Post by The Candyman on Aug 5, 2005 16:11:38 GMT -5
Quote: "We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: David Fincher
Rating: R
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When Fight Club was first released, not many people went to see it, despite that fact that it starred pretty-boy Brad Pitt. It didn’t make much money at the box office, and quietly disappeared from theaters. But it wasn’t long until people saw it and began realizing what a true gem of a film it is – soon it had spread by word of mouth, and is now one of the favorite movies of most of the guys I know who have seen it.
Why is it suddenly so popular? It’s simple – this is a movie that men can relate to. Period. It is the definitive “guy movie”. It is a testosterone-filled look inside the mind of the average male. Perhaps this is why many Christians consider it devoid of any redeemable content; the mind of the everyday guy is not very pretty. However, I beg to differ with such critics. Fight Club is one of the most spiritual films I’ve ever seen. It is an inspiring look at what it means to truly live, and by that I mean live in the way Christ means for us to.
The film opens by introducing us to its unnamed protagonist – for this review, I’ll just call him The Narrator. The fact that he has no name indicates two things. One, that he has no identity or sense of self, and two, that he is just like you and me; there’s nothing special about him at all. The Narrator can hardly be said to be alive. He has insomnia, which means “you're never really asleep... and you're never really awake.” You’re simply dead. One day his doctor jokingly tells him to visit the testicular cancer patients that meet at a local church to deal with the emotional effects of their problem. So he does, realizes that his life isn’t so bad after all, cries a lot, and for the first time in his life feels somewhat alive. And he becomes addicted. By going to these groups he’s able to completely empty himself and lose all hope in life, and in doing so feels better about himself. As he puts it, “Losing all hope was freedom.”
But one day, he notices a woman, Marla Singer (played magnificently by Helena Bonham Carter), who also goes to these support groups and pretends that she’s dying. And this messes everything up. “Her lie reflected my lie.” He can’t feel alive unless he has all the attention himself. In his mind, he’s the only one that matters. So he starts having trouble sleeping again.
Until, one night on a plane, after wishing his flight would crash and everyone would die just so his life wouldn’t be so meaningless, he meets Tyler Durden. Tyler seems like a pretty intriguing guy – especially because it appears as though he has his life under control. He’s confident. He has a sense of purpose. So The Narrator’s house is burned down in an accident, he goes to live with Tyler, and the movie finally gets going. Tyler says The Narrator can stay with him in exchange for a favor: “I want you to hit me as hard as you can.” So they beat each other up for fun. And they enjoy it. Soon others want to join, and “Fight Clubs” pop up everywhere so men can pummel each other with their bare fists.
Now that I’ve taken a long time explaining the basic info of the storyline (don’t worry, that’s only around the first 20 minutes), let’s get onto the stuff that really matters. This movie explores various themes, and has more than one central message, but here are the ones I feel are most important:
1. What you have does not define who you are. Tyler shows The Narrator that life isn’t about what you own. What you buy won’t make you happy, and it won’t give you life. He lives by the phrase: “You are not your fucking khakis.” This is the first step in becoming truly alive. You have to realize that your car, your house, your money, whatever…none of it matters in the end. Eventually, “the survival rate for everyone drops to zero”, so what’s the big deal about stuff? Fight Club should be praised for challenging society’s obsession with consumerism. Materialism won’t get anybody anywhere.
2. What does it mean to be a man? The Narrator doesn’t know how to be a man – he doesn’t even know what that means. And as Fight Clubs become more and more popular, it becomes obvious that hardly anyone knows. They are “a generation of men raised by women”, and they don’t know to be men. It’s no coincidence that David Fincher chose a human penis as one of the film’s dominant images. Tyler inserts pornographic images into a reel of film at the local cinema, one of which shows an erect penis. When people disobey and rebel against Fight Club, he doesn’t threaten them with death – instead, he threatens to chop off their balls, which is practically the same thing. He threatens to take away their masculinity – that is what scares people into following. There is a deep desire in every man to be a true man, whatever that may be. The Narrator goes as far as to call himself “a thirty-year-old boy”. This is a film about finding masculinity, and learning how to feel you’re being who you’re supposed to be.
3. What does it mean to be alive? The characters – most obviously the Narrator – are spiritually dormant. Their lives have no meaning, no sense of purpose. Yet Tyler changes that. At Fight Club, men gather together and beat life back into each other. It’s not just about inflicting pain, it’s about receiving pain too, because pain is part of being human. It’s a reminder that we’re alive. The Narrator knows that Fight Club doesn’t solve anything, but it gives him a sense of purpose. Tyler preaches that you can’t be truly alive until you’ve looked death in the face, and this movie does show people becoming as alive as they ought to be.
