As film adaptations of books go, the movie american psycho released in 2000 is fairly spoton. Much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about. Screen prism has put together this really cool and very concise exploration of the ending of american psycho and its implications for either side of the argument surrounding the reality of. A big difference in my opinion is that a book lends itself. What sounds like a bizarre theory actually seems to have a lot of foundation, and explains some very. Alison kelly of the observer notes that while some countries deem it so potentially disturbing that it can only be sold shrinkwrapped, critics rave about it and academics revel in its transgressive and postmodern. The book creates a dissonance from real life and the actual plot that leaves the reader questioning if our. American psycho, a novel by bret easton ellis, satirizes the apathy, narcissism. Director mary harrons american psycho 2000 is a terrific horror film where patrick bateman christian bale is a wealthy new york banking executive who hides his serial kier alto ego from everyone around him. Ive been known to be both a picky reader and a finicky film critic, and even i think the movie version of bret easton ellis novel, published in 1991, is faithful to the text its based on. Im going to go with the it was all an indulgence of a fantasy of a sick young man theory because it seems to fit best. Ok theres a lot of speculation about the ending to american psycho starring christian bale. A novel and a movie always differ, theyre very different media.
The world of american psycho is not our world, it exists within the novel and although there are similarities between our 1980s and the 1980s of patrick bateman, they are not synonymous. The reader is introduced to the novels narrator, patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street investment banker. All i have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem i have caused and my utter indifference toward it i have now surpassed. The modern classic, the basis of a broadway musical, and major motion picture from lions gate films starring christian bale, chloe sevigny, jared leto, and reese witherspoon, and directed by mary harron. Another example is that a novel describes and a film shows things. In american psycho, bret easton ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Which begs the question why is he constantly referred to as a serial killer by editors and. Is patrick bateman in american psycho actually a serial. What i consider the ending of american psycho is the point in the film when our unlikely protagonists world starts falling apart, quite literally, and like in nolans inception, the highly fragile dream world that patrick bateman played by a devilishly feisty christian bale built begins collapsing. Differences between american psycho book vs movie page 1.
We have to provide food and shelter for the homeless, and oppose racial discrimination. American psycho has been confusing viewers since it was released. Although the book contains horrifying scenes, they must be read in the context of the book as a whole. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of american psycho by bret easton ellis. Sean also appears briefly in his brothers novel, american psycho. Elliss iconic book about 1980s consumerist culture and masculinity was published in 1991. Christian bales american psycho movie ending explained. In hindsight, an american psycho looks a lot like us. Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic when published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women. However if it was all just a fantasy then what was with the whole fiasco at paul allens apartment with the ad in the times all about. Bateman, who relays the action of the novel, as well as his innermost thoughts. The ending of american psycho finally explained youtube.
Youre my lawyer, so i think you should know ive killed a lot of people. In the book its up for debate, in the movie it happens. Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a long time. In many ways the text of american psycho is one mans ultimate series of selfies. American psycho is a 2000 satirical psychological horror film cowritten and directed by mary harron, based on bret easton elliss 1991 novel of the same name.
American psycho relies on running jokes, being all about repetition. Bret easton ellis is a very, very good writer and american psycho is a beautifully controlled, careful, important novel. A friend of mine sent me an interesting article about american psycho that makes the case that patrick is a closeted gay man running around giving aids to everyone, the book being either a metaphorical story or just an unreliably told one. American psycho essence of trash the washington post. The american psycho ending has confounded viewers of the film for 20. Some escort girls in an apartment uptown, uh, some homeless people, maybe five or. My source is an ama on reddit where the person who wrote the movie explicitly states that mr. Comedy of menace maybe, but definitely not comedy of manners. Obviously price does not end up in the sewer or in a subway tunnel, but he has left the situation or. American psycho is about the very wealthy, good looking and successful patrick bateman who has a great job on wall street, equally well heeled friends and a hardbody of a girlfriend. American psycho is the story of patrick bateman, a rich, arrogant, twentysomething yuppie in 1980s new york, who also happens to be an insane serial killer. What emerson said about genius, that its the return of ones rejected thoughts with an alienated majesty, holds true for american psycho. American psycho might have seemed like a straightforward film about a psychotic serial killer.
She told charlie rose, one thing i think is a failure on my part is people keep coming out of the film thinking that its all a dream, and i never intended that. Shes transformed a novel about blood lust into a movie about mens vanity. American psycho a pretty sick guy batemans confession. How does the movie american psycho differ from the book. In the end, the novels worth in the greater world of literature is. The novel that simon and schuster belatedly rejected last fall on grounds.
