Talk:American Psycho (film)

References to use

Please add to the list references that can be used for the film article.

• Cunningham, Daniel Mudie (2009). "Patrick Bateman as 'Average White Male' in American Psycho". In Watson, Elwood (ed.). Pimps, Wimps, Studs, Thugs and Gentlemen: Essays on Media Images of Masculinity. McFarland. ISBN 0786443057.
• King, Mike (2008). "Copycat, Seven, Natural Born Killers, and American Psycho". The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes of the National Mind on Film. McFarland. pp. 70–77. ISBN 0786439882.
• King, Mike (2008). "American Psycho, Blue Velvet, and Basic Instinct". The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes of the National Mind on Film. McFarland. pp. 105–109. ISBN 0786439882.
• King, Mike (2008). "The Conversation and American Psycho". The American Cinema of Excess: Extremes of the National Mind on Film. McFarland. pp. 178–179. ISBN 0786439882.

Untitled

Maybe a little synopsis would be a useful addition? FireWire 07:20, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

I added the distinction that Talking Heads were not in the film. Because that's true. —Preceding unsigned comment added by MadMaxBeyondThunderdome (talk • contribs) 02:33, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

Phil Collins

Isn't Sussudio missing from the soundtrack too? --81.105.251.160 20:02, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Nope, it was included as a bonus track. I can't edit pages due to my campus being banned, but it should be included that the cue to the Whitney Huston track is still included as a hidden track on the soundtrack (officially listed as "Monologue 4"). This, bizarrely, precedes the bonus track of Sussudio, making it sound out of place as a false cue. Darkly1977 (talk) 12:25, 7 May 2011 (UTC)

You spin me...

Fixed the listing. The remix/cover is done by NYC industrial band, Dope.

== I disagree with the following==...

• In an early scene of the film, Patrick and his co-workers visit a strip club, where Patrick is scolded by a barmaid for trying to pay without cash at a cash bar. When she turns around he shouts, "You're a fucking ugly bitch. I want to stab you to death, then play around with your blood". She brings him his drink with absolutely no recognition of his threat. Also 10 minutes later is a similar scene in the laundretter when he says something similar and the women reacts to what he says.

I think she does here what he says by her facial reaction. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.23.56.68 (talk) 23:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC).

Influences From Other Films

First off let me say I'm VERY new to contributions of any kind on Wikipedia, and since I will rarely make contributions, no offense, but I don't intend on reading the pages of information on how to properly add things to pages. This is not a diss to the process AT ALL, it's just, I'm not very up to date on certain HTML and computer talk, and am just your normal fan who likes to study wide-varieties of information, especially in film, and especially enjoy little trivia tid-bits that not everyone thinks about at first, but when you catch on it clicks in your brain and it's like, "Oh yeah! That is interesting!" So, with this said, I was surprised to have figured out one of those "Oh yeah!" moments myself that I'm surprised no one else has touched upon yet! So, before I share this little trivia fact, know that I'm completely cool with any of the major editors on the page sharing this info on the page (if they feel it's warranted of course,) in their own words just, if you could, give me a little side-note ;)

Well, anyways, I just saw American Psycho a couple of months ago, after wanting to for quite sometime, and loved it. A couple of months earlier, I saw another great underground flick, Resevoir Dogs, which I also loved but hadn't gotten the chance to check out. Now, undoubtedly, one of the iconic scenes in Resevoir Dogs is where Mr. Blonde gleefully, and to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle With You," tortures a cop bound in a chair eventually slicing off his ear. What made this so much more sick though, was the joy he took in this awful act, playfully dancing around and strutting across the floor to the music, while committing such a gruesome act. Now, American Psycho, also contained an iconic scene, that when I saw it, immediately brought me back to the infamous ear-cutting scene from Resevoir Dogs, and that was the death scene of Paul Allen, when Patrick Batemen flipped on "Hip to Be Square" and just gleefully and non-chalantly began preparing to brutally take an axe to the skull of Paul Allen. I mean, the way he just went on so casually about the true meaning of the song, at least from his perceptive, and the way he seemed to prance (for lack of another good verb that comes to mind right now) around the apartment, putting on the raincoat, grabbing the axe, and especially when he "glided" backwards, behind Paul Allen who was sitting down, with the axe in hand, the way Mr. Blond "danced" around the warehouse in Resevoir Dogs, was just SO similar and such a great homage (whether intentional or not) that it just sent chills up my spine. And both scenes were just acted so beautifully, I mean you could tell that both these characters were just completely out of their minds and that they were just thouroughly enjoying the build-up to slaughtering another human being.

