Worst Ad Campaign for best film in History?

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2001)

Like other Hollywood Haters, I avoided this film on the basis of the ad campaigns. When I finally rented the DVD, I watched it once then again, then babysat others through it and ended up watching it about 6 times in a month. Why I kept watching It I dunno I was mesmerized like a rubbernecker at a motorway death circus. I know the story, how it begins, how it ends and yet still feel the need to look just one last time to confirm that I haven't missed anything. I had an argument with a friends wife who proclaimed that he hadn't seen it as he didn't like that sort of film. I asked her did she not enjoy it then, finally after a few minutes it dawned on me that the stupid American b**** hadn't even seen the film, yet KNEW he wouldn't like it? She took offence saying "how dare I say she doesn't know her husband", now where did that come from? I laughed at the arrogance of one who can proscribe the film intake of another when they haven't even partaken of it themselves.
We live in the era of the Super Disinformation Highway, so it is hardly surprising. Maybe the ad campaign was deliberately miss-run in order that the film would end up in cultsville which it deserves to. It seemed symptomatic of the times, "Hey its a new millennium and who really gives a S**k (which is it s*** or f***? maybe 'SHUK' a new hybrid from some LA Project... Yawn!!!). No one buys into the lies of the work ethic any longer, we all know its a necessary evil, we all hate it, we all entertain fantasies of surviving world war three, out with the old in with the new. Well this movie is that great thing that captures the mood of the western world circa 2000. Science has explained it all, we all know the truth, there is no god, no purposeful future but must carry on and carry on pretending as there is no more worthwhile alternative. We can all live out our destructive fantasies suppressed by years of evolution and training. Then again its only a movie.
Summing up - you MUST watch this film, there's only about 5 films ever made that are worth watching more than once (Naked?, Withnail...), this is one of them. After watching it, I did genuinely make some life changing decisions. I'm only here at IMDB cos I came looking for other Edward Norton stuff - he rocks hardcore. The new DeNiro, great to see them together in 'The Score'. I just hope Norton picks good scripts and doesn't blow his cool. PS - Anyone know where I can get a Tyler-Durdan Jacket from?