All american girl is a 2002 american black comedy horror film and a standalone sequel to mary harrons 2000 film american psycho. 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. Seriously, go watch the film, get surprised by the surprises, then come back. It is an unreliable first person narrative, in the present tense, given by the main character, patrick bateman, who is a yuppie living in 1980s new york city. Psycho is one of the most twisty, sneaky film plots ever snuck and twisted onto a movie screen. Patrick bateman is handsome, well educated and intelligent. It stars christian bale, willem dafoe, jared leto, josh lucas, chloe sevigny, samantha mathis, cara seymour, justin theroux, guinevere turner and reese witherspoon producer edward r. The reader is introduced to the novels narrator, patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street investment banker. A phoenix secretary embezzles forty thousand dollars from her employers client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. Where fight club relies on hardcore commentary from an outsider, american psycho takes the route of a resilient, silent kind of understated satire, often wrapped up as even comic moments in an otherwise dark film, from the insider point of view of someone who is kneedeep into the business, and the chasing of that dream.
Brief biography of bret easton ellis ellis was born in 1964 and grew up in a middleclass family in southern california. American psycho ending scene lyrics patrick bateman there are no more barriers to cross. The ending of american psycho finally explained looper. The movie is absorbing and intricate which is great to see. Phoenix office worker marion crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. The film also features william shatner as her professor. Inciting incident patrick bateman christian bale, a young, narcissistic, vice president of a wall street financial institution is in a company boardroom when cohort paul allen jared leto mistakes the identity of patrick for a similarlooking marcus halberstram.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing american psycho near you. Pressman purchased the film rights to the novel in. Plot summary for american psycho 2000, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. While initially appearing straightforward, the film. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is graffitied across the side of a bank in bloodred paint. American psycho, if presented on film as it appears in the novel, will offer only one point of view a halloween tale guaranteed to generate more nightmares than revenues. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity, all with the same disengaged obsession he uses in choosing outfits.
Its firmly established throughout the film that american psycho s lead character has an obsession and extreme hatred of paul allen, but its that passion that could easily explain how everything involving allens murder just played out in batemans head. Recommendation engine sorted out stylized, dark humor, realistic and interesting films with plots about brutality, murder, violence, dialogue, storytelling, weird and crimes mostly in crime, drama and comedy genres. The film adaptation of the bret easton ellis novel american psycho was. The movie is set in 1987, following a wealthy man named patrick bateman, who is engaged to a woman named evelyn. One fateful night, as he sees his associate named allen showing of his business card, he is filled with jealousy. The plot culminates in a swat helicopter chase through new york, after bateman randomly shoots several people on the streets. As film adaptations of books go, the movie american psycho released in 2000 is fairly spoton. Patrick bateman christian bale is a wall street yuppie, obsessed with success, status and style, with a stunning fiancee reese witherspoon. American psycho by bret easton ellis plot summary litcharts.
She has to meet her lover sam in lunch breaks, and they cannot get married because. There is enough ambiguity about the last act revelations that one can interpret them in more than one way, but the most likely choice forces the entire movie to be reinterpreted through a different filter. American psycho is a satirical novel written by bret easton ellis and published in 1991. The book was banned in multiple countries upon its release and decried almost universally by feminist groups of the early 90s. In 1988, wealthy new york investment banker patrick batemans life revolves around dining at trendy restaurants while keeping. The storys primary plot arc follows patrick batemans mentality from. The film was generally wellreceived in the usa, but i didnt understand why the film was critically so acclaimed.
Based on the story of micky ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness. Everything you need to know about american psycho movie. With christian bale, justin theroux, josh lucas, bill sage. Night shyamalan, american psycho employs a surprise ending. American psycho study guide literature guide litcharts. The ending of american psycho finally explained youtube. Its been awhile since i read the book or saw the movie. He is twentyseven and living his own american dream. 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.
