Foxcatcher

I wouldn't say that this film was a disappointment, mainly because I had no preexisting ideals about it, but I also wouldn't say it blew me away in the way that it has for others. In a year that feels somewhat dedicated to biopics, Foxcatcher gets lost in a sea of better scripts. Clever prosthetics and an interesting character cannot transform an average film into an award winner. And whilst there was the potential for this film to exceed expectations, the focus seemed to be concentrated primarily on depicting struggle without explanation.

The plot is centred around relationships first and foremost. And of the relationships within the film, the most interesting one is between John du Pont and his mother. It's clear that they have a strained relationship but as the film develops we see the impact this has had on John which gives some insight into his bizarre character. Striving for affection and approval, he begins to search for acceptance outside of his Mother's approved activities which leads him to the world of wrestling and to Dave and Mark Schultz. The Olympic gold medalist brothers are invited to train and coach as part of du Pont's Team Foxcatcher whilst living on his grounds. In the beginning Mark is excited and happy to be with du Pont and respects him and his desire for 'All American' success. But as time passes and this desire for success exceeds his desire to comfort and support Mark, Schultz begins to resent him. And once Dave finally agrees to join the Foxcatcher team, Mark begins struggling with much bigger problems than rejection. 

Based on real people, I had assumed there would have been a deeper exploration into the thought processes of each character. I felt that the film missed an opportunity to explore the lives of truly interesting and disturbed people. For example, John du Pont was notoriously paranoid and erratic yet the film only brushed upon the surface of his personality, basically suggesting that his actions nearer the end of the film were solely down to the treatment he had received from his mother during his childhood. Whereas, it was much more likely that John had bigger mental issues than Foxcatcher depicted. Equally as disappointing was the lack of attention on Mark's mental deterioration. The film could have explored the effects of olympic training on the mind or even explored his drug use on a more detailed level. 

Foxcatcher could have given itself a better chance had it been released later in the year instead of around award season with several other, well written biopics. The trailer had me thinking the film was more than a surface investigation of the life of two wrestlers and their eccentric, rich friend but sadly this was all that it was. It was interesting but not interesting enough.