Steve Carell An Early Oscar Contender in Bennett Miller's 'Foxcatcher'

Director Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher -- based on the horrifyingly true story about the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz -- may be the first true Oscar contender of the yeah, as many critics are praising the perfromances of the cast, notably Steve Carell as multimillionaire Jon DuPont. 

Carell -- mostly known for his comedic roles, such as the U.S. remake of The Office -- is almost unrecognizable in this role, sporting a prostethic nose and a receding hairline. Praise was also given to the two other leads, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz (who wrote the book that the screenplay is based off) and Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz, Mark's older brother who meets his demise at the hand of Carell's character. 

Bennett Miller himself is no stranger to Oscar buzz -- two of his films, Capote and Moneyball, have been nominated for numerous awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. This year, Miller may be adding more to his collection. Justin Chang of Variety praised the director, saying that Miller "evinces the same sustained intensity and consummate control of his matierial" adding that the "meticulously researched picture feels authentic in it's understanding of character". 

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it a 5-star review, writng that film "gets you in a hold and won't let you go" and calling it "a gripping film: horrible, scary and desperately sad".

Sony Pictures Classics owns the rights to the film, and will release it on Nov. 14th, a very Oscar-friendly time of the year.