Anyways, sorry if I've gone on too much, I just wanted to put this out there and see if anyone else sees what I'm talking aobut, because from what I've seen I haven't heard any references from American Psycho about Resevoir Dogs, or vica-versa, and to me, the two scenes were just really similar in many different aspects, and I thought it was a fun tid-bit worth mentioning

--NateDogg316 10:45, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Plot Summary

This article lacks a plot summary —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.195.119.37 (talk) 01:25, 11 May 2007 (UTC).

TRUE TRUE--203.81.232.168 23:02, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

I was just going to say that. Why doesn't this film have one? Most other films do. (Wikirocks2 (talk) 15:02, 8 December 2007 (UTC))

Two years later, still no plot...--91.97.9.95 (talk) 05:55, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, for what appears to be a relatively well-known movie, it's surprising to see no summary anywhere in the article, and even more surprising that we have recognized this but something hasn't been done yet and probably get done for quite some time. QuidProQuo²³ 04:26, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

Thats surprising No Plot Summery for a really great movie. I Would make a plot summary but i havent seen the whole movie yet. STAT- Verse 02:43, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

I just watched it... I figured there was no plot summary here because you can't summarize what doesn't exist. It was just a collection of scenes put together. If someone can explain what was going on, though... please do. 128.253.185.166 (talk) 07:46, 12 September 2010 (UTC)

Adaptation From The Novel

In the book Bateman kills 'Paul Owen', where the film adaptation used an altered surname 'Paul Allen', played by Jared Leto. The text makes no mention of this.

Another evolution from the novel to film is the altered setting; the book happens to be set between April Fool's Day 1989 and 1991 [1], where alternatively the film adaptation actually concludes in 1987, with Ronald Reagan's 4th of March address to the American public over the Iran-Contra affair. This is clearly seen and heard on the TV in Harry's Bar of the final scene [2][3]. Suggest altering text to take account of this.

[1] | url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_psycho [2] | Final Scene from Film. From transcript| url=http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/a/amercan-psycho-script-transript-bale.html [3] | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/trivia

Christy/Christie

This name is spelled both ways in different parts of the articles. Does anyone know which is right? 69.129.193.162 16:43, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

In the book it is spelled Christie... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.197.63.215 (talk) 19:48, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

The Debate of Patrick Bateman's Reality

The section contains original research; claims should be verified or removed. If the section is to remain - and it is not entirely clear that it is encyclopedic (or of specific relevance to the film) - it should be rewritten as properly-referenced prose, rather than an overly-long laundry list of evidence (which detracts from the rest of the article). (220.240.19.215 (talk) 01:52, 9 December 2007 (UTC))

I agree that the claims in this section should be verified or referenced, but I think that the question is highly relevant and worthy of critical thought. The movie can be interpreted in two different ways, either that Bateman killed those people or that it was all a fantasy. This ambiguity adds a significant level of depth to the movie. It can even be argued that this question is more important than the film's dark humor, violence or commentary on consumerism. Are Bateman's actions being ignored or is he simply delusional? The way you answer this question casts a different shadow on how you view the events of the film. Bottom line, this is an important topic for American Psycho. 204.97.104.30 (talk) 16:49, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

It isn't necessary to agree to the first part, verifiability is official Wikipedia policy :) The claims must be referenced and original research is not permitted.

Is the question relevant? I agree that it is. Is the question specifically relevant to the movie? I believe it is not. The section itself says: "The question of Bateman' reality is best understood by reading the novel, since the film adaptation abbreviates the novel and was not written by Ellis himself ... The movie leaves out important clues vital to understanding Bateman's anomaly." A proper examination of the theme belongs much more aptly in the novel's article.

Even if the film's article should have a section discussing the theme, that does not mean the current content of the section should be kept. The section should be written as prose, again with proper referencing and again without original research. The current lists are atrociously written, too long and do not address the question or inform the reader. (Hence why I did not propose moving the section to the novel's article.)

The section should be deleted until someone can write something in Wikipedia's style, addressing the theme directly and observing Wikipedia's policies on verifiability and no original research. Then it could be discussed whether that belongs in the novel's article, the film's article or both (not identically of course). But whatever the case, the poorly written section as it currently stands is not needed and should be deleted. (220.240.144.239 (talk) 21:03, 10 December 2007 (UTC))

The whole movie is allegorical and not meant to be taken litterally. It's theme is as much about governments and corporations as anything. We all know they get away with murder... we just choose to ignore it... It doesn't mean the murders aren't real. The whole film is tongue in cheek comedy... after all anyone who gets that into Huey Lewis has to be nuts... In the end Batemen wants to be taken seriously... and he isn't.... That is the irony of the piece. So are the murders in his mind or are they real? It doesn't matter, because ultimately no one cares... and that is the tragedy of Bateman. - Jag7211 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.153.139.201 (talk) 22:49, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your comment, but it has nothing to do with The Debate of Patrick Bateman's Reality section of the article and whether it should be deleted, or how it can be improved. (220.240.129.85 (talk) 01:38, 23 December 2007 (UTC))