Tyler Durden is the exact opposite of the Narrator – he is spiritually wide awake, and so in touch with that side of himself that in the end, things go overboard. Tyler is everything the Narrator is not, and he knows it. David Fincher’s directing is impeccable, and he paints Tyler as a twisted kind of Christ-figure. There are shots of blood stains on the floor, and in one scene Tyler is lifted into a cruciform position after sacrificing himself for the sake of Fight Club. However, it’s important not to take the Christ-symbolism too far, because Tyler is not the ideal spiritual person. In some ways, he has gone overboard. Many people might walk away from the film agreeing with all of Tyler’s ideas, but this would be a foolish thing to do. In the end, Tyler is at heart an anarchist. Gradually, Fight Club stops focusing on helping men become alive, and evolves into something new – Project Mayhem. The title speaks for itself. The members of Fight Club lose focus on what’s really important – is this perhaps Fincher’s critique of the church?
The Narrator and Tyler are two ends of the spectrum. If I could sum up what this movie is about in one sentence it would be: This is a movie inviting people to become truly alive, but not so alive that in the end, they return to being dead. A balance needs to be found, and by the end of the movie it could perhaps be interpreted that the Narrator has found this balance. It appears as though he’s in a position where his spiritual side is now awake and in prime condition. Maybe he’ll even reject Tyler’s idea that “God does not like you…He never wanted you…” and who knows, go to church.
It should be noted, however, that Fight Club is a very serious, adult movie. It is definitely not for kids. It is a dark and gritty portrayal of the life of the average male, which means it is filled with sex, nudity, profanity, and above all extreme violence. However, at its core it is one of the most spiritual films I’ve ever seen, and it’s a shame many Christians refuse to watch it. Watching this will inspire you to truly live, and you just might discover the meaning behind what it is to be human.
In the end, Fight Club cannot be fully summed up in one review. In fact, it’s probably impossible to put everything it communicates into words. You have to see it in order to be able to fully grasp the depth of everything it’s trying to say. This movie is about a perfect as they come. The directing is flawless, the script is brilliant, and all the actors give some of their best performances – particularly Norton.
The Bottom Line: Amazing. A must-see for the average male in their late teens to early thirties. Watch it and strive to have what Tyler calls "a near-life experience". 10/10.
Should I see it? If you can handle the strong material (there is a reason some Christians won’t see it), then yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: David Fincher
Rating: R
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Fight Club was first released, not many people went to see it, despite that fact that it starred pretty-boy Brad Pitt. It didn’t make much money at the box office, and quietly disappeared from theaters. But it wasn’t long until people saw it and began realizing what a true gem of a film it is – soon it had spread by word of mouth, and is now one of the favorite movies of most of the guys I know who have seen it.
Why is it suddenly so popular? It’s simple – this is a movie that men can relate to. Period. It is the definitive “guy movie”. It is a testosterone-filled look inside the mind of the average male. Perhaps this is why many Christians consider it devoid of any redeemable content; the mind of the everyday guy is not very pretty. However, I beg to differ with such critics. Fight Club is one of the most spiritual films I’ve ever seen. It is an inspiring look at what it means to truly live, and by that I mean live in the way Christ means for us to.
The film opens by introducing us to its unnamed protagonist – for this review, I’ll just call him The Narrator. The fact that he has no name indicates two things. One, that he has no identity or sense of self, and two, that he is just like you and me; there’s nothing special about him at all. The Narrator can hardly be said to be alive. He has insomnia, which means “you're never really asleep... and you're never really awake.” You’re simply dead. One day his doctor jokingly tells him to visit the testicular cancer patients that meet at a local church to deal with the emotional effects of their problem. So he does, realizes that his life isn’t so bad after all, cries a lot, and for the first time in his life feels somewhat alive. And he becomes addicted. By going to these groups he’s able to completely empty himself and lose all hope in life, and in doing so feels better about himself. As he puts it, “Losing all hope was freedom.”
But one day, he notices a woman, Marla Singer (played magnificently by Helena Bonham Carter), who also goes to these support groups and pretends that she’s dying. And this messes everything up. “Her lie reflected my lie.” He can’t feel alive unless he has all the attention himself. In his mind, he’s the only one that matters. So he starts having trouble sleeping again.
Until, one night on a plane, after wishing his flight would crash and everyone would die just so his life wouldn’t be so meaningless, he meets Tyler Durden. Tyler seems like a pretty intriguing guy – especially because it appears as though he has his life under control. He’s confident. He has a sense of purpose. So The Narrator’s house is burned down in an accident, he goes to live with Tyler, and the movie finally gets going. Tyler says The Narrator can stay with him in exchange for a favor: “I want you to hit me as hard as you can.” So they beat each other up for fun. And they enjoy it. Soon others want to join, and “Fight Clubs” pop up everywhere so men can pummel each other with their bare fists.