Bret easton ellis american psycho even people who have never read bret easton ellis american psycho likely do not expect to hear the phrase comedy of manners in reference to it. The novelists function is to keep a running tag on the progress of culture. Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Wikipedia states that the author deliberately left the reality of the murders open to interpretation. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. American psycho by bret easton ellis books the guardian. The book is now going through the editing process at vintage.
When bret easton elliss american psycho was about to be published in 1991, word of its portrait of a monster an amoral young wall street serial killer named patrick bateman, who nail. Much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about patrick bateman. Both book and movie versions of american psycho are extremely controversial. Its narrator patrick bateman, a 26yearold wall street operative his activity at work is left unspecified, dedicates himself. If you dont know what the twist in psycho was then i dont have a clue why youre even reading this list. The book and film is a look at a person who is mentally sick with several personality. American psycho, bret easton ellis american psycho is a novel, by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. The ending of american psycho can be viewed one of two ways, both acknowledged by the author as potentially correct. Now a major motion picture from lions gate films starring christian bale metroland, chloe sevigny the last days of disco, jared leto my so called life, and reese witherspoon cruel intentions, and directed by mary harron i shot andy warhol. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan investment banker. What camera, editing and design techniques does the big short use to humanize its characters. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is graffitied across the side of a bank in bloodred paint. Didnt really double check the source for this but that is what is stated for the book.
Bret easton ellis still stuck with american psycho after 25 years. Rather, the film aims to portray the selfindulgent and hedonistic wall street elite. The book is very well written, and it has a style that creates a world easily accessible to the reader. Because of the above i read into it that the narrative of american psycho is a personal hell for patrick bateman. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. American psycho summary from litcharts the creators of. In american psycho, bret easton ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our. But american psycho director mary harron said audiences werent supposed to think bateman is innocent. The sign seen at the end of the book simply reads this is not an exit. Set in manhattan during the wall street boom of the late 1980s, american psycho follows the life of wealthy young investment banker patrick. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan businessman. A glimpse of a thursday afternoon, when patrick knocks over a stand of fruits by accident, the korean owner clutches his lapels and bursts into a song, and then patrick proceeds to eats five. A book usually doesnt fit into a movie, for example.
Patrick bateman first appears briefly in elliss 1987 novel the rules of attraction, in which his brother, sean bateman, is a main character and narrator. American psycho begins with a quote from dantes inferno. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity. Ellis explained that the book was really about the dandification of the american male. It is therefore, entirely possible that within this version of reality all of these things happen and for whatever reason they do not have comparable. However, during the last moments of the film, patrick. American psycho screenwriter on patrick batemans legacy and that controversial ending. What the fuck does the end of american psycho mean. In elliss 1998 novel glamorama, both patrick bateman and christian bale the.
In 1991 bret easton ellis published his controversial second novel, american psycho, at age 26. After 53 trips back to press, it has sold more than a million copies in the u. Before we can talk about the ending of american psycho, we need to get one thing. Is patrick bateman in american psycho actually a serial killer, or is it in his head. During batemans spiral downward into his evil desires. It was really about what is going on with men now, in terms of surface narcissism. A male director might have thought patrick bateman, the hero of american psycho, was a serial killer because of psychological twists, but mary harron sees him as a guy whos prey to the usual male drives and compulsions. The ending of american psycho finally explained looper. Ill give a halfhearted attempt to find a link and get back in here, if i dont find it immediately i will give up. And slow down the nuclear arms race, stop terrorism and world hunger. All i wanted was to be ambiguous in the way that the book was. There is a fever to the life of this book that is, in my reading, unknown in.
Bateman kied homeless people, coworkers, and working women. While my logical mind tells me they are in his head because of many other circumstances where outlandish, obviously fantastical events happen see. American psycho is not only a great critique of the 80s yuppie culture, but it is a scathing criticism of a nations moral decay. American psycho, by bret easton ellis 1991, is a story is narrated by the protagonist patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street operative who is obsessed with his appearance, sex, material possessions, and murder. Tunnel was a real club which closed in 2001, and did feature an actual tunnel as part of its interior. In the end, even when there is a literal mountain of evidence against him, no one recognizes patrick bateman, even for what he truly is a psycho. American psycho ending explained by its writers mary harron.
My pain is constant and sharp and i do not hope for a better world for anyone, in fact i want my pain to be inflicted on others. In the end, it could be a guy who cleans windows fantasizing about the whole life he could have had. Bret easton ellis is known for featuring his characters across several different novels. Bateman is a selfconscious psychopath who lives the lavish, yet meaningless lifestyle of a yuppie during the late 1980s.
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