STORYLINE
When a young office worker tried to overcome his standardized and predictable lifestyle by “surfing” self-help group meetings, he found himself mildly addicted to participating in other people’s miseries. Surprisingly, he discovered a young woman, Marla Singer, doing exactly the same thing. He found himself relating to her in a semi-ambivalent “spikes” of attraction and “crashes” of ennui. There was this problem of having two sides to his personality. Her quirky ways masked his more profoundly dysfunctional paralysis of will. He managed to become his own doctor on a plane flight, creating the means by which to cure what ills him. Enter Tyler Durden. He offered the Ed Norton character a cloaked Faustian deal whereby Norton would tender his workaday soul to become a small-time operator’s apprentice, an office bum, and finally a company parasite. Since Marla Singer came along, apparently to satisfy herself with Tyler, even Ed Norton’s character was a bit surprised when he got the girl.
He shouldn’t have been, as many women are attracted to a bad man. For “icing on the cake” Ed would become the eventual king of a fight club franchise predicated upon the notion that violent anarchy and atavistic instincts lurked just below the surface of the laboring masses. He appeared to be a revered cult figure amid his club members. His Mephistopheles, Tyler, vanished, when he got his act together. The king is dead, long live the king!
COMMENTARY
This rather odd and ugly film may appeal to those viewers attracted to psychologically oriented themes. It may also appeal to certain political elements that may find support for their “black-flag” orientation. Further, there is enough shedding of blood in physical fights to appeal to the “bear-baiting” crowd. However, the casual exploitation of troubled people may not appeal to everyone.
An example of the sort of self-help group that the Ed Norton character attended was one where men who had testicular cancer – many castrated – gathered to comfort one another. Here, the Ed Norton character encountered Bob Paulson (Meatloaf), who suffered an enlargement of his breasts. I got the impression that someone thought this was amusing – possibly a riot. In another meeting there was a woman who was struggling with brain cancer. She was contemptibly exploited by mocking her through humor based on sex and pornography.
At best this film is an excursion into barbarism.
PRODUCTION KEYS
David Fincher – director, Chuck Palahniuk – writer (novel), Jim Uhls – writer (screenplay), Dust Brothers (John King/Michael Simpson) – original music, Jeff Cronenweth – cinematography, James Haygood – editing, David Leitch – stunt double, Brad Pitt
CAST KEYS
Edward Norton (The Narrator), Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden), Helena Bonham Carter (Marla Singer), Meatloaf (Robert “Bob” Paulson), Zach Grenier (Richard Chesler, office boss)
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