This video was made in 2014 for Blip and then re-uploaded when I migrated Renegade Cut to RUclips. My politics are better defined now than they were six years ago. If something I said in 2014 contradicts something I said in 2020, it's because I have evolved on issues and ideology. In 2014, I was a garden variety progressive, and now I'm a leftist. This is not too complicated, I think.
@@GreatWhite00000 Maggie May Fish did a video on this movie that actually takes a very different stance on it but I feel like everything in this video could also be true even though it's completely different.
Rewatching this in 2021 and I don't necessarily hate this video but seeing the difference between this and your more recent writing/politics is interesting in it's own right. Really nice to see the improvement.
The Starbucks joke comes full circle when the Narrator goes on the run and discovers that Fight Club has become a national franchise - there's one on every corner, to his horror.
Yeah this was one of the best parts of the movie. They rebellion is so seductive but then it asks what you would replace it with. At the beginning the narrator is a slave to consumerism and his cooperate job but at the end Tyler has done worse to his unthinking goons.
I always called this a homoerotic masterpiece even without knowing the author's orientation. I also like the idea that Calvin and Hobbes served as the template for the characters including Marla as Susie Derkins and Bob as Moe.(He called Calvin "Twinkie")
I always found _Fight Club_ to be disturbing (like most of David Fincher's films) because of how people can be easily duped by a one charismatic person because they're not satisfied with their life and do these dangerous things with such callousness towards others who more than likely might be suffering from the same dissatisfaction as them. The people who take Tyler's "message" seriously are probably looking for catharsis, which I guess is somewhat understandable but the fact that they don't see him as the villain is the real disturbing part of Fight Club.
+Snow Mystique After taking in analysis of the film, I feel better knowing that I didn't idolize Tyler or the actions he was promoting. A friend of mine asked me while watching "can you see yourself doing that?" (participating in an underground fight club). I answered no, and that's because I'm not in that kind of dark place. I'm not anywhere near perfect, but at least not resorting to destructive activity like in the film. The disturbing feeling you have with this movie is the same feeling I had when watching _Wolf of Wall Street_, where people idolized Jordan Belfort. It's pretty creepy to see that there are a considerable number of people who don't see that those things are actually not good.
Just look at cults- religious and otherwise. David Koresh, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, etc- they all were charismatic, they all assembled a group of followers who were dissatisfied with their lives, and they all manipulated those followers for dark and deadly ends.
thats kind of the greatest part of the movie. The ideal of a place of freedom, lack of constraints (in the context of fight club, a place to express violence and frustration not accepted in mainstream society) can be so appealing that the consequences are an afterthought. Just like in the film. its a pretty meta critique of that desire for freedom that most of us feel.
FC is meant to be disturbing. After the film came out, I read a very interesting analyst of it online. It had interviews with both Fincher and the author, neither could understand why Tyler was attractive to some male viewers (which was scary to say the least)--and I agree--TYLER IS NOT THE HERO--HE IS THE VILLAIN. And that's says loads on how and why our culture is attracted to the notion that "might makes right".
@@oreofudgeman But you can just gotoa boxing gym. Do all the face punching you want and it be socialy aceptable, And get tuaght how to do it really well!
A good twist has 1 more thing that you didn't mention. A good twist also recontextualizes the meaning of all previous events. This twist is amazing because it also reframes all of the Narrator's interactions with Tyler, Tyler's character as a whole, the Narrator's relationship with Marla, the Narrator's sanity, the purpose of the gang they created, and probably dozens of more things, of course all relating back to the themes of the film.
I know this comment is a year old but I just wanted to point out he did mention in when he said that once the twist is revealed everything falls into place.
Another year later, one thing it drastically recontextualizes is the dude who walks up to Tyler and the narrator fighting and asks "Can I be next?" Suddenly the start of the club itself is a narrative void, one that has bugged me (despite being easy to hand-wave) for literal decades.
Fantastic analysis. Enjoyed every minute of it. And ignore these haters telling you to leave out the homosexual undertones...especially with Chuck being gay himself, everything you posit seems firmly grounded in logic. That's what an effective analysis does -- explores every possible interpretation and doesn't leave anything out. Very interesting!
