Thought-provoking or Hypocritical?

Rating: Null/10 (30 December 2000)

Fight Club is a very atmospheric, highly-stylized, complicated movie that deals with the issue of existentialism through the eyes of a nameless character deemed "Narrator" (Ed Norton).
I thought that the film was all-over-the-place thematically (trying hard to juggle itself between Camus' "The Stranger" and "Last Action Hero"), complicated, and ultimately contradictory. If the film was so much about antiestablishment, anti-consumerism, and anti-big business, then why did they advertise many name-brand merchandise in their film? For instance, IKEA had to approve of its name usage the film's script in order for them to use it. The film is so hypocritical. In addition, the film gets rather lengthy and dull after the first hour. I found myself turning off the film and doing other things. Fortunately, I returned to it and during the end it started to pick back up. On first watch, the film is very confusing, but once you watch it a second time or at least ponder it within your mind for an extended period of time you begin to piece things together in the very complicated plot.
I read a lot of reviews that said "this movie made you *think*," of course this movie will make you think: what movie DOESN'T? Even if a movie is horrible, it will make you think, "Wow, this is a horrible movie" (or something along those lines), right? So spare me with that argument.
Also, I read a lot of reviews from people who completely agreed with all of the film's hegemonic beliefs and ideologies. The idea that we are all "living in a time with no wars, we haven't had any major wars, therefore what is our purpose," and the tired, fashionable, Gen-X notion that we are all living meaningless, purposeless, lifeless consumer-driven, commercial, social-climbing lives. If you *really* believe this is so and stand completely behind these viewpoints, why don't you turn your COMPAQ computer off along with the SONY VCR or DVD PLAYER you used to watch the film, leave your 3 BEDROOM HOME, abandon your HONDA, and go to the woods, so that you can live off the land, smell musty, eat grapes, and get mauled by a bear.
Stop griping and complaining about the world being a "horrible, meaningless place" and do something about it. Make your life worthwhile: go volunteer, help out in the communities of those in need (like the inner city or even your own community), try to make a difference instead of sipping your STARBUCKS FRAPPACINO and watching films by overpaid actors and writers, while you sit on your duff complaining about how screwed up YOUR WORLD is.