Our narrator, the actor Edward Norton, is working one of those soulless corporate jobs that makes you feel like punching yourself in the face every morning and drinking too much vodka every evening. He has this immaculate apartment full of IKEA furniture, no girlfriend, no friends to speak of, and nothing but endless hours to fill. It is no wonder that he is depressed and not sleeping. His therapist suggests that he go to support groups to help him understand that his life is actually pretty good compared to a lot of other people. He starts noticing that this same woman, Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter), is showing up to all the same support groups. It should be a commonality that will blossom into a beautiful friendship...well...not exactly. He does discover that going to support groups is strangely uplifting. Score one for therapy! He may even be on the road to discovering how to enjoy life.
Until his apartment blows up.
The only person he can think to call is Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman he met on a plane. Tyler is someone who is determined to squeeze the most out of life. He is dynamic, a natural leader, an anarchist, and a man with a head full of philosophies. He is the exact opposite of Edward Norton. He lets Norton move into his ramshackle condemned mansion with peeling wall paper, unstable water supply, moldy ceilings, and just enough tarnished glamour left to give us a glimmer of the elegance that once shimmered from the expensive fixtures.
Outside of a bar they get into a scuffle that turns into a fight. They pummel each other pretty well, certainly well enough to loosen teeth, bruise a few features, and leave both mopping away blood. Not only does this make them best friends, I know this is one of those baffling things about men that women don’t understand, but they also discover that they...well...loved it.
Fight Club is born!
It turns out there are a lot of men out there that find their life to be tedious. Their dormant, testosterone driven need to hit and be hit is roused and able to express itself in the fighting ring at Fight Club. They are tested, sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, but they walk away feeling more like...men. Many of our jobs are becoming so passive. Men used to be warriors; men used to build things; men used to conquer the wilderness; men used to have a swagger based on ability rather than an overinflated ego. Sitting in a cubicle all day with a tie wrapped around their throat instead of a bandoleer just doesn’t cut it. Oxford dress shoes instead of a good pair of boots make them feel meek and mild. Clothing that would be ripped to shreds under any duress does not make them feel powerful. Is this how a man is suppose to be?
Well yes, it is called civilization.
Not that I don’t hear the call of the wild from time to time. Not that I don’t feel my blood stir with the thought of using my brawn rather than my brains. It is the slumbering lizard in all of us just waiting to be woke up and called to action, claws extended.
Marla calls the Narrator to let him know that she had decided to kill herself. He wasn’t interested, but Tyler picks up the phone and saves her from herself. The result, much to the Narrator’s irritation, is that Tyler and Marla begin a relationship...well...an animalistic, banging on the walls, shattering the bed frame series of sexual events.
Let’s just say things begin to get wiggy.
The reason it took me so long to watch this movie was because of the title. I find boxing frankly boring to watch, and couldn’t imagine that I would enjoy watching a movie based around men beating the crap out of each other. The movie is, of course, so much more. Yes, it is gratuitous, and certainly if they had cut out a few more scenes of fighting, it would not have hurt my feelings. The relationship between the Narrator and Tyler is fascinating to watch grow, erode, and become more and more of a puzzle until the final twist is revealed.
Oh, what a beauty of a twist.
The dialogue is witty, intelligent, and at times even charming. Carter, Norton, and Pitt are all excellent. Pitt even had some of his front teeth chipped for the movie which gives me the willies to even think about. They were repaired afterwards, but still...erghhh! This is certainly one of the better movies I’ve seen in a long time. It is not for the sensitive soul, but certainly it is about much, much more than fighting. Superb!
Until his apartment blows up.
The only person he can think to call is Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman he met on a plane. Tyler is someone who is determined to squeeze the most out of life. He is dynamic, a natural leader, an anarchist, and a man with a head full of philosophies. He is the exact opposite of Edward Norton. He lets Norton move into his ramshackle condemned mansion with peeling wall paper, unstable water supply, moldy ceilings, and just enough tarnished glamour left to give us a glimmer of the elegance that once shimmered from the expensive fixtures.
Outside of a bar they get into a scuffle that turns into a fight. They pummel each other pretty well, certainly well enough to loosen teeth, bruise a few features, and leave both mopping away blood. Not only does this make them best friends, I know this is one of those baffling things about men that women don’t understand, but they also discover that they...well...loved it.
Fight Club is born!
It turns out there are a lot of men out there that find their life to be tedious. Their dormant, testosterone driven need to hit and be hit is roused and able to express itself in the fighting ring at Fight Club. They are tested, sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, but they walk away feeling more like...men. Many of our jobs are becoming so passive. Men used to be warriors; men used to build things; men used to conquer the wilderness; men used to have a swagger based on ability rather than an overinflated ego. Sitting in a cubicle all day with a tie wrapped around their throat instead of a bandoleer just doesn’t cut it. Oxford dress shoes instead of a good pair of boots make them feel meek and mild. Clothing that would be ripped to shreds under any duress does not make them feel powerful. Is this how a man is suppose to be?
Well yes, it is called civilization.
Not that I don’t hear the call of the wild from time to time. Not that I don’t feel my blood stir with the thought of using my brawn rather than my brains. It is the slumbering lizard in all of us just waiting to be woke up and called to action, claws extended.
Marla calls the Narrator to let him know that she had decided to kill herself. He wasn’t interested, but Tyler picks up the phone and saves her from herself. The result, much to the Narrator’s irritation, is that Tyler and Marla begin a relationship...well...an animalistic, banging on the walls, shattering the bed frame series of sexual events.
Let’s just say things begin to get wiggy.
The reason it took me so long to watch this movie was because of the title. I find boxing frankly boring to watch, and couldn’t imagine that I would enjoy watching a movie based around men beating the crap out of each other. The movie is, of course, so much more. Yes, it is gratuitous, and certainly if they had cut out a few more scenes of fighting, it would not have hurt my feelings. The relationship between the Narrator and Tyler is fascinating to watch grow, erode, and become more and more of a puzzle until the final twist is revealed.
Oh, what a beauty of a twist.
The dialogue is witty, intelligent, and at times even charming. Carter, Norton, and Pitt are all excellent. Pitt even had some of his front teeth chipped for the movie which gives me the willies to even think about. They were repaired afterwards, but still...erghhh! This is certainly one of the better movies I’ve seen in a long time. It is not for the sensitive soul, but certainly it is about much, much more than fighting. Superb!
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