Now that I’ve taken a long time explaining the basic info of the storyline (don’t worry, that’s only around the first 20 minutes), let’s get onto the stuff that really matters. This movie explores various themes, and has more than one central message, but here are the ones I feel are most important:
1. What you have does not define who you are. Tyler shows The Narrator that life isn’t about what you own. What you buy won’t make you happy, and it won’t give you life. He lives by the phrase: “You are not your fucking khakis.” This is the first step in becoming truly alive. You have to realize that your car, your house, your money, whatever…none of it matters in the end. Eventually, “the survival rate for everyone drops to zero”, so what’s the big deal about stuff? Fight Club should be praised for challenging society’s obsession with consumerism. Materialism won’t get anybody anywhere.
2. What does it mean to be a man? The Narrator doesn’t know how to be a man – he doesn’t even know what that means. And as Fight Clubs become more and more popular, it becomes obvious that hardly anyone knows. They are “a generation of men raised by women”, and they don’t know to be men. It’s no coincidence that David Fincher chose a human penis as one of the film’s dominant images. Tyler inserts pornographic images into a reel of film at the local cinema, one of which shows an erect penis. When people disobey and rebel against Fight Club, he doesn’t threaten them with death – instead, he threatens to chop off their balls, which is practically the same thing. He threatens to take away their masculinity – that is what scares people into following. There is a deep desire in every man to be a true man, whatever that may be. The Narrator goes as far as to call himself “a thirty-year-old boy”. This is a film about finding masculinity, and learning how to feel you’re being who you’re supposed to be.
3. What does it mean to be alive? The characters – most obviously the Narrator – are spiritually dormant. Their lives have no meaning, no sense of purpose. Yet Tyler changes that. At Fight Club, men gather together and beat life back into each other. It’s not just about inflicting pain, it’s about receiving pain too, because pain is part of being human. It’s a reminder that we’re alive. The Narrator knows that Fight Club doesn’t solve anything, but it gives him a sense of purpose. Tyler preaches that you can’t be truly alive until you’ve looked death in the face, and this movie does show people becoming as alive as they ought to be.
Tyler Durden is the exact opposite of the Narrator – he is spiritually wide awake, and so in touch with that side of himself that in the end, things go overboard. Tyler is everything the Narrator is not, and he knows it. David Fincher’s directing is impeccable, and he paints Tyler as a twisted kind of Christ-figure. There are shots of blood stains on the floor, and in one scene Tyler is lifted into a cruciform position after sacrificing himself for the sake of Fight Club. However, it’s important not to take the Christ-symbolism too far, because Tyler is not the ideal spiritual person. In some ways, he has gone overboard. Many people might walk away from the film agreeing with all of Tyler’s ideas, but this would be a foolish thing to do. In the end, Tyler is at heart an anarchist. Gradually, Fight Club stops focusing on helping men become alive, and evolves into something new – Project Mayhem. The title speaks for itself. The members of Fight Club lose focus on what’s really important – is this perhaps Fincher’s critique of the church?
The Narrator and Tyler are two ends of the spectrum. If I could sum up what this movie is about in one sentence it would be: This is a movie inviting people to become truly alive, but not so alive that in the end, they return to being dead. A balance needs to be found, and by the end of the movie it could perhaps be interpreted that the Narrator has found this balance. It appears as though he’s in a position where his spiritual side is now awake and in prime condition. Maybe he’ll even reject Tyler’s idea that “God does not like you…He never wanted you…” and who knows, go to church.
It should be noted, however, that Fight Club is a very serious, adult movie. It is definitely not for kids. It is a dark and gritty portrayal of the life of the average male, which means it is filled with sex, nudity, profanity, and above all extreme violence. However, at its core it is one of the most spiritual films I’ve ever seen, and it’s a shame many Christians refuse to watch it. Watching this will inspire you to truly live, and you just might discover the meaning behind what it is to be human.
In the end, Fight Club cannot be fully summed up in one review. In fact, it’s probably impossible to put everything it communicates into words. You have to see it in order to be able to fully grasp the depth of everything it’s trying to say. This movie is about a perfect as they come. The directing is flawless, the script is brilliant, and all the actors give some of their best performances – particularly Norton.
The Bottom Line: Amazing. A must-see for the average male in their late teens to early thirties. Watch it and strive to have what Tyler calls "a near-life experience". 10/10.
Should I see it? If you can handle the strong material (there is a reason some Christians won’t see it), then yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt.