Foxcatcher made a huge splash at the Cannes Film Festival and has inspired Oscar buzz for its stars Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell.

Foxcatcher premiered at Cannes on Monday, May 19, and is competing for the elusive Palme d’Or. The film was already a hot topic before its premiere. Many speculated about what Carell, known for his comedic work in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Office, would do in a dramatic role. Many more debated how Tatum, an actor who became famous for his pretty face and then surprised audiences with his impressive range – 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike – would fare with such serious, dramatic material.

Foxcatcher Receives Rave Reviews

Directed by Bennett Miller, whose resumé includes the Oscar-winning Capote (2005) and the also Oscar-winning Moneyball (2011), the film debuted to stunning reviews, with many predicting it would be Miller’s third Oscar-baiting film.

“Mesmerizing in its incremental layering of a bizarre, tragic and thoroughly warped character study, Foxcatcher sees director Bennett Miller well surpassing even the fine work he did in his previous two films, Capote and Moneyball,” wrote Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter.

“…this insidiously gripping psychological drama is a model of bleak, bruising, furiously concentrated storytelling, anchored by exceptional performances from Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and an almost unrecognizable Steve Carell,” wrote Variety’s Justin Chang.

Vanity Fair reported that the film was welcomed with a hearty round of applause and dubbed the film “the first bona-fide awards contender of 2014.” And Variety called the film “the sole credible awards-season heavyweight to have emerged from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.”

In the film, inspired by true events, Carell plays John du Pont, a mysterious, wealthy wrestling coach who recruits young wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum) and develops a frightening obsession with Mark’s brother David Schultz (Ruffalo). The film also features Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller.

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