I'm of the opinion that you can easily litmus test any given person by showing them Fight Club and then seeing if they got any of the message or if they just thought the idea of a fight club was cool. If you get something along the lines of "I want to start my own fight club" then you should just avoid that person forever, or until they get out of junior high and can think a little bit.
The very first time I watched Fight Club, I think I got maybe 5% of what it was trying to say. That's why I love it so much. I've watched it about 15 times and read the book twice and it still holds up every time. I feel that, above all else, the film (and book) is about self-destruction. A lot of people don't get why shooting himself in the cheek makes Tyler go away, but it's because the narrator had to be willing to give up everything (his life) in order to truly find peace. I see it as being almost Christian in a way. The narrator's sacrifice allows him to be "reborn," much like Christ's death and resurrection. Giving up his material possessions is analogous to Jesus' teachings about "do not be conformed to this world." But again, that's just one interpretation, one that probably wasn't even in the minds of the filmmakers and author. But that's what makes Fight Club such a rich film: You can bring your own ideas to it. It doesn't spell everything out the way some films try to shoehorn in symbolism.
There's another one. When Tyler and the Narrator are having beer, Tyler offers a cigarette to the Narrator, but the Narrator says he doesn't smoke. Later, in his office, we see the Narrator smoking a cigarette.
If I'm not mistaken, the first time we see him smoking is playing golf on Tyler's lawn. In that one shot, we see the two of them smoking at the same time.
10:27 I know this is an old video, but when you said “That goes double for president” I laughed out loud. How the tables have turned. And again, recently!
I read the book and I STILL haven't seen the movie (but I want to), and, initially, I thought the narrator was in love with Tyler in a very possessive kind of way. He even kind of talks about a supposed love triangle: "I want Tyler, Tyler wants Marla, Marla wants me, and Tyler doesn't want me around, at least not anymore."
30 years later, we get our own Great Depression, Black Death, and even a smidgen of Civil War, as a treat. Be careful what we wish for, future comment readers.
BTW, one of my favorite hints about the twist was the fact that Tyler's hand is not blocked in any of the previous scenes (not deliberately, anyway), and does not have the "Lye Kiss" on it. Afterward, of course, he does have it.
We were brought up to believe mental breakdowns were far more dramatic and unusual then they actually are. Turns out depression and mental illness are not nearly as dramatic as the popular portrayal most of the time.
The whole "stand outside and not be let in for days" thing is directly lifted from formal Zen training. Particularly the Japanese "koan" based styles, such as Rinzai.
Tyler Durden: "We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won't" Random guy: "Hang on, you're Brad Pitt. You are a millionaire movie star!"
I loved this aspect of the film. In another instance they are making fun of the underwear model but its brad pitt. Commonly thought of as one of the most attractive people on the planet. Not only that but his make up and clothing are styled as a male model. I saw this as intentional. It was part of the exploration of how for many men escaping the consumer cooperate controlled life to become self empowered often just leads to them becoming the cooperate bosses or models of attraction. It does not solve the underlying problem. The narrator escapes being a consumer slave only by enslaving his own goon squad and taking away their identities.
If you look it up Brad Pitt was voted “sexiest man alive” for the 1st time in 1995 and after that always a contender even after his 2nd nomination in 2000. I think I even read somewhere that Fincher said he purposely cast Brad Pitt to make a statement. When I was younger and saw the film for the first time the satirical take was lost on me too!
I've never understood how people view this film as misogynistic. That's one of the few things I can think of that doesn't seem to be a part of this film. Women are barely even in this film, and it's very clearly focused on men and the way they see and treat themselves and other men. Glad you mentioned this, because I've seen several folks analyze this and not mention the bits about gender, masculinity, and sexuality.
BINARYGOD Good comment. I agree. I have considered myself a feminist most of my life, whether others like that or not, and I see this all over. There's a lot of problems with including certain topics in our discussions. That's kind of why I like to seek this type of stuff out, and why I enjoy something like Fight Club so much. I love discussing things, and trying to understand different points of view. I just love seeing humans portrayed as complex and having many different motives or reasons for the way they are. This movie (and book) in particular has a lot of layers.
The only female character is Marla, and she provides us with an interesting perspective more than anything. She goes to support groups for the complete opposite reason the narrator does: to provide comfort against her poverty. She can look at the dying people and think "at least I'm not them." Meanwhile, the narrator is going to provide comfort against his affluence. Perhaps he can't sleep at night because of an overwhelming guilt towards having so many material possessions? This would be supported by the fact that he never complains about insomnia once he moves in with Tyler and abandons all the things he once cherished.
I particularly like the scene when Tyler is selling the soap, and Narrator is in the rear ground in the same profile as Tyler, taking a "back seat" while Tyler speaks...
"Tyler is not someone to be admired [...] bits and pieces of his philosophy may have some accuracy [but] Tayler is the villain" So much this. So many people buy into his initial (as you rightly pointed out almost Buddhist) ideas and think "this is the guy we're supposed to root for" and end up thinking that the latter ideas (3d act) are the logical continuation of those, missing the fact that Tyler ends up being a manifestation of toxic masculinity Also I think it's worth to notice that Tyler is the byproduct of the Narrators insomnia, so, as a symptom, he starts off pretty mild and then gets more extreme and crazy When I first watched the movie I also fell for "Tyler's right" thing, but then I read the book and I ended up thinking that the story is ultimately about finding balance: first Narrator lives a life of extreme consumerism, then he trashes all that, reconnect with his masculinity (suppressed by his consumerist lifestyle) finds some happiness in it, but ultimately ends up on the opposite side of the same coin and realizes that extreme anti consumerism and supermasculinity are equally bad. In the end Tyler is not exactly dead, but he and Narrator are sort of united, the Narrator find the balance between the consumerism (the original Masturbating-to-Ikea Narrator) and extreme anti consumersim (Tyler), becoming whole
"Feel like corporations don't care about your wellbeing? Fine, there's probably some truth in that. Boycott individual major corporations, or even live a more minimalist lifestyle, just don't go 'too far'" - lines that aged like fine milk :P Glad you've moved leftwards since :) I thought the video was new at first and had been confused all the way through, only saw the timestamp after this bit I think. In hindsight it was probably suggested to me cos I watched Maggie May Fish's Fight Club video a couple of weeks ago
OMG, I love how when you talked about the lack of identity theme in the movie you played paranoid android by Radiohead in the background: truly an amazing song.
This has to be one of the most misinterpreted films of all time. How or why people are unable to recognize the satire about consumerism and toxic masculinity is beyond me. Every dude-bro in a frat has a poster of Tyler Durden. It baffles me that people don’t understand this movie.
Those kind of people don't see messages in movies or look past the surface value. Or as one of my buddies told me when I tried telling him about what one movie stood for all I got in reply was "that sounds like a liberal thing".
This video really shows how much there is to say about this film. It's twice as long as most of his videos and he still has to talk faster to fit it all in.
- In reference to the homosexual undertones/symbolism and/or theories, I think it could be possible that it's more of a representation of masturbation, or more specifically mental masturbation (self absorption - not necessarily in a bad way - more so just a person being content with living in their own head). - When Tyler says "I'm wondering if another woman is really the answer we need." I can see that as a point where his mind is starting to play with the idea of embracing his 'self' as opposed to an outsider for comfort, male or female. Though he obviously wavers a bit with Marla. - Soon after on the bus Tyler also says "Self-improvement is masturbation" which segways into where The Narrator becomes completely one-minded about 'masturbating' his main desire at this point in the movie - the emotional release he gets from Fight Club and to some extent (his Tyler Durdan side) Project Mayhem, though things start to fall apart at that point. He starts to live only in his mind, in his little world that he's created, where things like being presentable at work, or being rude or making people uncomfortable, are not a concern. He even gets some happiness/fulfillment out of rejecting everything outside of his world (mind) as he sees it as beneath him. He sees this all as self-improvement, embracing this mental projection named Tyler and his philosophies, which are of course his own to begin with - stroking the ego in a sense (sexual pun intended). - By the Project Mayhem time period a lot of other influences and emotional changes for The Narrator have happened, and the 'masturbation' starts to fall apart. The Narrator starts to reject the solitary world of his mind, as it starts to go out of control, crack and spill out - a big starting point in the story being the decision to start recruiting people and having them move into the house. - It then continues to the climax of the film, where he fully rejects the solitary/mental masturbation state of mind and kills Tyler. He then embraces another, holding Marla's hand, as they watch the buildings collapse. - This is just a working theory, decided to watch this video before re-watching the film again. Great video!
