American Psycho [reviewed by Jori]

102 min. (uncut version), 2000
Directed by Mary Harron
My rating:
IMDB • Netflix

We’ve all got a little bit of Bateman inside

* * *

Sometimes we all have to experience a bit of adult fare–tickle our brains a little bit.  Director Mary Hannon gives us a magnificent outlet for just that.  Because deep down, there is at least a tiny part of us that identifies with Patrick Bateman–we just won’t admit it.

Patrick Bateman (the incredible Christian Bale) seems like your typical 80s successful douchebag–he’s put together, obscenely wealthy and chiseled to perfection.  It turns out even outwardly “perfect” people have their issues, and we watch as Bateman’s life unravels before our eyes.  (Murder can do that to a person.)

Christian Bale as our soul-less psycho was a brilliant choice–he injects personality into a lifeless hollow shell of a person without compromising the basic need for Bateman to be empty.  While his outward appearance is calm, commanding and friendly the unmistakable lack of humanity in his eyes is absolutely chilling.  (Interesting side note:  apparently Bale modeled Bateman after seeing Tom Cruise in an interview looking friendly yet empty in the eyes.  He couldn’t have picked a better inspiration!)  I was also surprised to see some well known actors including Reese Witherspoon as his girlfriend Evelyn who plays the part just about the same way she ends up playing Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.  I haven’t really seen her in much else so that might be an unfair judgement, but I do feel she plays that part very well–an outward airhead who knows and understands so much more than she lets on.  Chloe Sevigny as Bateman’s secretary Jean does a great job of being mousy and unobtrusive, so when she has her scene with Bale in his apartment it’s a pleasant surprise to see her rise to the occasion (she holds her own with him!).  Willem Dafoe as our detective is sadly underused–he is larger than life and a fantastic talent that I really wanted to see more of him.  Dafoe is arguably one of the best character actors around–he generally plays unstable characters and while I’m sure the temptation to just keep playing it the same way is there (As much as I love him, Samuel L. Jackson does just that.  If you’ve seen one Jackson film, you’ve seen him in all of them). Dafoe works his ass off to give us different versions of the same person.  His banter with Bale is outstanding and one of the highlights of the film because he gives Bale a run for his money.  Jared Leto (formerly known as the kid from My So Called Life before he became known as the singer for 30 Seconds to Mars) performs well as the slick Paul Allen–I totally get why Bateman hates him so much.  As a bonus, it’s a chance for us to see him in a suit with clean hair.

Mary Hannon paints us a picture that transcends the obvious 80s excess imagery.  She manages to make this not only a nostalgic trip (for us old folks) capturing that decade perfectly but drawing similarities to this day.  (After all, a whore dressed up as a nun is still a whore.)  Take away the soundtrack (which has me singing along and longing for the days of Phil Collins) and the obsession with designer everything (replace that with the current race to prove who is the most “green” nowadays) and at it’s core it is a commentary on people.  She injects black humor into a very serious subject, presumably to remind us that no matter how disturbing things are we still have to just laugh it off.  She shows us graphic scenes in such a detached way that somehow I feel like we’re looking at these incidents exactly through Bateman’s eyes.  And what is scarier?  That it doesn’t have quite the impact it should, or that anyone can relate to Bateman?

Beneath the humor, murder and polished feel of the film is an entire examination of what it’s like to be human.  One’s instinct is to immediately turn away and say “Hell no! Not me!” because who wants to admit that they have a little bit of psycho in them?  But think about it:  All of  us at some point or other (some more than others) rearrange our “personality” to fit into whatever situation we find ourselves in.  Even something as simple and acceptable as your work persona versus your bar persona reeks of Bateman.  That inner dialogue he’s having throughout the film?  Yeah, I thought so.  We all do it, even if it’s just a simple “gawd why won’t this idiot shut the hell up already?”  We all have our secret selves, and the line between holding it close to your heart and the chance that you might actively lose it is a fine one indeed.  The layers to be found in American Psycho are varied–don’t take yourself (and life) too seriously.  After all we all need to be a little bit of Bateman to survive in this world.

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