Oscar Watch: Will 'Foxcatcher' turn Oscar heads?

Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 4:28 PM Central

by John Couture

I know that May might not sound like prime Oscar season territory on the calendar, but for the second year in a row we begin our Oscar Watch in May. Today, we look at an unlikely Oscar contender, but one that got a nice boost from this month's Cannes Film Festival in Foxcatcher.

While the film does have certain qualities that make it worthy of Oscar consideration (based on a true story, an underdog Olympic story, an Oscar-nominated director), the main actors Steve Carell and Channing Tatum are better known for showing skin than winning awards. Heck, MTV even had to create the "Trailblazer Award" for Channing after failing to win several MTV awards.

Ironically, it may just be the performances of these two actors that turn the most Oscar heads later this year. If you happened to miss the trailer last week, you can check it out below. It's not too hard to have been missed what with all of the Star Wars news last week and tumultuous Marvel news.

Yes, that's a bloated Steve Carell as an eccentric wrestling coach/gun enthusiast who takes a bulked up Channing Tatum under his wing as he prepares for the Olympics. As you can see, Steve Carell has "immersed himself in the role" (aka put on a fake nose and a fat suit) and we all know that Oscar voters go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs over that type of stuff.

If you think Steve Carell was odd and bizarre in the trailer, just check him out in this clip released today.

Oh, the Academy also likes odd and bizarre. Did I happen to mention that director Bennett Miller previously directed Moneyball and Capote, so he knows a thing or two about Oscar contenders and true sports films. We didn't even mention Mark Ruffalo, who plays Tatum's brother. Mark Ruffalo is also a wrestler and he also has something of a connection with Carell's eccentric character.

I'll leave it at that for now. Even though it's based on a true story, it's pretty likely that unless you've followed the film or the 1988 Olympics closely the details probably escape you. Let's just say that the film is much more than a simple underdog sports film.

Foxcatcher hits theaters in prime Awards country on November 14.