SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Week 179 - American Psycho

[europe1]

NOTE to NON-MEMBERS: Interested in joining the SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB? Shoot me a PM for more info!

Here's a quick list of all movies watched by the SMC. Or if you prefer, here's a more detailed examination.

Our Director
Mary Harron

​

Mary Harron (born January 12, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter. She gained recognition for her role in writing and directing several independent films, including I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), American Psycho (2000), and The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). She co-wrote American Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page with Guinevere Turner. Although Harron has denied this title, she has been thought to be feminist filmmaker due to her film on lesbian feminist Valerie Solanas, in I Shot Andy Warhol, and a queer story-line within her teenage Gothic horror, The Moth Diaries (2011).

Our Star
4th Batman

Film Info

Premise: A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.​

Budget: $7 million

Box Office: $34.3 milion




Trivia
(Courtesy of IMDB)
​

* The vast majority of the dialogue in the movie is taken word-for-word from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

* During the shooting of the film, Christian Bale spoke in an American accent off-set at all times. At the wrap party, when he began to speak in his native English accent, many of the crew thought he was speaking that way as an accent for another film. They had thought he was American throughout the entire shoot.

* The single biggest cost on the film was purchasing the rights to the various songs used throughout.

* To block the three-way sex scene with two prostitutes, co-writer and director Mary Harron and Christian Bale watched x-rated tapes. In her commentary, Harron says Bale made stick-figure drawings of the positions he thought would work best.

* In the DVD commentary, co-writer and director Mary Harron says that during the first shower scene with Patrick Bateman, all of the women on-set gathered around to watch Christian Bale wash himself.

* The "whoosh" sounds during the famous business card scene was created by slowing down the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath.

* The name Bateman is derived from the main character of the "Psycho" film franchise, Norman Bates.

* All of the business cards read "Vice President".

* For Willem Dafoe's scenes, Mary Harron instructed him to play each one in three different styles - one as if he is suspicious of Patrick Bateman, two as if he has no clue as to Bateman's guilt and three as if he is undecided.


Members: @europe1 @MusterX @FrontNakedChoke @Tufts @chickenluver @Steve Rogers @Scott Parker 27 @Yotsuya @jei @LHWBelt @moreorless87 @HARRISON_3 @HenryFlower @Zer

 

[Steve Rogers]

@europe1 Haven't gotten round to rewatching the movie yet but Christian Bale's actually the 7th Batman.

 

[HARRISON_3]

Where do you summer? South Hampton?

 

[europe1]

@europe1 Haven't gotten round to rewatching the movie yet but Christian Bale's actually the 7th Batman.

West, GOAT Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney are the only ones that matter!

Which would make him the 5th. Fuck!

Voting thread will be delayed by an hour or two

 

[Steve Rogers]

West, GOAT Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney are the only ones that matter!

Which would make him the 5th. Fuck!

Voting thread will be delayed by an hour or two

6th if ya count Conroy.

 

[Zer]

I'm a big Bret Easton Ellis fan. I preferred the book, but the movie enhances it since it's perfectly cast and fills in a lot of blanks.

Easton Ellis btw likes American Psycho although he likes The Rules of Attraction way more in terms of adaptations of his books (I also think Rules of Attraction >>> American Psycho in terms of movies). One of the main characters in Rules of Attraction is Sean Bateman, Patrick's little brother, and Patrick makes his first appearance in that book (It's a brief appearance but Patrick seems like the wiser brother with his head screwed on and shit and Sean is the fuckup degenerate he's embarrassed about)

 

[HARRISON_3]

I'm a big Bret Easton Ellis fan. I preferred the book, but the movie enhances it since it's perfectly cast and fills in a lot of blanks.

Easton Ellis btw likes American Psycho although he likes The Rules of Attraction way more in terms of adaptations of his books (I also think Rules of Attraction >>> American Psycho). One of the main characters in Rules of Attraction is Sean Bateman, Patrick's little brother, and Patrick makes his first appearance in that book

Rules of Attraction is great; especially the Europe scene (Glitterati.)

I remember I once loaned the DVD to my brother and his wife, and they watched it one night with another couple (date night in or something,) and were all, "What the fuck was that, @HARRISON_3 ?"

I think they thought it was gonna be a romantic comedy.

Anyways, back to American Psycho.

Yea, excellent book. Graphic af.

I remember I once had a boss who was all excited when the movie was about to come out.

