It pains me to post something that will move The Matrix post down and eventually
off this screen. Never fear, however, you can always click on the link to the
right and get to it! First of all, let me say that my favorite guys
name is Jack, so this Fight Club had a point for it right from the beginning.
And I usually like Brad Pitt, so that's another 1/2 point (hey, I don't always
like him!) But this was definately a movie you had to hang with for a scene or
two. I mean, what the heck is going on?!
But as the movie rolls
and you relax and join Jack's world, things start to make sense. I mean, this is
a guy whose life is falling apart for reasons we don't really know but can
guess, who is being brainwashed by this other guy, Tyler, who is pretty wacko
but also pretty cool. OK. Mostly he's wacko. But I love the punch line, which I
won't ruin here, even though I've warned you to watch the movie before you read
this. (Do you ever do as you're told?)
Of course, the psychology
of the movie is quite interesting. First of all, the way Tyler brainwashes the
men who have come to trust him. The way he abuses them and they come back for
more...he gives them hope of becoming enlightened and they allow him to form
them into whatever army he desires. Only Jack seems to notice that this stuff
isn't healthy or good, but he seems to feel that there is nothing he can do
about it. Until the punch line, of course. A movie about truly knowing yourself
and allowing yourself to grow and change, giving yourself permission to be a
little loony in the process. Yeah, that's an extreme simplification, but you
really should analyze this movie for yourself, you know. What it means to me
might not be what it means to you. But my point of view is still valid. And
yours could be wrong.
The dialogue in this movie is great. The
monologues have the appropriate affect of giving you a glimpse into Tyler's
motives and Jack's frustrations as well as provide a great commentary on our
culture. The Martha Stewart line is the my favorite.
One thing he
says, "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," is something I've heard about our
generation (at least those of us on the cusp of boomer & X)
is that
we don't hane anything to fight, so we fight ourselves. We turn in on our own
culture and society because we need a way to identify ourselves somehow. I don't
know how true this is, but it sure seems to hold true to some degree. I mean,
after Sept. 9th, didn't people ban together and put aside their petty
differences for a while? We found a common enemy, so we also found a common
friend? The world became a little kinder and gentler for a while. Even New
Yorkers had to be pleasant to each other. I see some truth here in what Tyler is
saying.
Of course, there is truth in almost everything Tyler says.
It's just his solutions that we aren't sure about. Well, we're sure about them,
actually...sure that they aren't solutions. But Tyler is who he is, so what can
you do?
I must admit, though...seeing Brad Pitt deliver those
lines is one thing. Imagining Edward Norton saying them...well, I can't imagine
him getting those guys to follow him the same way. I don't know why. I
mean...who ever heard of a cult leader named 'Ed?' Of course, 'Brad' doesn't
really do it for me, either. I guess 'Jack' really is the best name. 'Jack' can
be anybody.
Hmmmm...but can anybody be Jack?
list!
