Sure, it was a predictable coming-of-age summer flick (complete with a loathsome step-dad). But, there was just enough edginess and originality to make this worth while. For example, the beach party scene – where we see the adults acting like kids and the kids being the adults (somewhat)… That scene could have been done straightforwardly, but they put just enough of a twist to keep you engaged. Other little things helped too – I liked how the assistant manager at the water park wasn’t your stereotypical “hot babe who secretly loves the water park owner, but is worried he isn’t serious enough”, but instead the kind of person you might imagine as that person in real life. Plus Steve Carell plays a great creep.
Tag Archives: Steve Carell
Foxcatcher
Based on the true story of how creepazoid gazillionaire John DuPont (of the DuPont family) “adopted” US wrestling for a time in the mid 1980s. There’s not a lot of money in wrestling (the real kind, not the entertainment kind), so when a weirdo with money builds a state-of-the-art wrestling center on his estate, it’s an offer too good to reject. Of course, things go from weird to creepy to unhealthy to dangerous in a one way spiral of madness. DuPont has created a fantasy land disconnected from reality. He pines for the approval of his aloof mother, and wants desperately to be “someone important”. Instead, he’s just a rich fool… Deep down, he knows this, so he fills his life with distractions and tries to buy his way into relevance.
Like most movies based on a true story, this one takes liberties with how things actually happened. But the essence of the actual events and characters is there. It’s a dark movie from start to finish. Even the somewhat lighthearted moments are tense. If I had any complaint, it’s just that the sound is too quiet. I realize it was like this purposefully – to help set the mood (and it worked), but on a purely practical level, I need at least a little volume to be able to hear what’s being said.
The acting was all excellent all around. Steve Carell deserves a gold medal for his portrayal of DuPont. I get the heebee-jeebee’s just thinking about it.