Inherited wealth can be good or bad. If it enables a person to do many good deeds that are beneficial to society, that is great. But if it isolates the possessor of such wealth and makes him immune to the intrusions of society, if it allows and encourages him to live in his bubble divorced from everyday realities, then it can very bad.
I have an acquaintance who is independently wealthy. He did not earn any of his wealth. His parents support him and his family totally. They bought his home for him and he does not work. He spends his day planning to begin an Internet business and he has been planning to do this for the past five years, all the years I have known him. I occasionally wonder what motivates him to get up every day.
The sinister side of possessing lots of money is depicted in Foxcatcher, the dark and brooding story about John E. du Pont, heir to the du Pont family fortune, who decides to sponsor Mark Schultz, an Olympic wresting champion for an appearance at the Seoul Olympics.
Mark and his older brother Dave were both gold medal winners, but Dave is married with kids and he has no plans to participate in the upcoming Olympics in Seoul. Mark, however, is single and, outside of wrestling, has little other interests. He is contacted by John E. du Pont, a well-known philanthropist and wresting aficionado, who would like Mark to train at his private wresting training facility, Foxcatcher Farm, built on the du Pont estate in a suburb of western Philadelphia. Mark moves there and a friendship of sorts develops between him and du Pont. Strangely, du Pont introduces Mark to the use of cocaine, downplaying its negative effects.
Another oddity. When Du Pont tells Mark that he regards him as a true friend, he tells him he can call him by his familiar name: “My friends call me Eagle. Or Golden Eagle. Either of those would work.” Clearly, du Pont has grandiose visions of himself, unlike Mark who is a humble, unprepossessing figure.
When Mark and his teammates take a morning off, du Pont is incensed and he verbally assaults Mark, devastating him emotionally. Du Pont then calls Dave Schultz , a proven winner and effective coach, and convinces him to join the team at Foxcatcher. Upon his arrival, Dave sees that his brother has lost his self-esteem, is emotionally distressed, and is out of shape. In spite of Mark’s lack of conditioning, Dave works with him to win a match that secures a berth on the Olympic team. However, in Seoul he loses his matches.
Mark ultimately leaves Foxcatcher, but Dave stays on as du Pont’s assistant coach working with new wrestling talent. Du Pont is jealous of Dave’s natural rapport with the new recruits and is unsettled by Dave’s independence. Du Pont’s isolation eventually leads him to behaviors that are not mollified by interactions with the real world. Du Pont is a loner and that ultimately leads to a tragic denouement.
The Ethics of the Fathers states that jealousy and the desire for fame drive a man out of the world. Moreover, the Sages tell us not to separate ourselves from the community. John du Pont fails to understand these basic truths. Lacking self-esteem, he lords over others, always desirous of demonstrating his superiority. In truth, others resent him, finding him out of touch with the real world and focused only on creating an image of himself as a leader of men. Indeed, no one regards him as a leader. They simply follow his wishes because he pays their salaries.
Furthermore, his inability to connect with the community-at-large in a genuinely friendly way isolates him. He has no companions to whom he can relate honestly; therefore, he essentially only converses with himself. Foxcatcher is a grim film expressing the perils of seeking fame and leading a lonely life. Much can be learned from John du Pont’s bad example.
Kosher Movies 
Good review. Very chilly and disturbing, but honestly, the performances are so damn good.