It stars anthony perkins, janet leigh, john gavin, vera miles, and martin balsam, and was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by robert bloch. The film centers on an encounter between a secretary, marion crane leigh, who ends up at a secluded motel after stealing. It is only fitting then, that this is the month in which stephen kings novella, apt pupil, will finally be released as a feature film, directed. Freeman and stars mila kunis as rachael newman, a driven criminology student who is drawn to murder.
American psycho 2000 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. 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. The cast is filled by the detective willem dafoe, the fiance reese witherspoon, the mistress samantha mathis, the coworker jared leto, and the secretary. The film adaptation of the bret easton ellis novel american psycho was released in 2000, and has been confusing viewers ever since. Bateman murders people in broad daylight in front of people including a child at the central park zoo, gets pursued by a swat team i think he shoots down a helicopter in addition to blowing up police cars, and the souvenirs of his murders all mysteriously. There is a scene where a group of businessmen compare their business cards, discussing the wording, paper thickness, finish, embossing, engraving and typefaces, and they might as well be discussing their phalli.
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. Its firmly established throughout the film that american psychos lead. The music in this film fits in great with the scenes to show how patrick bateman is thinkingfeeling. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Bateman spends his mornings at the gym and his nights clubbing with his friends. American psycho has a good plot to it, some scenes are pointless, but only some. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan.
About the author ke monahan huntley is an editor and publisher based in southern california. A wealthy new york city investment banking executive, patrick bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his coworkers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies. All i have in common with the uncontrollable and the. The pupil is contracted to a pinpoint obviously due to the bright lighting where it should have been dilated. The book and the film versions of american psycho have one thing in common, and thats the controversy that surrounds them. He enjoys flaunting his wealth similarly to his coworkersthrough his credit card. American psycho is a novel that makes a statement about modern society. Meanwhile, the eventual film version was immediately under protest. 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. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Nisha gopalan traces the troubled passage of bret easton elliss novel from page to screen. An interactive data visualization of american psychos plot and themes.
American psycho still finds its own blend of horror and humor, thanks in part to. Patrick bateman is a rich kid who works on wall street. Most of american psycho seems to suggest the former, but the final events of the film leave you questioning just how much of it really happened. Both gein who lived just 64 kilometres 40 mi from bloch and the storys protagonist, norman bates, were solitary murderers in isolated rural locations.
The mass appeal that psycho has maintained for over three decades can undoubtedly be attributed to its universality. What we see play out with the newspaper, the raincoat. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of american psycho by bret easton ellis. It is an extremely controversial novel, given its depiction of increasingly brutal violence against women. Its about lifestyle being sold as life, a lifestyle that.
Everyone believes bateman is a nice guy, the shy boy next door. The film regards the male executive lifestyle with the devotion of a fetishist. American psycho might have seemed like a straightforward film. Bateman holes up in his office and calls his lawyer, harold carnes, confessing all of his crimes to carnes answering machine. In the recent tradition of movies like fight club 1999 and the films of m. American psycho has a terrific plot, acting and is a satire of the lifestyle of those who lived in the 1980s.
Errr i hate it when a plot is left for open interpretation. The american psycho film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. In psycho, hitchcock allows the audience to become a subjective character within the plot to enhance the. 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. I wouldnt say its bad but i wouldnt admit its good either.
And, again, his high status prevents anyone from believing his rather outrageous story of. In new york city in 1987, a handsome, young urban professional, patrick bateman christian bale, lives a second life as a gruesome serial killer by night. Dangerously skirting an nc17 rating throughout its production, it is a. After the film was released, hitchcock heard from several ophthalmologists who pointed this out and suggested he use belladonna eyedrops in the eyes of dead people in. When janet leigh is shown lying dead on the floor of the shower, there is a closeup of her open eye. Psycho is a 1960 american psychological horror film directed and produced by alfred hitchcock, and written by joseph stefano. 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. Bateman, who relays the action of the novel, as well as his innermost thoughts. Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when sports came out in 83, i think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. Psycho is based on robert blochs 1959 novel of the same name, which was loosely inspired by the case of convicted wisconsin murderer and grave robber ed gein. American psycho 2 also known as american psycho ii. Based on the true story of jordan belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime.
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