When I read the novel before the movie came out, the twist was "ruined" on the back cover. The hint on the back cover made it clear what would happen. I still read it anyway to see how it was going to be pulled off.
Watching this video, about one of my favorite movies, after watching the Mickey Mouse video, is crazy inspirational for me as an aspiring RUclipsr… I feel like I’ve watched you go through so many changes, and I don’t even think of them until I go back to your earlier work. So seamless your improvement, so obvious your unchanging talent. Thanks for existing, Leon
Twenty years on and I'm still running into refreshing takes on this film that I maybe glimpsed when watching but never had the opportunity to explore further.
The Snarky Lesbian Well, yes and no. There are millions of people like Trump that would never have a chance to run for president and the reason Trump had that chance is because of his wealth, connection, charisma and lack of self-doubt.
I really liked The Village. I didn't see the twist coming but you're correct in that there weren't any subtle telegraphs pointing to it either. But Fight Club? Freakin' awesome movie!!
Wow this analysis completely blew my mind. Especially the homosexual undertones part that was really cool. Just subscribed and turned on notifications for this channel. Keep up the great work!
Ah, sorry, I didn't see that! I realize it's about the film, just that they did end up giving up his name, which I think kind of loses the illusion of Tyler being of the Narrator's mind
I'm loving your videos...your insight makes me see these movies in a slightly deeper way and that makes me enjoy these films all over again from a fresh perspective.
+Lucid Ray I have and I disagree. Some people even go as far as saying that the whole project mayhem and fight club is imaginary too, even the paper street house.
then perhaps the line "My God. I haven't been fucked like that since grade school" could be referencing masturbation as well (since Marla is in his imagination too)
It's funny because when I finished the movie I kept thinking back, "damn, there's no way, other characters talked to both of them in the same room." Just justifying everything, I never would have picked out those little details, thanks for this video, I'll have to rewatch Fight Club now haha
i was walking around primark once (not to buy clothes just out of boredom) and i seen a fight club logo shirt, and knowing the anti-capitalist themes of the movie the way one of the most shady retailers for treating their garment workers are putting it on shirts is really weird
I predicted the twist so early in the movie that the guy who took me there never called me out to another date. Idk why I saw it coming so easily, I guess it was because of some of the clues.
There is exactly one thing about this movie that I do not understand. How would a guy in a parking lot, beating himself up, result in other men becoming interested in joining in? This is a crazy thing. Like, the first guys who see the parking lot fight seem very taken aback, but other men clearly are NOT taken aback. So how did this actually SPREAD to other men? Hanging out with people who beat themselves bloody is generally not a thing. (Or maybe it is. I could be wrong.) Either way, it's a weird way to start a club. This was a really great analysis of the movie. I've watched it like 10 times (maybe more) and you pointed out some stuff (particularly about the way the characters are stripped of individuality besides the name thing) that I've never thought of before. Interestingly enough, this movie made me realize in high school that I was a total misogynist (even though I'm a girl) and that I needed to knock that shit off.
I love Fight Club, and as I am studying it for A Level at the moment this video was a massive help To all those disagreeing with any themes in this video, especially the Queer Theory, not once does he state that these are HIS personal ideas - they are popular theories that you can use to analyse the film, he is just explaining them so you can understand every aspect and possibly view the film in a new light. Film isn't black and white - everyone's viewing is different! Enjoy each film and its different possibilities y'all! :)
I disagree with your take on "a plot twist is only good, if it has a build up or it directly makes sense", although it is totally true for Fight Club or Citizen Kane or The Shawshank Redemption. But The Empire Strikes Back works also perfectly and no one could have possibly see that coming...
