'Foxcatcher' features a stunning lead turn from the traditional comedy actor Steve Carell.
Though Foxcatcher is another success for director Bennett Miller, another step towards serious critical acclaim for Channing Tatum and a possible Oscar nominee for Sony - the real winner of this complex and creepy drama is comedy actor Steve Carell. The actor was the surprise choice to play eccentric multi-millionaire wrestling trainer John du Pont, whose desire to gain the respect of his disapproving mother sent his pupils in a downward psychological spiral.
Channing Tatum [L] supports a superb starring turn from Steve Carell [R]
In a recent interview, Carell recalled walking home from the set with is commiserating co-star Mark Ruffalo.
"We both looked at each other really in agreement that the whole thing was crazy and what we were doing was so far out there.We both felt we were taking huge swings."
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"It's definitely darker than most anything I've ever done," Carell said. "The fact that Bennett had faith in me to do it, that was really a reward in itself, getting that kind of affirmation from someone like that."
"I did believe in my heart that if it could work with Steve, that that would be the best for the film," said director Miller, who also considered the likes of Bill Nighy for the role. "I couldn't imagine something working better than if that could work. I did have glimpses of it in just talking to Steve about the character and hearing his commitment to do it."
Steve Carell's performance as John Du Pont will almost certainly win the traditional comedy actor an Oscar nomination
"The fatherhood issues fueling the tension among Mark (Channing Tatum), Dave (Mark Ruffalo), and du Pont (a creepy, completely unrecognizable Steve Carell) are muted but powerfully realized," said J.R Jones of the Chicago Reader.
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"Carell's performance is career-defining, one that should guarantee him an Oscar nomination," said Dave Kaplan.
"Even if you don't know the details of this real-life, late-20th-century tragedy, director Bennett Miller's masterfully observed psychological study is imbued with a sense of an inevitable, catastrophic meltdown," wrote Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Foxcatcher opens in Canada on a limited run over the Thanksgiving weekend.
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