He told a coworker buddy of mine that he had read the book, and that we had to see the movie.

Then he told us he was dating a chick from California and mailed her a copy of the book because he liked it so much.

He never heard from her again.

In my home office I have a Pat Bateman canvas exactly like this (except mine has a white background.)

At first I thought there might be too much satire, but after dozens of viewings, I'd say it's solid.

The ending is obviously different than the book, but I guess the director wanted to give the viewer the feeling that it was open to interpretation (all the murders, etc.)

That's my take, at least.

You ever see Less Than Zero?

As a fellow Brett Easton Ellis fan, I found that one by far the most depressing.

Robert Downey Jr basically just played himself at the time.

Brutal but good.

 

[Zer]

Rules of Attraction is great; especially the Europe scene (Glitterati.)

I remember I once loaned the DVD to my brother and his wife, and they watched it one night with another couple (date night in or something,) and were all, "What the fuck was that, @HARRISON_3 ?"

I think they thought it was gonna be a romantic comedy.

Anyways, back to American Psycho.

Yea, excellent book. Graphic af.

I remember I once had a boss who was all excited when the movie was about to come out.

He told a coworker buddy of mine that he had read the book, and that we had to see the movie.

Then he told us he was dating a chick from California and mailed her a copy of the book because he liked it so much.

He never heard from her again.

In my home office I have a Pat Bateman canvas exactly like this (except mine has a white background.)

At first I thought there might be too much satire, but after dozens of viewings, I'd say it's solid.

The ending is obviously different than the book, but I guess the director wanted to give the viewer the feeling that it was open to interpretation (all the murders, etc.)

That's my take, at least.

You ever see Less Than Zero?

As a fellow Brett Easton Ellis fan, I found that one by far the most depressing.

Robert Downey Jr basically just played himself at the time.

Brutal but good.

Yeah the Less Than Zero adaptation was really disappointing. They tried to make it an aspirational film and completely missed the point of the book and those characters. But RDJ was good and it was impressive visually. If you fuck with the Bret Easton Ellis podcast he did one with Andrew McCarthy (Who played Clay) and they get into why that film failed and the shit that went wrong (He also did a podcast with James van der Beek, and than later Shannyn Sossamon (And van der Beek again) where they obviously discuss Rules of Attraction a lot too)

I always loved the book ending of American Psycho

Someone has already taken out a Minolta cellular phone and called for a car, and then, when I'm not really listening, watching instead someone who looks remarkably like Marcus Halberstam paying a check, someone asks, simply, not in relation to anything, "Why?" and though I'm very proud that I have cold blood and that I can keep my nerve and do what I'm supposed to do, I catch something, then realize it: Why? and automatically answering, out of the blue, for no reason, just opening my mouth, words coming out, summarizing for the idiots: "Well, though I know I should have done that instead of not doing it, I'm twenty-seven for Christ sakes and this is, uh, how life presents itself in a bar or in a club in New York, maybe anywhere, at the end of the century and people, you know, me, behave, and this is what being Patrick means to me, I guess, so, well, yup, uh ..." and this is followed by a sigh, then a slight shrug and another sigh, and above one of the doors covered by red velvet drapes in Harry's is a sign and on the sign in letters that match the drapes' color are the words THIS IS NOT AN EXIT

 

[BB in Crazy!!!!]

I'm not even sure I'm allowed to post in this thread since I'm not a club member.

Just wanted to say this is one of my all time favorite movies! As Rotten Tomatoes puts it "If it falls short of the deadly satire of Bret Easton Ellis's novel, American Psycho still finds its own blend of horror and humor, thanks in part to a fittingly creepy performance by Christian Bale." I would say I have to disagree, American Psycho is every bit as good as the book was, and Christian Bales performance elevates it even beyond what Bret Easton Ellis had made alone. One reviewer said that "Bale's voice, accent, gestures and precisely choreographed movements produce a powerful vision of an urban monster, inviting the audience to examine his motives." Many call it just a satire of the wealth and excess of the rich Wallstreet yuppies, but it also serves as a warning to us all about the dangers of obsession, materialism, self absorption and extreme conformity.

 

[SamSchmidt]

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

@Huey Lewis and the Front Naked News checking in.



I absolutely love this movie. It's been a long time since I've watched it.

I usually don't do this, but I read a little about the film before re-watching it for this discussion.
One interesting fact I learned is that Christian Bale's part was apparently given to Leonardo DiCaprio, but that never ended up working out, and Bale kept the role. (Thank God).

