“Foxcatcher,” based on 1984 Olympic champion wrestler Mark Schultz‘s autobiography, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to reported “Bravo!” cheers from media and early Academy Awards hype Monday.
The film stars Steve Carell as millionaire John du Pont, who murdered Schultz’s brother and fellow 1984 Olympic wrestling champion Dave Schultz in 1996. Mark would go on to write an autobiography, off which the film is based.
Mark Ruffalo plays Dave Schultz, and Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz.
“Steve Carell is an Oscar Lock for ‘Foxcatcher,'” wrote Variety about the comedy star switching to the dramatic role of a killer while wearing a fake nose.
The Associated Press offered more praise:
While this year’s festival has already seen several films that could become award season players, including Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner,” ”Foxcatcher” premiered with larger expectations — and generally met them.
Not only was the acting lauded, but also the Olympic backdrop, as Variety‘s chief film critic wrote.
Crucially, this meticulously researched picture feels as authentic in its understanding of character as it does in its unvarnished re-creation of the world of Olympic sports in the late ’80s; rarely onscreen has the art of wrestling, centered around the violent yet intimate spectacle of men’s bodies in furious collision, provided so transfixing a metaphor for the emotional undercurrents raging beneath the surface.
“Foxcatcher” director Bennett Miller previously directed “Moneyball” and “Capote,” both of which were nominated for Best Picture.
The film is slated to open in U.S. theaters on Nov. 14, during awards season, after being held from last year to give Miller more time to finish it.
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