American Psycho

[LoveSparky]

I couldn't find a thread for this movie, so I took it upon myself to start one.

Ok, out of love for Batman Begins, I had to run out and buy this movie. Not sure how I feel about it. Some parts were funny. I liked the bits about the business cards, and I loved how dated everything was, including the submarine-sized cell phones! What a flashback that was! I loved seeing him naked and semi-naked. I have to say it was probably worth the price of the movie alone.....hahaha! He looks damned good in this movie........his body is just delicious.

And I didn't recognize Samantha Mathis! Her face has really changed.

[Deleted]

The movie is worth watching for his dissertations on the musical value of Whitney Houston, Genesis, and Huey Lewis alone.

After seeing it a few times, I managed to come to the conclusion that it was all in his head, none of the psychotic episodes really were happening and he really was just this complete nonentity with nothing to do all day. But I understand that in the commentary track the director claims the exact opposite: that they went out of their way to show the audience that it was all real.

[roxpopuli]

After seeing it a few times, I managed to come to the conclusion that it was all in his head, none of the psychotic episodes really were happening and he really was just this complete nonentity with nothing to do all day. But I understand that in the commentary track the director claims the exact opposite: that they went out of their way to show the audience that it was all real.

I completely thought that, too--especially the end where he confesses to that guy at the bar claiming that guy is his attorney--and his "attorney" takes it all as a bad joke. What am I not getting here?

I always thought that he abused the hookers and was totally non-affective--but that the killing was a fantasy.. Even though it IS true that Jared Leto was missing, I just thought he appropriated that into the fantasy.

[Hamatron]

That's really interesting that you both thought the killings were imaginary-- I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever watch this movie again...

I read the book before I saw the movie, and in the book it's very clear (at least to me) that the killings are real, and there are some real consequences, but at the same time everyone in Bateman's world is so self-absorped and oblivious that they hardly notice or are affected by people disappearing.

Although the movie is no where near the violence and sex levels of the book, I thought they did a decent job of capturing the overall feel of the book.

[tommytimp]

I agree with you on the first part, Hamatron, that he does all this but Reagan's Kids were all to self-interested to realize or care that one of their own was a real honest-to-god psychotic rapist and murderer.

I don't believe the film works very well at all-while Bale does his best, and looks phenomenal, he's not what I imagined Patrick Bateman to be, plus the book is basically unfilmable in its purple state, and to gut it of the graphic sex and violence is to take the meaning out of it. (I also read somewhere that Mary Harron decided to give the movie a woman's take. If that's true, who the hell thought that telling American Psycho from a woman's point of view was a good idea?)

[roxpopuli]

I don't believe the film works very well at all-while Bale does his best, and looks phenomenal, he's not what I imagined Patrick Bateman to be, plus the book is basically unfilmable in its purple state, and to gut it of the graphic sex and violence is to take the meaning out of it.

Graphic sex and violence? *Slinks off to Amazon.com

[tommytimp]

Boy is he in for a treat...

[Hamatron]

Yeah, it has been quite awhile since I saw the movie in the theater, so I may feel different if I were to see it today, but I thought the translation from book to film went as well as I could have hoped-- you still have scenes where Jason Bateman is running around naked and covered in blood chasing a hooker with a chainsaw, mixed with scenes where people are competing to be the !!Greatest Yuppie of All Time!!

I kind of remember the "American Psycho from a woman's perspective" statement coming from interviews that felt like damage control-- people where really concerned about the unapologetic homophobia/misogyny that runs throughout the book, and by playing up the female director you can sort of spin some damage control-- but I also remember thinking at the time that it was an interesting choice (although really, any time a woman is asked to direct something that isn't a romantic comedy or a 'chic flick' it's noteworthy). I also remember at the time that the director ran up against a lot of problems with the studio and the censors-- the studio wanted her to tone down the violence/homophobia/misogyny/drug use while she wanted to play them up/explore them.

So, I think given the controversy, director vs studio problems, and the total assy-cop out that was Less Than Zero, the only other Brett Easton Ellis book to film at the time (did the people involved with this film even *read* the book?) it was a decent translation-- it could have been so much worse. If I had give it a grade, it be something like a B or B-.

[kelly9480]

The film is good, but nowhere near as descriptive as the book. It couldn't be and get filmed with anything less than the most restrictive rating. I had to put the book down in certain points and go watch a cartoon or think happy thoughts because it was so graphic.

[hobocamp]

hamatron said:

you still have scenes where Jason Bateman is running around naked and covered in blood chasing a hooker with a chainsaw, mixed with scenes where people are competing to be the !!Greatest Yuppie of All Time!!

This is old but it made me laugh. The character's name is Patrick Bateman. But Jason Bateman running around naked and covered in blood would be entertaining.