American Psycho (2000)

Review by Lars Lindahl (larsattacks@mail.com)

"American Psycho" (2000) ** (out of four)

Directed by Mary Harron
Written by Mary Harron and Guinever Turner

Starring Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, Cara Seymour, Guinevere Turner, William Sage, Matt Ross, and Samantha Mathis.

"What the hell?" 

That was the first question I asked myself after seeing American Psycho.

"What the hell?" 

is still my reaction writing this review a few days later. The ending of American Psycho is so over-the-top, so unlike the rest of the movie, so catastrophic, that it just becomes confusing. Neither me nor the six people I saw it with understood what the overall message was trying to say. The sloppy ending disproved any conclusions we came up with. American Psycho may be fun to watch but its ending seriously damages all of the characters' introduced including the protagonist/serial killer Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Surprise endings work extremely well when the surprise actually makes sense with the rest of the movie (like Sixth Sense, Fight Club). On the other hand, they are extremely ruinous when films use them as an easy way out to end a movie that is difficult to finish. When American Psycho ends, it is not over; there are one too many questions left unanswered.

What was the point of American Psycho? Does Patrick Bateman represent all of our gruesome fantasies come true? As a rich Wall Street type living sometime during the 1980's who acts as a serial killer on his off time, Bateman gets away with everything he does. He doesn't just escape the murders unharmed, he also cheats on his "fiancée" (Reese Witherspoon) with his friend's fiancée, pays prostitutes, tortures animals, and snorts cocaine all during an average weekday. This all coming from the same man who obsessively takes care of his skin with a series of lotions, who goes insane when he stains a blanket, and who idolizes the music of Whitney Houston. Patrick is like no other character you have seen before thanks to an incredible performance by former child-star Christian Bale. Bale saves this movie from being a total disaster with his ability to make Bateman into a two-faced character who loves the sight of blood but can't stand seeing it on his bed sheets. Thank god Leonardo DiCaprio did not take the title role, he would have been terrible miscast. The only problem with Bale's magnificent accomplishment is that he appears in every scene, meaning he makes every other actor in the movie look terrible. It felt like director/co-writer Mary Harron left every other supporting character underdeveloped. Several excellent actors are all wasted in their roles. Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Mathis, and Chloe Sevigny all have potential to be interesting characters but, due to the terrible ending and Bateman's dominance, are never given a chance. We never learn anything about their lives, who they actually are, what they hide behind their social appearance. The beauty of Bateman is that he acts one way in front of society but another, unbelievable to his friends, way when by himself. And slowly, as the movie progresses, his "mask of sanity begins to slip."

Besides Bale's performance, there is not much to recommend about American Psycho. Rumored to be extremely controversial and unforgettable, the movie is far from that. The jokes, sometimes hilarious, are mostly muted by the extreme violence. Maybe the MPAA ruined the movie…who knows?

What was the point of American Psycho? Was it a clever, satirical examination of the 1980's? Bret Easton Ellis' novel, which the movie is based on, may be just that but I don't see why the film couldn't have taken place during the 60's, 70's, 90's, or the 2000's. Pop culture has affected society as much in these periods (if not more) than in the 1980's.

With a decent ending that wrapped up the plot and expanded the potential of the supporting characters, American Psycho could have been much more. Bale does his best to make this movie work but in the end it just seems like the viewer is being forced to watch a crazy man kill a bunch of innocent people and get away with it and nothing else. Overall, American Psycho was a disappointment.

Grade: ** (out of four)

Lars Attacks!
A teenager attacks past and present cinema
http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks

larsattacks@mail.com
(c) 2000 Lars Lindahl

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