Fight Club is I'm 14 and this is deep before that was even a thing, it was interesting when I was a young teen but much like Fincher's other work it just doesn't hold up well at all.
On the starbucks comment. A film that was oddly amazing on consumerism is the 90s rom-com You've Got Mail. Google it, i was blown away with its distillation in such a sappy film.
Anarchism isn't the same as "chaos". Anarchism is a political philosophy, if anyone thinks Anarchism is the same as "chaos" then Fascism is anarchist, which is an extreme contradiction.
Also about losing identity. Remember how he equates his being to everything he loses in the apartment explosion. His ikea furniture. With no clear identity he replaced it with things. This is in contrast with tylers philosophy thay you are "not your fucking kahkis". Also if you are reading this you should read rant byt the same author Chuck. And then demand a sequel haha.
I feel like you are correct about the Village having a bad twist, but I still find it fascinating to think about. Maybe I’m wrong but I think if the director didn’t unwisely make twist endings his “thing” and it was a sort of one off movie it could possibly have been received better. Hell even have a cult following. That being said I just found the creature designs to be absolutely terrifying as a kid so maybe I have brain worms.
I was 19 when this movie came out....I think it's more relevant today, actually. Particularly Pitt's "Middle Children of History speach." Interesting fact about Theodore Adorno: HE created "The Beatles," and wrote all of their songs....yes you can verify this...to a nigh satisfactory extent
Its funny, some anarchists look at Tyler Durden the same way some skinheads look at Derek Vinyard (American History X) when both movies are trying to demonstrate the flaws in their logic
That's the skill of the WRITER...Poor screenwriters. The most underappreciated, yet undeniable most important link in the chain. There would be no remote conception of the movie without them. :-P
This video was made in 2014 for Blip and then re-uploaded when I migrated Renegade Cut to RUclips. My politics are better defined now than they were six years ago. If something I said in 2014 contradicts something I said in 2020, it's because I have evolved on issues and ideology. In 2014, I was a garden variety progressive, and now I'm a leftist. This is not too complicated, I think.
What is the name of the second song?
@@GCPR Forgot about Dre
@@GreatWhite00000 Maggie May Fish did a video on this movie that actually takes a very different stance on it but I feel like everything in this video could also be true even though it's completely different.
@@GreatWhite00000 he presumably wouldn't repeatedly say "but don't go doing a revolution. extremism bad"
Rewatching this in 2021 and I don't necessarily hate this video but seeing the difference between this and your more recent writing/politics is interesting in it's own right. Really nice to see the improvement.
The Starbucks joke comes full circle when the Narrator goes on the run and discovers that Fight Club has become a national franchise - there's one on every corner, to his horror.
Yeah this was one of the best parts of the movie. They rebellion is so seductive but then it asks what you would replace it with. At the beginning the narrator is a slave to consumerism and his cooperate job but at the end Tyler has done worse to his unthinking goons.
Also, the Starbucks joke ties in to earlier analysis regarding various names and loss of identity
The beauty of Fight Club is that the story and the meaning are so good that knowing the twist doesn’t diminish a subsequent viewing.
Knowing the ending makes it better
Movie gets better with every watch
Good call...it's one of those deep gems that has more substance than immediately meets the eye(which is plenty already)
I always called this a homoerotic masterpiece even without knowing the author's orientation. I also like the idea that Calvin and Hobbes served as the template for the characters including Marla as Susie Derkins and Bob as Moe.(He called Calvin "Twinkie")
I always found _Fight Club_ to be disturbing (like most of David Fincher's films) because of how people can be easily duped by a one charismatic person because they're not satisfied with their life and do these dangerous things with such callousness towards others who more than likely might be suffering from the same dissatisfaction as them. The people who take Tyler's "message" seriously are probably looking for catharsis, which I guess is somewhat understandable but the fact that they don't see him as the villain is the real disturbing part of Fight Club.
