I may be paranoid, but not an android

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2002)

You know, I've resisted honestly commenting on this movie for quite some time, even though it's a favorite of mine. I suppose I wanted to wait out the firestorm to speak. And there's so many wonderful comments here! Guess there's nothing like good old fashioned sex and ultraviolence to bring out the critic in people. Perhaps it's simply the divisive nature of "Fight Club" that will prove to be its' greatest contribution to the history of cinema.
So where to begin? For sure, it's problematic. To use a cliche that just happens to be true for once, "Fight Club" is a multi-layered film that works on a myriad of different levels. Consequently, this makes it somewhat difficult to encapsulate in just a few sentences, much less pigeonhole into a specific genre. In addition, the film is clearly directed at a rather narrow audience. And by "narrow audience", perhaps I should say "willfully invisible", at least until recently. See, it's important to realize that despite all the controversy surrounding it, "Fight Club", and its' inherent yet hidden messages, appeal mainly to a so-called seething core of "young people" (blah, blah, blah)that I propose we hereby rename "the silent generation". It's a GenX film, kids! High art for latchkeys. And within this restless, hyperaware, "unsatisfied" group of individuals, there exists wildly divergent opinions about "Fight Club". Yet it really only boils down to one central argument: you either love it or you don't it. And if you love it, odds are it's because you get it, in one way or another. The film as a statement likely seems fairly obvious to you. But on the other hand, if you don't love this film, it's safe to assume that perhaps you might have missed the delivery of its' central themes. "Fight Club" is about isolation, desperation, faceless (and helpless) automation, and above all, the endlessly creepy idea of oppressive consumerism as an ideal for living. Truly pathetic. So if this is your kind of movie, it's likely that you not only "comprehend" it, but you are also luckily in possession of the black, spastic humor often required of one's self to coexist in harmony with today's modern, modern world. You're awake. You're aware. You're coping. Good for you.
I love "Fight Club", in case you couldn't guess. Not just the finished product, but the entire project. It's a brilliantly open-ended satire, with first-rate performances from all involved. Palahniuk writes like an angel (exterminating), Fincher directs with a keenly evil eye, and Norton's quickly becoming the finest actor of his generation, bar none. Helena Bonham Carter is great here too, deliciously playing it for all it's worth. Even Mr. Pitt-Aniston out does himself here. So is "Fight Club" all about raging, unchecked egos? Sure. Is it about disillusionment and the disenfranchised? You betcha. Is it about fascism? Misogynism? Deadbeat dads? Rampant closeted homosexuality? Any of the stupid names we call ourselves each night? Well...do you want it to be? Like the film says, you determine your own level of involvement here. Get it? There's more than a few kernels of truth floating around in "Fight Club" which, as we all know, shall set your a** free.
A final note. If you're really into this movie (and you know who you are), I feel confident in saying that you're probably into darker, decidedly more intelligent things as well. You take "Fight Club" for what it is, a cleverly executed joke. Which makes dissecting it over and over again, especially with the uninitiated, somewhat redundant. So I apologize for this lengthy diatribe. But may I smugly suggest one final rule? The ninth, if you will. The 9th rule of Fight Club is "fights will only occur between those evolved enough to handle it". Thank you.
We are the dollars and cents.