Just when you're sure this movie makes no sense, it starts making sense...

Rating: 7/10 (19 October 1999)

What a trip! First of all, watching the previews for this film gives you no idea what you're in for when you see the film, that's for sure. All you know is that there's going to be some bare-knuckle fighting kind of like tough man competitions. This film is dark, edgy, and out there.
You expect good acting because of Brad Pitt and Ed Norton and they are strong in this film. If you liked Pitt's Jeffrey Goines from 12 Monkeys (should have won the Oscar that year), then you'll like him in this. Not quite as whacked but he's walking that path, that's for sure.
>The surprise in the film for me was Meatloaf. His first appearance, in fact every one of his appearances caused me to have a gut clutching belly laugh. I won't spoil it though. It has to be seen. Furthermore, he acted well and you didn't find yourself seeing Meatloaf on the screen. He was Bob. I'm laughing now because I can see him in my mind. You will too.
Make no mistake, this is no girl-flick. So the fact that Rosie O'Donnell didn't like it is not surprising. > Anyway, as the story goes along, I found myself asking over and over, what's going on here? I was not lost, but the story hadn't presented itself yet. Or maybe it was that it hadn't grabbed me yet. Whichever, just when I thought that it was never going to really make sense, it made perfect sense. It snuck up on me and then I couldn't wait to see if what I suspected was correct. That made the movie fun. You keep saying to yourself over and over, 'the average guy would not do these things'.
One of the other reviews on this page says "...look deep and you'll see a whole other film trying to reach our society with a sobering point..." No disrespect to the author of that comment, but I hate that kind of crap. Don't look for any symbolism. Don't look for any hidden meanings. Just go to the movie and be entertained. This is just a movie about a guy that has an outrageous and sometimes incredible experience. You can go along for the ride...