+Snow Mystique After taking in analysis of the film, I feel better knowing that I didn't idolize Tyler or the actions he was promoting. A friend of mine asked me while watching "can you see yourself doing that?" (participating in an underground fight club). I answered no, and that's because I'm not in that kind of dark place. I'm not anywhere near perfect, but at least not resorting to destructive activity like in the film.
The disturbing feeling you have with this movie is the same feeling I had when watching _Wolf of Wall Street_, where people idolized Jordan Belfort. It's pretty creepy to see that there are a considerable number of people who don't see that those things are actually not good.
Just look at cults- religious and otherwise. David Koresh, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, etc- they all were charismatic, they all assembled a group of followers who were dissatisfied with their lives, and they all manipulated those followers for dark and deadly ends.
thats kind of the greatest part of the movie. The ideal of a place of freedom, lack of constraints (in the context of fight club, a place to express violence and frustration not accepted in mainstream society) can be so appealing that the consequences are an afterthought. Just like in the film. its a pretty meta critique of that desire for freedom that most of us feel.
FC is meant to be disturbing. After the film came out, I read a very interesting analyst of it online. It had interviews with both Fincher and the author, neither could understand why Tyler was attractive to some male viewers (which was scary to say the least)--and I agree--TYLER IS NOT THE HERO--HE IS THE VILLAIN. And that's says loads on how and why our culture is attracted to the notion that "might makes right".
@@oreofudgeman But you can just gotoa boxing gym. Do all the face punching you want and it be socialy aceptable, And get tuaght how to do it really well!
A good twist has 1 more thing that you didn't mention. A good twist also recontextualizes the meaning of all previous events. This twist is amazing because it also reframes all of the Narrator's interactions with Tyler, Tyler's character as a whole, the Narrator's relationship with Marla, the Narrator's sanity, the purpose of the gang they created, and probably dozens of more things, of course all relating back to the themes of the film.
I know this comment is a year old but I just wanted to point out he did mention in when he said that once the twist is revealed everything falls into place.
Another year later, one thing it drastically recontextualizes is the dude who walks up to Tyler and the narrator fighting and asks "Can I be next?" Suddenly the start of the club itself is a narrative void, one that has bugged me (despite being easy to hand-wave) for literal decades.
@@oasntet That's a good catch, actually.
Fantastic analysis. Enjoyed every minute of it. And ignore these haters telling you to leave out the homosexual undertones...especially with Chuck being gay himself, everything you posit seems firmly grounded in logic. That's what an effective analysis does -- explores every possible interpretation and doesn't leave anything out. Very interesting!
I'm of the opinion that you can easily litmus test any given person by showing them Fight Club and then seeing if they got any of the message or if they just thought the idea of a fight club was cool. If you get something along the lines of "I want to start my own fight club" then you should just avoid that person forever, or until they get out of junior high and can think a little bit.
"That goes double for president"
*distressed laughter from 2020*
The very first time I watched Fight Club, I think I got maybe 5% of what it was trying to say. That's why I love it so much. I've watched it about 15 times and read the book twice and it still holds up every time.
I feel that, above all else, the film (and book) is about self-destruction. A lot of people don't get why shooting himself in the cheek makes Tyler go away, but it's because the narrator had to be willing to give up everything (his life) in order to truly find peace. I see it as being almost Christian in a way. The narrator's sacrifice allows him to be "reborn," much like Christ's death and resurrection. Giving up his material possessions is analogous to Jesus' teachings about "do not be conformed to this world."
But again, that's just one interpretation, one that probably wasn't even in the minds of the filmmakers and author. But that's what makes Fight Club such a rich film: You can bring your own ideas to it. It doesn't spell everything out the way some films try to shoehorn in symbolism.
Grizabeebles I feel like that part is rather obvious, but you're not wrong.
i never caught the penguin connection, awesome
I thought this was amazing, but then I checked the shirt, and they're not penguins. They're toucans.
Toucans! D’oh!
There's another one. When Tyler and the Narrator are having beer, Tyler offers a cigarette to the Narrator, but the Narrator says he doesn't smoke. Later, in his office, we see the Narrator smoking a cigarette.
