American Psycho discussion.... *warning* could be a little gory

[vi edit]

I just watched this movie last night and I'm still a little bit confused. I think I'm going to have to watch it again to catch a lot of the things that I missed.

I have some questions though -

All of his little comments like "I'm going to murder you", when the girl asks him what he does and he says "Murders and Accusations", among other comments, is he really saying that? Or, is he just thinking that? I couldn't tell.

Did he end up killing the depressant junkie that he was seeing? I swore that was her head in the refridgerator, but I couldn't tell.

The whole phone call to the lawyer was sort of lost to me. Was the lawyer so good that he called in a "clean and sweep" squad a la Pulp Fiction and clean up Paul's apartment and then the lawyer was just ignoring him?

There were just a lot of things going on her. I thought there was some split personality disorder going on, which would answer some questions such as not remembering some things. There was also some schizophrenia going on as well - Remember when the ATM told him to put the cat into the machine?

Definitely a bizzare movie. Anybody care to shed some of their ideas?

 

[TheVrolok]

This is what I've come to believe. He's bascially nuts and imagined it all. Those things he said and did were in his head. He's a dillusional psychopath. I don't think any of it really happened.

 

[dcpsoguy]

I have a question. I am looking in bringing my 14 yr old kid to this movie, but I am wondering if there is any nudity,sex or anything with naked ladies (or men :Q)

 

[TheVrolok]

dcpsoguy, yes there is nudity. The main character in this movie likes to hire prostitutes and film himself performing sexual acts. It's very visual. I would not suggest this for a 14 year old. But hey, I'm 16, what do I know.

 

[vi edit]

dcpsoguy, I would most certainly NOT let a child under the age of 16 watch this movie. I did watch the Unrated version that had added footage, but none the less, this is a very adult and very graphic movie.

 

[TheVrolok]

Yes, absolutely no child should be let to watch this, you know how feeble and weak-minded we are. The media is soiling our minds and desnsitizing us. Right now actually, I feel like taking a butchers knife and stabbing someone through the face, there's nothing wrong with that, is there? I mean, they did it on TV! (I mean come on, how can some people really blame half of societies problems on the media/TV/computer games/music)

 

[vi edit]

TheVrolok, I know what you are trying to say, but I disagree with you.

I'm 23 with a several college level psychology classes under my belt and EVEN I had problems figuring out fact from fiction in this characters mind. It's far too complicated of a movie for someone that young to comprehend. Factor that in with the threesome and the overall atmosphere of the movie and it's just not a movie for someone that young to be watching.

It is for this same reason that I wouldn't let a 14 or 15 year old kid watch Fight Club. If you don't understand the movie, you simply think that it's a movie about beating the crap out of each other and raising hell to have fun and make something of yourself.

 

[TheVrolok]

I can agree with you vi_edit. All I'm merely saying is that I, personally, can handle it. I've been lucky enough to be endowded with a good deal of intellect and maturity at a younger age. Though I was still disturbed a bit at some parts. As for my little whimsical comment on the media and society, take it as lightly as you can. I have no experience in psyhcology or anything of the sort, I just feel that it's not right to blame certain mediums for some of societies problems.

 

[urbantechie]

I'm 15, can I watch it?

 

[TheVrolok]

urbantechie: No! Now go to your room! :|

 

[urbantechie]

WELL FVCK YOU! IM WATCHING IT....NOT WITH MY FATHER!

 

[visgf]

urbantechie, just know that what occurs in the movie is how he is perceiving it, and may not necessarily be what is actually occurring.

Personally, I was confused as hell for a good portion of the movie, and even now I'm not sure I have a great grasp as to what did or did not happen.

 

[luv2chill]

vi_edit

It's meant to be ambiguous. I've seen this movie five times and it's no less vague than the first time.

Here's my best take on it though. He really did kill all of those people, but he exaggerates things in his mind. The only exception is the sequence beginning with the talking ATM and ending with the confession to the answering machine. Or like the scene where he tells the bartender that he's going to kill her and she doesn't hear him--I think that was imagined.

The major point of the movie (and the book it was inspired by) was to reveal the themes of greed, shallowness, and self-obsession of the 1980s. Another theory as to why people had very little reaction to him was that everyone was too self-absorbed in their own shallow lives that they didn't take notice of any of the murders or of Bateman's bragging about them. And the execs are so much alike that they get confused as to who is who.

Oh, and about the cleaners taking care of his evidence, I think that the apt. landlord called them in. In the 80s in such a high-priced apt building, they would rather the mess be cleaned up quietly than call attention to the fact that murders took place there. That was my take on it anyway.

At the heart it's just a satire of the glorious 1980s. Awesome movie though. It's definitely got a lot of repeat value.

l2c

P.S. No, and it's not for kids! Depends on the individual, but I'd say that the absolute youngest age to watch any of this would be 16 or 17.

 

[vi edit]

luv2chill, thanks for the input! visgf and I both picked up on the greed and shallowness. If I remember correctly he nearly strangled the one guy(name slips me) simply because the guys busniess card was "better" than Patricks.

Did he put all of the dead bodies in Paul's apartment to defile it so to speak? He had so many comments about "this apartment is nicer than your other apartment" I think he did it just to wreck the place.

 

[Spoooon]

You need to read the book to really understand what's going on.

 

[vi edit]

What book was the movie based off of?

 

[luv2chill]

This book.

Excellent novel...

l2c

 

Im reading the novel right now, so much more graphic then the movie.

 

[ajskydiver]

I read the book about a year ago...it's much much more graphic than the movie.

I've also got the DVD and the interviews and extra commentary really really help understand what's going on.

BTW--did anyone see B.Easton Ellies on TV last week? It was an interview over the controversy of American Psycho.