I’ve always wanted to be in the Olympics. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of marching alongside the best athletes in the world to an audience of millions. I don’t even need to compete; just entering the stadium would be honor enough. I remember thinking about what I wouldn’t give for such an opportunity. After watching Foxcatcher, I will defer that particular thought to those who actually earn the right to call themselves Olympic athletes. It is quite clear that if you haven’t earned the right to parade among Olympians, you have no right to tarnish the dreams of somebody else.
Based on actual events, Foxcatcher embraces the idea that enough money can pretty much buy anything, including Olympic dreams. In the 1980s, the du Pont family was the wealthiest in the United States and perhaps the world. Pierre du Pont IV (not part of this film) even ran for president in 1988 on the strength on being real rich. John du Pont (Steve Carell, in a role you simply won’t believe) is the focus here — wrestling fanatic, mama’s boy and inferiority complex ridden parasite, JdP used his obscene amount of power and wealth to buy his way into the head coaching position for the United States Olympic Wrestling team competing in the games of Seoul, South Korea.
Of course, this is retrospect talking. The movie starts with 1984 gold medal winning brothers Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo). Currently, it’s 1987. Dave is a family man, retried from competition but using his wrestling know-how to teach young men how to grapple with one another in skimpy tight clothing. Channing Tatum plays an ape in this motion picture, and when I say he plays an ape, I’m not sure it’s a metaphor. Living on an income of grade school appearance fees and diet of ketchup-flavored Top Ramen, Mark could probably be drawn to cage life for the right banana. He’s easy pickings for the bombastic billionaire offering many bananas in exchange for being a personal pet. And JdP presents himself as Napoleonic, sure, but mostly reserved and determined. It’s hard to deny a big paycheck from somebody more-or-less normal in appearance who just wants what you want.
The relationship between John and Mark moves from mutual admiration society to one in which, slowly but surely, JdP owns Mark in almost every sense of the word. And what JdP wants most of all is wrestling glory and the respect of his mother. Shame he can’t buy her off, because he pretty much buys the rest.
Most are going to evaluate Foxcatcher as a bizarre triangle of John, Dave and Mark. John and Mark both want to be Dave, while Dave just wants to be the best father/brother/coach/mentor he can be. I see it as a cautionary tale – even Dave can be bought, which means that the ugliness all h
as money as a root.
Oh and I cannot pass by without mentioning Dave helping Mark get ready for a particular Olympic trial weigh in by having Mark lose twelve (12!) pounds in 90 minutes. I snuck into a second showing just to hear that number again. 12 pounds in 90 minutes?! Are you kidding me? Do you know how many women would die for that ability? That simply isn’t possible, is it? The only feasible way to lose a stone in a metric hour is in a Saw film.
Did John du Pont actually hinder the chances of Mark Schulz and U.S. wrestling? It’s hard to say. I mean, the encouraged abuse of alcohol and cocaine couldn’t possibly have helped in Mark’s Olympic preparation, but there’s a feeling that what happened sport-wise would have happened anyway. Historians will note that Americans dominated the 1984 Olympics in many events due to the Soviet bloc boycott. The ’84 games featured 13 U.S. Wrestling medals (including 9 golds). The 1988 Olympics had just 6 American wrestling medals and featured two dominant wrestling countries (U.S.S.R. and Bulgaria, a combined 23 medals) who did not participate in the Los Angeles games. The United States was not going to repeat the L.A. success no matter what.
Now, what happened non-sport-wise between JdP and the Schulz brothers? Suffice to say John du Pont is not a guy to wrestle with.
It’s a tale millennia old
Using money to trigger the bold
To win this game
Of wrestling fame
Buy Hulk Hogan for the gold!
Rated R, 134 Minutes
D: Bennett Miller
W: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Genre: The insanity of wealth
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Steve Carell believers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: The Koch brothers