I've always thought that it was all in his head, but after reading some more, it was apparently supposed to be more ambiguous; however film adaptations make that goal more difficult to achieve.

There's something particularly dark and unsettling about Bateman in this film.
Christian Bale is perfectly suited to this role (Valentine Couture pun intended).

The narration and tone in his voice is chilling. A believable Psychopath.

I didn't realize the Director is Canadian. Very cool eh.
Also didn't realize that he's named Patrick Bateman because of Norman Bates.

This intro definitely inspired Dexter's intro.

"They don't have a good bathroom to do coke in"


The psychopath didn't like the anti-semetic remarks.

Bateman's explanation of his morning routine always makes me laugh.

So many good quotes in this movie. Love the soundtrack as well.
From what I read, that was the most expensive part about making this film.

Spoiler

Be a doll and just get me a mineral water, okay?


My "supposed" fiancé.
The dark humor in this movie really gets me.

He definitely killed that woman he said hello to.
As his cranberry-apple stained sheets proved.

"Is that Donald Trump's car?"
Never noticed that line before.

Would you like to hear the specials?
Not if you'd like to keep your spleen


Bateman's obsession with commercial pop music is hilarious to me.


Texas chainsaw massacre on in the background.
Definitely an upgrade from the porn he had on earlier.

The Juxtaposition of Bateman next to the prostitute in the limo is striking.
Bateman loves breaking down his album reviews while murdering or sandblasting prostitutes.

Not a fan of sex scenes, but this one has got to be at the top of my short list.
Su-su-sudio.


"Don't touch the watch" was originally supposed to be don't touch the Rolex, but no big company wanted to be attached to American Psycho at the time due to it's violent graphic nature.

Bateman definitely feels jealousy.
Particularly over those with more expensive apartments or nicer business cards.

The homosexual choke scene between Patrick and Lewis kills me.

CAN YOU KEEP IT DOWN? I'M TRYING TO DO DRUGS!


Bateman always dropping fun facts about serial killers.

Oh yeah let me just get back into this limo with that guy that sent me to the ER last time because, money. Smart prostitute.

Who could have foreseen such a decision leading to a horrific ending?

Impeccable timing

Thank God he let that baby stray cat go. Looks like my cat when he was a baby.

I think this is the most terrifying still from the movie

The scene with the woman in the apartment has always been strange to me.

Bateman's lawyer doesn't even know who he his.
Did he really have dinner with Paul Allen? Is he alive?
Was the lawyer also confusing Paul Allen with someone else?

This quote is metal as f***

Spoiler

In closing, I love this movie, and Bryce's hairline is BTFO

 

[HenryFlower]

not gonna lie, I had no idea American Psycho was directed by a woman. i really liked Mary Harron’s I Shot Andy Warhol & hadn’t a clue she also directed American Psycho.

also, not a yuge fan of BEE.

 

[Zer]

Bateman's obsession with commercial pop music is hilarious to me.

You might expect Ellis to be some fucked up weirdo after writing stuff like this but he mostly talks pop music and film and TV. Like Bateman does but without dat pep. He's said Bateman was somewhat based on him, and mainly his time living in New York desperately wanting to fit into a society that he despised. He wrote a book after American Psycho called Glamorama which is also set in New York, and also obsessed with music and brand names (and namedropping) etc except it's about a socialite/model who gets caught up in terrorism (Also a really violent book with a really gross airplane incident). Glamorama is also part of the American Psycho universe since two of its characters were in Rules of Attraction which also featured the Bateman bros (iirc Bateman makes a blink and you'll miss it cameo in Glamorama too)

In closing, I love this movie, and Bryce's hairline is BTFO

It's weird but Theroux in American Psycho is like my quintessential Ellis character. Like he completely, visually represents the sleaze but also the charm and appeal of his work. He's like the first guy I think of when I hear Bret Easton Ellis. I always low key wanted to see Theroux in Bale's place as much as I like Bale. Timothy Bryce/Price does have a larger role in another Ellis book called The Informers which got a totally botched movie adaptation

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

@Huey Lewis and the Front Naked News checking in.

I've always thought that it was all in his head, but after reading some more, it was apparently supposed to be more ambiguous; however film adaptations make that goal more difficult to achieve.

