Bret Easton Ellis: "the film clarified the themes of the novel. Here, money and sex are interchangeable in a certain kind of way of looking at the 80s, in which money was the erotic object, it was the source of eroticism in the 80s.American Psycho: From Book to Screen (2005)] "As for major differences, there are many as there are even entire scenes from the book left out of the movie.Much of the novel is described in terms of people's clothing and the accessories they wear, as in the yuppie lifestyle, is how they see who has the better lifestyle. Jean Character Analysis in American Psycho | LitCharts And whilst that is a perfectly valid interpretation, as Harron indicates above, it is not entirely what the filmmakers were attempting to achieve. This functions as part of the film's critique of 80s hedonism - everyone looks alike, no one really knows anyone else, everyone is disconnected; they are all successful and wealthy, they all look great and eat well, they are all cultured and well travelled, but none of them have any kind of individuating characteristics, and none of them take the trouble to really know any of the others. We can profit off of Ellis' terror and pain, just as he and bookstores are profiting off of the rape, torture, and mutilation of women. As with the practical explanation of the mistaken identity theme and the Carnes conversation, this would tie it into the film's social critique; everyone looks alike, no one knows anyone else, and no one really listens to anyone else either. See Details. At this point, Bateman intervenes, saying "It's not Paul Allen. What are the differences between the R-rated cut and the unrated cut of the film? American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002), American Psycho: From Book to Screen (2005), (critic): Harron, if anything, is an even more devious provocateur than Ellis was. Bateman, bored by his lavish date with Courtney, has ditched her to go pick up a prostitute. However it is not so much for his health, but rather to fit in and out do his peers at the same time.While it is not official if this is really his mental illness, it is likely that the two above are factors that play into his daily life, and his mental state. It's ambiguous in the novel whether or not it's real, or how much of it is real, and we decided, right off the bat, first conversation about the book, that we hate movies, books, stories that ended and "it was all a dream" or "it was all in his head". Edit, The most popular theory as to what the film is about is that it is a social satire, critiquing the hedonistic and self-obsessed New York of the late 1980s. "Carnes: "Jesus, yes, that was hilarious. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. I killed Paul Allen, and I liked it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must be going. The arc that the character has had from the beginning to the end of the movie is that he has become acutely aware of what it is, and he can articulate it to himself; he's in pain and he wants to inflict that pain on everyone, he feels nothing, he doesn't care that people are in pain. As such, if this scene is an hallucination, the question must be are all of his murders hallucinatory? Saying he would, the steward puts on the newest soon to be released film from a production company owned by Bateman himself. American Psycho Girls Summary & Analysis | LitCharts This starts in a non-violent manner, with him very specifically instructing the women on what to do to him, to each other. Paul Allen is on the other side of the room over there." TIME and Spy, a satirical journal built upon a mockery of all things 80s (in a similar vein to the novel), obtained drafts of the novel and ran with the story, with Spy referring to it as "misogynistic barbarism. We talk on the phone all the time. And I don't find this funny anymore. This selection of quotations offers a broad cross section of such opinions:Official site: The unfolding cinematic fable suggests a series of themes about the 1980s: the obsession with outer perfection, even when it masks inner emptiness; the amoral insistence on conformity at all costs; the desire for stimulation that keeps raising the threshold highermore drugs, money, sex, sound, color, action; and the emotional isolation, expressed by Bateman's videotape addiction, and the fact that he has no back-story, no family, no real characteristics apart from the labels on his clothes. According to his business card, he is a vice president at Pierce & Pierce. The fact that Bateman is never caught and that no one believes his confession just reinforces the shallowness, self-absorption, and lack of morality that they all have. However, before he can fire, he is interrupted by an old woman (Joyce R. Korbin). Also includes a behind-the-scenes interview with Reese Witherspoon about sexuality in 1980s America. In Brisbane, the novel is available to those over 18 from public libraries only; bookstores are not allowed to carry it, although they can order copies for a private buyer if one makes a specific request. For instance, the book shows how the excesses of the 1980s were manifested in warped relations, not only between men and women but also among men. Bateman does however make a short appearance in Glamorama (1998), which has not, as of yet, been adapted into a film. