"American Psycho" A Film Worth Every Drop of Praise

 

    I could probably spend this whole paragraph talking about how in the 2020's Patrick Bateman is seen to some as this weird incel icon, but frankly I don't need to. If you misinterpret this film then you're legitimately just stupid, and somehow this entire film flew over your head. I'm going to be honest, the way some people idolize this film I was a little skeptical I was going to enjoy it. Boy was I wrong. I have to admit this film was pretty funny, and it certainly exceeded any sort of expectations or notions I had about it. Honestly, what surprised me the most is how relevant it still is to this day. You'd expect it and it's commentary to have aged at least a little bit, but in a world filled with hustle culture and the "manosphere", it's not hard to see how it fits within modern discourse. So, even if I don't think this film needs a modern adaptation, it wouldn't be particularly hard to do, just make Bateman a big fan of someone like Post Malone or something, and instead of business cards have him get pissy about something dumb like social media profiles or something.

    Seriously though, this is who incels have chosen to put their weight behind? I'll be honest, Christian Bale does a great job as Bateman, never once does he let up on that utterly obnoxious chud voice, and honestly a decent argument could be made that he lays it on too thick for the character to be believable. As my sister put it "he's kind of zesty" and I couldn't agree more, this is an excellent deconstruction of masculinity, but also the male gaze. I mean Bateman is so obviously a psychopath, and even he admits that everything he does is really either for himself or for the other men in his vicinity. Whether it be his obsession with making the perfect business card, or how he needs to be able to get reservations at the hottest restaurant for his own friends. He really cares little about the women in his life, even to the point that in his sexual encounters with them, what he really seems to get off to is the fact that he can record and control them, not to mention his own physique. 

    Frankly, I don't think I need to say much about this film. I really do think it speaks for itself. I mean he's literally jerking himself off about Huey Lewis and the News, and the one thing in life that really ticks him off is business cards. It's honestly fitting that ultimately he's stuck in this vapid life he seems to despise, unable to escape the insulated environment he finds himself trapped in. I mean of course justice for his victims and what not, but at some point you have to ask if he wanted to be caught, so he wouldn't have to live this dual life where he pretends he actually enjoys any of the people he's around anymore.

    I think it also helps that the film is fairly short. There's no long-winded suspenseful back and forth between Kimball and Bateman, you as the viewer never really feel as if Bateman is in danger of being found out. I mean yes Christie does eventually run out, but also she literally died by having a chainsaw dropped on her. I think once it reached that point I began to question how real any of this was, but I think it's better for the story if it wasn't. If Bateman really is just going insane his punishment feels doesn't hold as much weight compared to if he's forced into continuing to live his lifestyle.

Final Score: 75/100

    I wouldn't say this was the most enjoyable movie of all time, nor is it something that I feel compelled to watch it again. Even still I think it achieves it goals well and I commend it for that. I think this movie is most definitely worth the praise its received. I suppose I could talk about other aspects of the film for a bit. To be honest, some of the acting from the female characters was pretty weak in my opinion, especially Christie, though to be fair technically she's acting as a prostitute whose pretending to be someone else, so maybe it's accurate after all? It's small enough that I'm willing to let it slide though, it doesn't detract from the film in a way that annoys me.

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