It's been a long time since I read the book, but I remember it being pretty clear that it certainly was not in his head. I had watched the movie several times before I read the book, and after reading some discussion and rewatching the movie post book it made more sense.

There were a couple of key scenes at the end that made it appear to be in his head but when mixed with completely self absorbed life style everyone was leading, you can see the dynamics flipped.

-When he returned to the apartment to clean up the mess, and the place was spot free. It was the scene of a brutal crime, but in the fast paced/high priced Manhattan real-estate, the mess was already cleaned up to move the apartment and make some coin. You'll notice when Bateman first arrives the agent is very friendly, but her attitude quickly changes and wants him to GTFO when she realizes he had something to do with the mess. Profit > reporting the crime.

-When he admits to killing Paul Allen to his lawyer, who then replies that it's impossible and he had dinner with Paul the week before in Paris(I think?). The intent there that everyone has the same suit, same hair cut, same designer glasses, and mixed with everyone being so self absorbed and concerned with status, that the lawyer completely confused who he had dinner with.

There are more examples, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. Now I need to go back and watch it again since I haven't seen it in years.

 

[ufcfan4]

For me, the scene where Bale plays Huey and the News while getting ready to take out Allen is the one that most stands out to me. Great performance from Bale overall in this film, but I thought that scene particularly highlighted the tone and themes of the narrative in an effective way.

I never read the book, but the film certainly has its darkly comedic moments even in the most morbid or unsettling of scenes. For example, I always find the line, "Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now...!" funny just because it exemplifies just how petty and embittered Bateman is. He's so pissed off that Allen can get reservations to a trendy place that he can't that he throws that out there while brutally offing him.

Any time I hear three songs specifically- Katrina and the Waves' Walking on Sunshine, Huey Lewis and the News' Hip to Be Square, and Collins' Sussudio, I can't help but think of this movie. I always find that a cool phenomenon. For example, it's impossible for me to hear Sister Christian, Jessie's Girl or 99 Red Balloons without immediately thinking of the terrific scene in Boogie Nights with Tom Jane, Wahlberg, and John C. Reilly trying to rip off Alfred Molina. "Ricky Springfield!!! He's a buddy of mine!!"

 

[ufcfan4]

not gonna lie, I had no idea American Psycho was directed by a woman. i really liked Mary Harron’s I Shot Andy Warhol & hadn’t a clue she also directed American Psycho.

also, not a yuge fan of BEE.

Bigelow GOAT female director in my opinion. Strange Days, Zero Dark Thirty, Near Dark- c'mon.

I'm not a big fan of The Hurt Locker but that's another well-made movie on her part.

Had no idea American Psycho was directed by a woman either. Quality filmmaker. Too bad she hasn't done more movies.

 

[Zer]

I never read the book, but the film certainly has its darkly comedic moments even in the most morbid or unsettling of scenes. For example, I always find the line, "Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now...!" funny just because it exemplifies just how petty and embittered Bateman is. He's so pissed off that Allen can get reservations to a trendy place that he can't that he throws that out there while brutally offing him.

I think my favourite Bateman line is "There's a moment of sheer panic when I realize Paul's apartment overlooks the park, and is obviously more expensive than mine". It's like listening to a sherbro's inner thoughts at times

 

[ufcfan4]

I think my favourite Bateman line is "There's a moment of sheer panic when I realize Paul's apartment overlooks the park, and is obviously more expensive than mine". It's like listening to a sherbro's inner thoughts at times

hahah. Seriously. Had a friend in college who I could have seen in that comparing business cards scene for certain.

How good is Bale in this movie? He's had an interesting career. Was in a Spielberg movie as a kid, had starring roles as a teen in Newsies and Swing Kids but I feel like this was the film- almost a decade after those two roles that really put him on the map.

Obviously Batman was the real turning point in his career, but this was definitely one of his signature performances.

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

-When he returned to the apartment to clean up the mess, and the place was spot free. It was the scene of a brutal crime, but in the fast paced/high priced Manhattan real-estate, the mess was already cleaned up to move the apartment and make some coin. You'll notice when Bateman first arrives the agent is very friendly, but her attitude quickly changes and wants him to GTFO when she realizes he had something to do with the mess. Profit > reporting the crime.

 

[therealdope]

This is a brilliant movie. I still crack jokes about Phil Collins and getting reservations at Dorsia.

We had these really nice business cards done by a printer in LA and when they were designing them I asked them to make sure my cards were done in Bone White with a sublime font.