The fact is that Bateman’s entire life as a serial killer is imagined. It was pure fantasy, or, perhaps more accurately, delusion. Bateman’s existence is so empty that he increasingly looks for meaning in the shallowest of pools around him – making the most money, having the best body, best toned skin, best suit, best business card, getting into the best restaurants and clubs, picking up the most attractive women, etc. When each new level of achievement or conquest fails to satisfy, Bateman turns to fantasies of violence to make his life seem more real and full of meaning. As he loses himself more and more in his psychotic reveries, everything about his life seems to make less sense. Eventually, he can’t tell the difference between his real life and his fantasy life, as is the case with most people who are truly insane. Some people refuse to believe this twist in the ending and excuse it away by claiming that 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. To be frank, this is bollocks and wishful thinking on the part of people who, for whatever reason, want Bateman to be a killer instead of a deluded shell of vapidity searching for meaning in an insane way. The real ending makes him, and the entire story around him, much more interesting. Anyone can be a killer, after all. Killing people is not the hard part and doesn’t make as much of a statement. If Bateman is really a killer, it makes the story a macabre fairy tale just like any other slasher flick – the only difference is the setting. But, the fact that Bateman can carry on a seemingly ‘normal’ (by the standards of his peers, anyway) yuppy life while diving deeper and deeper into pure psychotic delusion is the whole point and is how the ‘social commentary’ that every reviewer mentions is delivered. AE Logan (talk) 20:28, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Interpretations

I haven't seen this film in years, but I think a third interpretation is missing. He is both a psychotic and a psychopath. There are killers who are have both syndromes. So maybe he does actually kill but the things that are indicative of breaks from reality like speakers talking to him are part of his psychosis. DivisionByZer0 (talk) 19:52, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

LeoDi and Harron

Director Mary Harron and actor Christian Bale were originally set to make the movie, but Leonardo DiCaprio expressed interest in playing the lead. Production company Lions Gate issued a press release that DiCaprio would star, after which Mary Harron walked off the project, and Oliver Stone subsequently expressed interest in directing the film. When both DiCaprio and Stone dropped the project, Harron and Bale returned to the movie."

I'm a bit confused here; it is implied (to me, anyway) that Harron walked off because of the DiCaprio announcement, but no further explanation is given. Could this be corrected/clarified/explained better?

137.82.118.113 (talk) 15:34, 10 June 2008 (UTC) Zerstoren

"If I Don't See You Before Easter..."

There is a short scene in American Psycho where Bateman is with who I believe is Samantha Mathis' charter Courtney Rawlinson after a night out. Bateman wakes up and finds himself on top of a stuffed black cat. A short dialog between Bateman and Rawlinson follows as Bateman dresses himself before leaving. Now, What i am wondering is if this scene is actually in the novel because I came across it in Bret Easton Ellis' first novel Less Than Zero where the main character Clay has the same exact scene and dialog word for word with his ex-girlfriend Blair except that instead of it being around Easter the scene is set just before Christmas. Is the AMpsycho scene reproduced in booth novels or is it just one of those great dialogs that Ellis is known for and placed into the AMpyscho movie to add something deeper to it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by NoWaxNowak (talk • contribs) 16:51, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

satirical (spoiler)

this film has one of the most satirical ends i've ever seen. perhaps it would deserve a mention in the first paragraph, as is the case in the novel it's based on? Twipley (talk) 01:37, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

Synopsis?

Why is there no synopsis of this film? john k (talk) 17:46, 15 September 2009 (UTC)

Good question. AzureFury (talk | contribs) 03:05, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

Seriously - I haven't seen it, so I can't add one, but the article definitely needs one. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.228.36.245 (talk) 08:58, 5 June 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I find it a bit weird that a plot overview is entirely absent from the article. Part of me thinks it might have been deleted at some point, but I can't find where. gbrading ταlκ 13:56, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Bateman or Davis

First of all there was never a "toruture" in the initial threesome. That part should be removed. Also when Bateman meets with the lawyer, the lawyer calls him Davis twice, and refers to Bateman as a geek, just like Paul did. This should have been mentioned in the summary. 99.6.4.126 (talk)

Headlines

• Killer's kicks
• Bret Easton Ellis on American Psycho, Christian Bale, and His Problem with Women Directors
• The further trials and tribulations of American Psycho
• The method in my madness
• American Psycho: the story behind the film
• Digging Out the Humor in a Serial Killer's Tale
• At the Movies: The Path To a Psycho
• The Risky Territory Of American Psycho
• Psyched Out

to use with this article--J.D. (talk) 19:00, 27 July 2010 (UTC)