Who would want to see this movie?

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2005)

Imagine a movie about an anonymous man. A lonely man. A depressed man. A man who doesn't realize how lonely and depressed he is. He doesn't allow himself to realize this, so it takes on a life of its own and keeps him awake night and day. This man is the main character of Fight Club, the anonymous narrator.
What would you do to find happiness? This movie examines the pathetic search for happiness in many forms. You will meet people with cancer looking for one last night of company with another person. You will meet supervisors trying to maintain control without putting their own career on the line. You will meet men after testicular cancer getting in touch with their feminine nurturing self. And, you will meet the narrator, wanting nothing more than to sleep.
Somewhere in this mess of depressed and sad people, two people emerge. The narrator meets a happy-go-lucky soap salesman who feels that anything and everything is fine if you just know yourself - really know yourself. He also meets a woman who derives her happiness from freeloading off the depression of others. Who should the narrator choose to follow? Through twists and turns, this movie leads you on an unforgettable journey to the truth - not the ultimate truth to happiness. It leads you to the truth about the narrator. That isn't enough for many people.
This movie is, therefore, for those who are willing to suffer with the narrator and ask nothing in return. It is one you will watch at least three times if you are into movies. You watch it once for the journey. You watch it again to see what you obviously missed when the truth is revealed. You watch it again when you realize that the tricks go beyond just the story and into the actual subliminal messages visible only by going frame-by-frame through the film.
*** A SPOILER FOLLOWS *** "Nobody should see this movie!" is what Rosie O'Donnell exclaimed on her talk show. "Shame on you Brad!" she added. "How many people with serious mental problems are going decide that the cure is to shoot themselves in the head!?" she asked in an apparent rage. Can a person miss the point of a movie any further? This is not a movie about a man with a mental problem who looks for a cure and decides that the best thing to do is shoot himself in the head. In fact, I'm sure that actual plot line went like this: I want to write a book narrated by a crazy man. He shoots himself in the end and dies. But, if he dies, he can't narrate the book. Damn. Maybe he lives by some freak way that the bullet passes through his brain.