If I'm not mistaken, the first time we see him smoking is playing golf on Tyler's lawn. In that one shot, we see the two of them smoking at the same time.
10:27 I know this is an old video, but when you said “That goes double for president” I laughed out loud. How the tables have turned. And again, recently!
I read the book and I STILL haven't seen the movie (but I want to), and, initially, I thought the narrator was in love with Tyler in a very possessive kind of way. He even kind of talks about a supposed love triangle: "I want Tyler, Tyler wants Marla, Marla wants me, and Tyler doesn't want me around, at least not anymore."
30 years later, we get our own Great Depression, Black Death, and even a smidgen of Civil War, as a treat. Be careful what we wish for, future comment readers.
BTW, one of my favorite hints about the twist was the fact that Tyler's hand is not blocked in any of the previous scenes (not deliberately, anyway), and does not have the "Lye Kiss" on it. Afterward, of course, he does have it.
"Through a scanner darkly" also pulled off this twist expertly. Pity it's such an underappreciated gem.
Man, why wasn't my mental breakdown this badass and kewl?
We were brought up to believe mental breakdowns were far more dramatic and unusual then they actually are. Turns out depression and mental illness are not nearly as dramatic as the popular portrayal most of the time.
The whole "stand outside and not be let in for days" thing is directly lifted from formal Zen training. Particularly the Japanese "koan" based styles, such as Rinzai.
so far the best review about Fight Club, good job
Tyler Durden: "We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won't"
Random guy: "Hang on, you're Brad Pitt. You are a millionaire movie star!"
I loved this aspect of the film. In another instance they are making fun of the underwear model but its brad pitt. Commonly thought of as one of the most attractive people on the planet. Not only that but his make up and clothing are styled as a male model. I saw this as intentional. It was part of the exploration of how for many men escaping the consumer cooperate controlled life to become self empowered often just leads to them becoming the cooperate bosses or models of attraction. It does not solve the underlying problem. The narrator escapes being a consumer slave only by enslaving his own goon squad and taking away their identities.
If you look it up Brad Pitt was voted “sexiest man alive” for the 1st time in 1995 and after that always a contender even after his 2nd nomination in 2000.
I think I even read somewhere that Fincher said he purposely cast Brad Pitt to make a statement.
When I was younger and saw the film for the first time the satirical take was lost on me too!
As he’s says it Jared Leto is standing right next to him
Just like Meat Loaf and Jared Leto. This movie plays the audience over and over again.
Fight Club is arguably the best film of the 90's. Although the Shawshank Redemption deserves a mention aswell.
Holy shit you were a part of channel awesome? Oh how times have changed!
I've never understood how people view this film as misogynistic. That's one of the few things I can think of that doesn't seem to be a part of this film. Women are barely even in this film, and it's very clearly focused on men and the way they see and treat themselves and other men. Glad you mentioned this, because I've seen several folks analyze this and not mention the bits about gender, masculinity, and sexuality.
BINARYGOD Good comment. I agree. I have considered myself a feminist most of my life, whether others like that or not, and I see this all over. There's a lot of problems with including certain topics in our discussions. That's kind of why I like to seek this type of stuff out, and why I enjoy something like Fight Club so much. I love discussing things, and trying to understand different points of view. I just love seeing humans portrayed as complex and having many different motives or reasons for the way they are. This movie (and book) in particular has a lot of layers.
The only female character is Marla, and she provides us with an interesting perspective more than anything. She goes to support groups for the complete opposite reason the narrator does: to provide comfort against her poverty. She can look at the dying people and think "at least I'm not them." Meanwhile, the narrator is going to provide comfort against his affluence. Perhaps he can't sleep at night because of an overwhelming guilt towards having so many material possessions? This would be supported by the fact that he never complains about insomnia once he moves in with Tyler and abandons all the things he once cherished.
I just like the dark tones of the film, dim lights and shades....it's very pleasant.
this movie is just "you construct intricate rituals"
I particularly like the scene when Tyler is selling the soap, and Narrator is in the rear ground in the same profile as Tyler, taking a "back seat" while Tyler speaks...
