Movies: Foxcatcher

(Drivebycuriosity) - The life of a super-rich can be super-boring. The movie "Foxcatcher" (imdb) focuses on the real story of John DuPont, a heir of the founders of the US chemistry giant DuPont. Unfortunately the billionaire was mentally troubled and didn´t have much use for his fortune and time. After the 1984th Olympics he became obsessed with the idea to finance and coach a team of olympic wrestlers which lead to dramatic developments (this is a spoiler free blog).

The biopic was a too long for my taste (134 minutes) and did not present DuPont´s complicated life and personality well (wikipedia). Instead director Benet Miller focused on wrestling, which is not my favorite kind of sports. But the fine cinematography by Greig Fraser, which included gorgeous landscapes in northeast USA, and the brilliant cast compensated for that.

Steve Carell as the disturbed John DuPont did a great job. The actor, who is known as a comedian, inpersonated this humorless and strange person perfectly. The film didn´t really explore the depths of DuPont´s fixation with wresters but reminded me a bit of the HBO drama "Libertine". Channing Tatum, as wrestler and DuPont´s object of obsession, and Mark Ruffalo, as his brother and wrestler coach, fit well in this setting. The cinema legend Vanessa Redgrave had an interesting cameo as John`s mother.

"Foxcatcher" is an interesting psychology study about a troubled mind in a super-wealthy environment.

PS For illustration I used "American Collectors" by David Hockney (Art Institute Chicago) because I think the painting represents a bit the relationship of John with his mother.