Notes from a Fool

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2001)

I am a fool.
I saw the ads for Fight Club back in 1999 and thought it looked like doo-doo. Spoiled actors beating each other up and then philosophizing about it; kind of like those Pokemon movies where they fight and fight and fight for 65 minutes, then spend the last three deciding that fighting is wrong. Ick. Pass.
When the reviews came out, the ones I saw were uniformly negative -- just as I expected -- and I didn't go and didn't think much more about it.
But when the DVD came out with that insanely elaborate and voluminous packaging, I was caught up short. Why would they bother? How much is there to say about this thing?
On a whim (and with a Christmas gift certificate) I bought it, expecting to hate the movie, but eager to see how many extras they could cram onto a DVD. Or two.
And that's when I realized what a fool I was to trust advertising and critical reaction to make a decision for me. Because this is the funniest movie I've seen in ages. That's right, funny. As in laughing.
Of course the ad department tried to sell the violence. That's what they know. How do you sell jokes about cancer survivor groups and cultural terrorism? Much easier to show people beating each other up.
Of course the critics didn't get the jokes. Stodgy middle-aged types with cushy, irrelevant jobs like reviewing movies. Laughing at this would be admitting they live in a house of cards.
But the fact is, this is vicious, biting and hilarious comedy. As with all great comedy, there are no answers, only a finger pointing at the insanity. What is the answer to the evolutionary and economic corner we've backed ourselves as a species into? Every conceivable response is madness.
I was a fool for listening to the ads and the critics. Almost cost me one of the best movie experiences I ever had.