Felperin
Radio Times
TOP CRITIC
Hypnotically eerie drama… well worth the time and effort it demands.
June 30, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Carell could have quite easily played him as a figure of fun but, to his credit, he delivers a nuanced performance that even manages to evoke a little sympathy.
June 27, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
Armed with a layered screenplay and excellent performances, Foxcatcher manages to create another harrowing tale of true-life tragedy that speaks to something as grand as American dynasties, to an intimate examination of isolation and greed.
May 27, 2022 | Rating: 10/10
Josh Parham
Next Best Picture
With a tip of the hat in the direction of Langston Hughes, let it be noted that Foxcatcher isn’t so much a study of a dream deferred but of the American Dream deferred.
August 18, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Buoyed by interesting, unexpected performances and an unnerving tone but adds little to the examination of the complex issues that lie at the center of the story.
February 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
The movie is unusual in its sharp portrayal of the American aristocracy’s sense of entitlement almost to the point of madness.
August 13, 2020
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site…
Plot
Based on true events, Foxcatcher tells the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multi-millionaire and two champion wrestlers. When Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is invited by wealthy heir John Du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to the Du Pont estate and help form a team to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics at his new state-of-the-art training facility, Schultz jumps at the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the poverty stricken situation Olympic caliber athletes like he and his revered brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). Driven by hidden needs, Du Pont sees backing Schultz’s bid for Gold and the chance to “coach” a world-class wrestling team as an opportunity to gain the elusive respect of his peers and, more importantly, his disapproving mother (Vanessa Redgrave). Trapped in Du Pont’s majestic but suffocating world, Mark comes to see his benefactor as an egotistical, arrogant, and selfish megalomaniac and grows increasingly contemptuous. Though initially supportive, Du Pont’s mercurial personality turns and he begins to lure Mark into an unhealthy lifestyle that threatens to undermine his training. Soon Du Pont’s erratic behavior and threatening psychological game-play begin to erode the athlete’s environment, stability, and motivation. Meanwhile Du Pont becomes fixated on Dave, who exudes the confidence Du Pont lacks. Du Pont eventually realizes he is unable to buy the respect he so desperately desires from the world’s greatest wrestlers. Fueled by Du Pont’s increasing paranoia and alienation from the brothers, the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Steve Carell delivers a nuanced performance that even manages to evoke a little sympathy.
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