American
Psycho is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies of all time. This
thriller is one of the most hilarious and disturbing tongue-in-cheek movies
ever made.
Oh my God, @Dgoebel00 on INSTA provided this amazing pic. Check him out on his site as well.
American
Psycho can be found on Netflix right now for free, and just about
everywhere else for a nominal rental fee.
American
Psycho Synopsis
This is the story of Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street investment banker who is wealthy, materialistic, and totally insane. As you get to know Bateman, you will realize that you are witnessing an interesting turning point in his life. The emptiness that he feels inside is forcing his addictive habits further into the open than is wise.
American Psycho Streaming
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By day he
frets about having the perfect business card, or the best suit, or reservations
at the most trendy restaurant. By night he is a psychopathic serial killer.
But how much of this lunacy is real? With Patrick as our unreliable narrator,
we get a behind the scenes look at the mind of a real nutjob – a true “happy
camper”.
American
Psycho Review
American
Psycho is, in my opinion, a masterpiece that looks directly at the human
condition as it is today. This movie is based on the 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel by the same name and
is set in the late ’80s, amid the extreme excess and consumerism that marked
the time. And it holds to this day.
The
restraint shown in this movie is perhaps the most impressive part of an already
very impressive movie. The acting is perfect. To my mind, this is the movie
that put Christian Bale on the map as one of the best
actors we have ever seen, and definitely my favorite method actor.
Mary Harron, the director of the film,
describes it as “feminist,” which may not be as accurate as saying it relishes
all of the most despicable masculine traits. It’s an exercise in rage, lust,
vanity, and boredom.
I love the
message, I love the presentation, and I love the story. The character of
Patrick Bateman is as strangely relatable as he is totally alien.
Score for American
Psycho
10/10
Spoilers for
American Psycho
Before
spoilers, do consider listening to the podcast instead of reading my review.
We go very deep into this movie, and it would be a shame for you not to listen
to our analysis of it, at least, that’s my opinion.
Bateman is an
Utterly Insane Narrator
Patrick is lots
of things, and top of that heap is nuts. He is also our narrator. This is
important because the whole way through the movie, we get to see him doing and
saying things that are absolutely horrific, and no one seems to bat an eye. Is
it because they didn’t hear him, don’t care, or did he actually do that? I
think the more important point that this movie makes is, it doesn’t really
matter.
So much of
what we do and say and excuse is completely unacceptable, yet totally accepted
in today’s culture. We all have a little Bateman in us.
His morning
routine is where we start, and boy is it a doozy. He is extremely superficial,
vain, and egotistical, and it’s all apparent from the opening scene.
Did You know Joker is basically American Psycho?
It’s true, While American Psycho maybe one of the most unique movies I’ve ever seen, Joker is essentially the same movie with an antihero who starts from the bottom instead of the top.
Bateman is
the Boss
He tells
his receptionist, Jean (Chloe
Sevigny), what she should wear. He refuses to marry his fiancé,
Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon),
because he doesn’t want to take time off work. He threatens to kill his dry cleaner
because she speaks a different language and can’t get some … stains … out of
his bedsheets. It’s clear that Patrick is the boss of his world, and he doesn’t
care who gets hurt because of it.
People Don’t
Matter To Bateman
I say that
people don’t matter to Bateman, but people don’t even really matter to each other
in American Psycho. Every character is having an affair with every other
character, and no one seems to mind. All anyone wants is, “…to fit in.” As long
as everyone gets what they want or who they want, they are happy.
As I write
this out I am beginning to wonder why I revel so in the abominable messages and
themes of American Psycho. It’s damn depressing that this is somewhat
true of American culture today and for the past several decades. It’s also a
breath of fresh air. It’s nice not to be lied to. It’s fun to see something and
call it what it is – sickening!
Business
Cards DO Matter To Bateman
People may
not matter to Patrick, but things certainly do! The business card scene where
Patrick almost has an aneurysm over his peer’s cards is perhaps one of the most
iconic scenes in all of movie history. The whole movie is one big commercial
for the best suit, real estate, haircut, music, and restaurant.
Ironically, Bateman’s tastes are so mainstream and safe that
none of them amount to a hill of beans. Every business card that he fawns over
is the same as the others; every song he enjoys is vapid and painfully pop. It’s
all just consuming to consume.
Bateman Isn’t Really Bateman
Patrick is only himself for about half of the movie. The
rest of the time, he charades around as Paul Allen (while banging and killing
prostitutes) or Marcus Halberstram. In-fact his own lawyer mistakes him for
someone called Davis at the end of the movie, suggesting that no one even knows
who anyone is. At least, the idea of Bateman, as he says, isn’t real. It’s just
an idea, an inkling of the murderous, disgusting, letch that haunts us all. Who
is Patrick? Does it really matter?
American Psycho Ending Explained
There is lots of speculation to this day about what exactly
happens at the end of American Psycho. It’s confusing! He has spent so
much time lying to the audience, having delusions, maybe killing people, acting
as others, it’s hard to know. Many people suppose that he did all of the
murders that everything is the truth.
Others say that none of it happened, that we are witnessing
the mind of a sick man, a psycho. Some say that it’s some amalgamation of the
two.
I would pose that the point of the American Psycho ending is to say that it doesn’t matter at all. Whether it was a total farce or completely real, it’s real enough in our society. It’s a thought experiment meant to make you ask what part you play in this fucked up world. How much of Bateman lives inside you?
Final Recommendations
This is a fabulous film. Although it will leave the faint of heart and empathetic queasy, it’s still worth the watch. I whole-heartedly recommend this film to everyone who is interested in having a little peak at insanity.