MovieChat Forums > Foxcatcher (2015) Discussion > This whole story is eerie to me (Spoiler...

This whole story is eerie to me (Spoilers)

posted 8 years ago by skeetchtvs
10 replies | jump to latest

Most of that is because it's obviously a true story. But watching Carrell as Du Pont be so creepy and off, it's weird every time I think of this movie it gives me the chills. All the actors in the film did an amazing job with this.

I watched Kurt Angle's interview about the movie, because for those who don't know he was there training during this whole thing and Dave was his trainer. Watching him talk about it, shows how accurate the movie is (with exception to some scenes, like Du Pont's mother being alive) and makes that much more creepy that Du Pont was exactly the way Carrell portrayed it.

Anyone else feel that way?

[–] evilyangelic90 8 years ago

I think the film has a large sense of dread. You know something bad is going to happen, and you're just waiting for it to occur; which makes the scenes were John stares down someone (usually Mark) quite intimidating. It's difficult to imagine the actor who played Michael Scott could be seen in an unnerving light, or that "the guy from Magic Mike" could be ever taken seriously, but this film really goes against that. Steve might be a short guy with a gentle face and soft-spoken voice, but he carries with him a great screen presence which is why I think he works so well here. John was a bit of a force someone couldn't ignore either, when they were around him.

From what was shown in The Prince of Pennsylvania documentary, the earlier years of Foxcatcher seemed rather pleasant and lively (except for Mark.)

The eerie environment of the later years seems to be what the movie is based around. The wrestlers had said that John figured out that the wrestlers did not really respect him as much as he had hoped, and John started developing a deep insecurity about that. If you haven't seen that Prince of Pennsylvania documentary, I highly recommend checking it out.

You'll probably also like this:

http://oneperfectshotdb.com/news/watch-keeping-the-distance-the-long-shots-of-foxcatcher/

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] evilyangelic90 8 years ago

Hah I could see how that would be spoilers. Although it could be thought that the violent scene was Mark slamming his head in the mirror, as shown in the trailer.

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[–] Catdubh 8 years ago

From what was shown in The Prince of Pennsylvania documentary, the earlier years of Foxcatcher seemed rather pleasant and lively (except for Mark.)

That's not at all the way I saw it in The Prince of Pennsylvania. You say Mark was the exception? I think Mark was the only one who had the guts to "get out", early on. He saw that the whole set up was based on a ridiculously wealthy man's fantasy, who was deeply disturbed. Du Pont took a horrific advantage of a group of athletes who had no backing, no funding, and no prospects of either. Foxcatcher was the man made conduit of du Pont's fantasy and the athletes were his pet projects. There was NOTHING real, remotely altruistic, pleasant or lively about Foxcatcher, ever.

Jack's not dead! Jack would never die without telling me, first!

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[–] evilyangelic90 8 years ago

Mark misleads the truth quite a bit, including his knowledge of how John actually was. He likes to tell people that he always knew John was some kind of monster from day one, and yet in the documentary footage when Mark embraces him after one of his matches, he keeps holding onto John for a few seconds even after John politely tries to pull away. This doesn't sound like the action of someone putting up with his boss's BS for money. Mark left Foxcatcher because of a personal dispute with John, whether he was fired or he left on his own I don't know, he changes the story around a lot.

The analogy of the wrestlers being like John's bird and seashell collection is fitting to an extent. However, a lot of wrestlers actually chose not to train there because they thought John was weird, so it was certainly not required of them to do so. Anyone who chose to train at Foxcatcher was doing so on their own accord and they had to outweigh the benefits and costs like any situation. As the documentary says, many only started to train at the facility because Dave took up the coaching job and other pros started to train there so it was gaining legitimacy. Mark even commented that he was jealous of the success the team was having afterwards because they were enjoying their time at the estate more than he did. The wrestlers who lived there said it even became that they were like an extended family and Foxcatcher became their life. They look pretty happy in those home videos.

John's actions of letting the wrestlers in and out of his house, giving them free meals, letting them travel on his private planes, buying them expensive gifts, offering them land ownership of his property to inherit after his death (because as one of the wrestlers said, he considered the wrestlers as members of his family compared to his own flesh and blood), etc. None of these are actions of a sociopath only interested in using them for his own gain. John was far too complicated of a person to label his actions only being of pure selfishness. Remember that Dave rejected the job offer to work in Monaco, so Dave didn't feel he was being used.

Edit: Added more detail.

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[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

I think Mark was the only one who had the guts to "get out", early on. He saw that the whole set up was based on a ridiculously wealthy man's fantasy, who was deeply disturbed. Du Pont took a horrific advantage of a group of athletes who had no backing, no funding, and no prospects of either.

I agree with your summary of the Foxcatcher enterprise, but I'm not sure if Mark was busting to get out. According to the film he certainly had his own issues, which were only compounded, after falling under the sway and influence of Du Pont. He is pictured as a talented athlete, but one who is constantly insecure in decision-making and unsure about how best to utilize his abilities.🐭

[–] DreamsAgain 8 years ago

Evilyangelic90,
Oh yes, I so agree when you said this:

I think the film has a large sense of dread. You know something bad is going to happen, and you're just waiting for it to occur....

Even though I do remember reading about this in the newspapers (briefly) & seeing tidbits on TV of the actual trial, (ie: remember this all took place before the internet became popular), I still did not know enough about this true story & was so curious. This movie did not disappoint.

Anyhow,I had no idea when du Pont was going to commit the murder in this movie. But from the start , as you said, there was this atmosphere of "dread" evident throughout many of the scenes from early on. The director did a great job at presenting the viewers with this almost creepy atmosphere that followed du Pont whenever he walked into the room!

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[–] evilyangelic90 8 years ago

I saw someone give the analogy once of the estate in the film being portrayed like a haunted house. The ghosts of former Du Ponts all stare in disapproval from their painted portraits. John himself is ghostly pale and speaks in his soft spoken monotone voice. The film shows quite a few cuts to family photographs and they all have this cold and expressionless stare, which makes quite a contrast when we're shown the warm love in the Schultz family photos after Dave's death.

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[–] ricky_says_hi 8 years ago

The whole film feels so bleak and there is a sense of hopelessness throughout it. Mark and John seem like equally tragic people - who have never really known friendship (I'm just going by the story the movie tells) and this whole set-up in a weird way gave them what they were missing for a brief period of time. Early on, John seemed like someone who was so desperate for companionship or friends. The scene where he wrestles with the guys is the one part of the film where he looks genuinely happy. But you just know that it's not going to last. The person who compared the place to a haunted house was spot on. It reminded me a little of Grey Gardens, and the two women who never left the house.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16175) 3 years ago

Unsettling is the best way to describe the movie. And it’s all thanks to Steve Carrell’s acting and the makeup; the real John Du Pont was just an ugly looking creep.