I watched it for the first time and while the theme is completely correct that capitalists are soulless husks who can get away with anything, I don't really understand the hype around it
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Overrated is an empty criticism. It’s not a statement about the film, it’s basically just complaining that other people like it too much.
People liking things (that aren’t problematic) isn’t a problem. If you like it less just keep it moving and find something you like more.
Its the best and most realistic depiction of how real wealthy people behave in a fictional film. The only other film that comes close is Knives Out. Edit: Also Sorry To Bother You
Most people that have talked to me about that movie idolize Patrick Bateman
You hang out with some weird people
Its impeccable style and visual design, the humor, and of course Christian Bale's performance that was so fucking perfect he could start sweating on cue
Also the dialogue is so quotable because it's so fucking insane
I think it's more notorious than anything, and then it has a pushback over that which makes it get evaluated higher by people defending it as actually having good themes in showcasing wealthy businessmen as vapid, alienated, chauvinist lunatics who don't actually work but live in luxury while destroying everyone around them. That just signal boosts it a bit more I think, like "oh no it's not edgy trash it's got a good point to it" sounds a lot more emphatic than "yeah it was a movie and it had some good points."
I think that's a general phenomenon too, where something that's problematic but has redeeming qualities gets disproportionate attention because of people defending it as "actually good" which generally tends to result in exaggeration or at least more attention.
I've always seen the sigma male meme as satirical, much in the same vein as American Psycho.
It's unfortunate if people are taking it as a serious role model. I mean, the whole entire beginning and ending monologue in the movie, which stem from the same paragraph in the book, flat-out state that his life is pure agony for him.
I think "Sigma Male" started out as ironic mockery of "Alpha Male" but then irony poisoning took effect and people who didn't understand that they were the joke took it and ran with it.
I just watched it for the first time the other day, I thought it was great! How the fuck people didn’t get that it’s satire and idolize Bateman tho is :galaxy-brain:
Every scene where he starts monologuing about a song had my roommate and I absolutely dying laughing
It's a worthwhile movie due to Christian Bale's performance. It's solid work.
The book is better. It goes a VERY long way to show that Bateman is a miserable loser who should not be idolised in the least and that was not really brought over to the movie.
I think the movie does a good job showing he's a completely empty loser, but since it's Christian Bale and many people in the US aspire to be exactly that kind of loser a lot of jackasses totally miss the message. The same thing happens with Starship Troopers, American History X, and a bunch of other movies.
Haven't read the book but I know the film also doesn't quite nail the ending either and has led to a fair amount of misinterpretation that the director has even lamented.
American Psycho is probably a good example of the weakness film has as a visual medium. Much like how "there's no such thing as an anti war film" I think the nature of film in how it basically has to emphasize aesthetics and spectacle it can't help but glorify and invite the audience to indulge in Bateman.
Whatever the intent...it's hard to get over that Christian Bale looks like Christian Bale, has the body of an Adonis, wears expensive clothes, eats at lavish restaurants, etc.
I definitely disagree that there are antiwar films, though some psychopath would take them and still think a film like Come and See or the new All Quiet on the Western Front are "based"; those films are very effective at demonstrating the ridiculous and horrifying realities of war. There's also films like Threads, which talk about the apocalypse of a nuclear war.
Also a shoutout to the user that recommended Generation: Kill which felt like the first real war series that I've been able to watch. Fuck Tom Hanks for making/producing The Pacific and Band of Brothers, lots of boring cutaway scenes and emotional manipulation to make you think that shooting surrendering people is good compared to whatever else happens in a war.
