film: commentary

> FIGHT CLUB (1999):
THE STORY OF MY GENERATION

I see so many movies, and read, well some books, but lately I have never been able to relate to a piece of work so much as I have here.

When I first heard about director David Fincher (Se7en, The Game) reading this novel and instantly wanting to become part of the process of adapting it to film, I was quite intrigued. From this point I thought I would do a little researching on the story myself, and I became hooked. Fight Club is not about bashing one another's heads in for the sheer pleasure of it all. It's not a film with the intention of promoting violence. It's about a whole generation of guys, fed up with their dull, commercialized lives, and wanting to start fresh. Rather than being guided by mistakes made by past generations. "Wait, let me start again…"

When I first saw the trailer for the film, my interest in the project became elevated even more because of the talent involved in creating it. This talent, of course, being that of Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and David Fincher. I started researching a bit on the author, a little known guy named Chuck Palahniuk. Chuck, a regular guy, was working as a diesel mechanic when he started writing Fight Club. Being a "regular guy" really has its advantages when you write about the material and in the voice that Chuck does. Check out his other novels (Survivor, Invisible Monsters and Choke) to get a better feeling for this guy's talent. I highly recommend each, and you should expect to see more of these adapted to the big screen in the near future.

I was totally amazed by the film's creativity and originality, and so were all my friends. To say the film and its ideas blew my mind would be a vast understatement. The first time was quite amazing, but subsequent viewings really are necessary to appreciate Fight Club for all it's worth. Hell, I even skipped out on important college projects to go see this film three more times in the theater. To this day I love watching the film with those who haven't seen it before, it holds so many surprises, on so many levels. You have the whole social commentary angle that you are following the entire film, and then near the end you're totally thrown the big shocker (no I won't go into details incase you haven't seen the movie) and chances are you never saw it coming.

At the box office the film was seen as disappointing. It made back its $63 million budget, but it did not cross that mark by much. I have to admit that a film like Fight Club is not an easy sell to the general public. It is one of those movies that you actually have to pay attention to, the entire way through, and you actually have to think. There is so much detail, imagination and information in each scene. This is all made possible by Palahniuk's superb novel, and to director Fincher's talents, the film is really quite unique in its stylization and in many of its visuals. This isn't another dumb popcorn movie, filled with eye-candy and a grade school plot. It is dark, gritty, and it is right up in your face. Our lives have become so manipulated by society and the media. Telling us how to feel, what to believe, what to wear, how to kiss someone's ass in order to achieve higher levels of success. Disillusioned, young men and women can relate to these feelings of frustration. This is why I believe Fight Club to be the perfect story of my generation.

I have always tried to purposely go against the grain, often pushing something as far as I could, without really breaking any laws. I have had jobs since middle school, and I have found that oftentimes people live their lives way too seriously. In the process many of us become boring and robotic. It is the way we are taught now from day one. Finish high school; know what you're going to do the rest of your life; go to college; get a job; and hopefully after all the stress, time, and money you have invested you will be happy with that job and that life you have built for yourself. I think that novels like Fight Club, and authors like Palahniuk just bring this building tension into the light. Just let it go. We collect all of these material possessions, create all this stress on ourselves, and for what? To impress others? To make everyone think "wow, this guy is really well off, he must be so happy." Does all that shit make you happy, or is that just what you tell yourself to make it through your day?

It is because of these social commentaries in Fight Club and its ideas that life remains interesting… I am very excited to announce that Chuck Palahniuk will be coming to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania this April 4th, 6th, and 7th. Check back here at ErieEntertainment.com for the latest information on the conference.

Check out these links for more information on Fight Club and author Chuck Palahniuk:
Official Film Site
Chuck Palahniuk Cult

Check out John Lyons' personal site.:

By John C. Lyons
Film Critic

(01-0323)