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. User Ratings taglines. I should have left it more open ended. As far as the filmic adaptations go, American Psycho was adapted first, and the scene with Sean was omitted. [p. 5] Another good example can be found when Bateman and his colleagues are at a restaurant called Pastels; Some guy who looks exactly like Christopher Lauder comes over to the table and says, patting me on the shoulder, "Hey Hamilton, nice tan," before walking into the men's room. In Germany, for example, the novel was deemed "harmful to minors", and its sales and marketing were severely restricted up to 2000, when it was allowed to be sold generally. However, the novel did have its supporters; Norman Mailer wrote a 10,000 word defense of both novel and author for Vanity Fair, and Ellis' friend and contemporary Jay McInerney engaged in a debate with several members of NOW on CNN in which he tried to argue that the novel was a comedy which condemned men, not a misogynistic fantasy which exploited womenOne particularly vocal opponent of the book was feminist activist Tara Baxter. Again, Les Misrables highlights a distinction of class and the contrast between Bateman and these women. American Psycho. I don't want any of what your drama is anywhere near me making money, and we have painted over everything. Additionally, the frequent mention of videotapes (as opposed to DVDs) helps to date the story. After Al is dead, Bateman stomps on the dog, however, we don't actually see him stomping on it, he raises his foot and the camera cuts to a wide angle where we hear the dog yelp. Is Patrick Bateman A Narcissist? - Mental Health Matters Cofe The theme of the novel is basically "Patrick doesn't increasingly crazy things for attention and no one cares and he gets away with it because he's a White straight rich guy." (As much as Bret Easton Ellis hates woke culture, American Psycho has an extremely woke message lol) "C: "Because I had dinner with Paul Allen twice in London, just ten days ago. Bateman, appearing very disturbed and confused, begins to leave, and when Wolfe tells him not to come back, he assures her that he has no intention of doing so.As with the Carnes conversation and the issue of Bateman's outbursts, there are two main theories on this scene. Highest rating: 3. Similarly, in the novel, when Bateman arrives at a club called Tunnel, he looks around and muses to himself "Everyone looks familiar, everyone looks the same" (p. 61). During the same conversation, Bateman also says, "It's not beyond my capacity to drive a lead pipe repeatedly into a girl's vagina," to which McDermott says, "We all know about your lead pipe Bateman," followed by Van Patten asking, "Is he like trying to tell us he has a big dick?" There is also many similarities or things taken directly from the novel. Similarly, upon saying hello to these people, they usually respond by calling Bateman the wrong name. Is it true that Christian Bale's stepmother was one of those who protested the publication of the novel? The novel is filled with these explanations that sometimes take up more than one page. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. External Reviews Hip To Be Square: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About - ScreenRant Even in Queensland University, it is available only to certain students, and is not kept on the general shelves. "I'm leaving": Bryce freaks out in a nightclub, tells Bateman he's leaving, jumps off a balcony and runs away. The scene of his breakdown is taken directly from the novel, where Price runs down into an abandoned railway tunnel. Still living in New York, he spends most of his leisure time hanging out with A-list movie stars, heads of state and fashion designers. And it's funny, it's making fun of that, and I find that to be so powerful in the book, it's just outright mockery of male behavior. American Psycho Ending Explained: What Really Happened? - ScreenRant Of this sequence, Mary Harron comments, You should not trust anything that you see. The issue of illegality came about in relation to the soundtrack. Analysis. A half hour later I'm hard again. "Is it a receptacle tip? However, after extracts from the novel were leaked to the press in August 1990, female workers at S&S began to protest the forthcoming publication. He treats them almost as if theyre dolls to be positioned to play out his fantasy. "The conversations between Bateman and Kimball also address the issue of mistaken identity. What is the significance of returning videotapes? They have many casual acquaintances, but no real connections with one another. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. They lie quietly on either side of me, sometimes touching my chest, once in a while running their hands over the muscles in my abdomen. Edit, There is no official relationship whatsoever. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Marcus Halberstram (played by Anthony Lemke in the film) has left the United States after being implicated in the still unexplained disappearance of Paul Owen (Paul Owen is called Paul Allen in the film where he is played by Jared Leto).