Nice use of Paranoid Android, m8. really fit the tone of the video
"Tyler is not someone to be admired [...] bits and pieces of his philosophy may have some accuracy [but] Tayler is the villain"
So much this. So many people buy into his initial (as you rightly pointed out almost Buddhist) ideas and think "this is the guy we're supposed to root for" and end up thinking that the latter ideas (3d act) are the logical continuation of those, missing the fact that Tyler ends up being a manifestation of toxic masculinity
Also I think it's worth to notice that Tyler is the byproduct of the Narrators insomnia, so, as a symptom, he starts off pretty mild and then gets more extreme and crazy
When I first watched the movie I also fell for "Tyler's right" thing, but then I read the book and I ended up thinking that the story is ultimately about finding balance: first Narrator lives a life of extreme consumerism, then he trashes all that, reconnect with his masculinity (suppressed by his consumerist lifestyle) finds some happiness in it, but ultimately ends up on the opposite side of the same coin and realizes that extreme anti consumerism and supermasculinity are equally bad. In the end Tyler is not exactly dead, but he and Narrator are sort of united, the Narrator find the balance between the consumerism (the original Masturbating-to-Ikea Narrator) and extreme anti consumersim (Tyler), becoming whole
Which point of the book states that a balance is needed?pretty sure the book ended with the narrator ending up in a mental hospital man
"Feel like corporations don't care about your wellbeing? Fine, there's probably some truth in that. Boycott individual major corporations, or even live a more minimalist lifestyle, just don't go 'too far'" - lines that aged like fine milk :P Glad you've moved leftwards since :) I thought the video was new at first and had been confused all the way through, only saw the timestamp after this bit I think. In hindsight it was probably suggested to me cos I watched Maggie May Fish's Fight Club video a couple of weeks ago
OMG, I love how when you talked about the lack of identity theme in the movie you played paranoid android by Radiohead in the background: truly an amazing song.
Ben Sagal-Morris Also played Karma Police! I think Renegade Cut is a Radiohead fan!
"Pay me no mind,
I seen the Fight Club,
About 28 times" Fred Durst
This has to be one of the most misinterpreted films of all time. How or why people are unable to recognize the satire about consumerism and toxic masculinity is beyond me. Every dude-bro in a frat has a poster of Tyler Durden. It baffles me that people don’t understand this movie.
Those kind of people don't see messages in movies or look past the surface value. Or as one of my buddies told me when I tried telling him about what one movie stood for all I got in reply was "that sounds like a liberal thing".
it reminds me of majority of people who watch filthy frank videos
This video really shows how much there is to say about this film. It's twice as long as most of his videos and he still has to talk faster to fit it all in.
- In reference to the homosexual undertones/symbolism and/or theories, I think it could be possible that it's more of a representation of masturbation, or more specifically mental masturbation (self absorption - not necessarily in a bad way - more so just a person being content with living in their own head).
- When Tyler says "I'm wondering if another woman is really the answer we need." I can see that as a point where his mind is starting to play with the idea of embracing his 'self' as opposed to an outsider for comfort, male or female. Though he obviously wavers a bit with Marla.
- Soon after on the bus Tyler also says "Self-improvement is masturbation" which segways into where The Narrator becomes completely one-minded about 'masturbating' his main desire at this point in the movie - the emotional release he gets from Fight Club and to some extent (his Tyler Durdan side) Project Mayhem, though things start to fall apart at that point. He starts to live only in his mind, in his little world that he's created, where things like being presentable at work, or being rude or making people uncomfortable, are not a concern. He even gets some happiness/fulfillment out of rejecting everything outside of his world (mind) as he sees it as beneath him. He sees this all as self-improvement, embracing this mental projection named Tyler and his philosophies, which are of course his own to begin with - stroking the ego in a sense (sexual pun intended).
- By the Project Mayhem time period a lot of other influences and emotional changes for The Narrator have happened, and the 'masturbation' starts to fall apart. The Narrator starts to reject the solitary world of his mind, as it starts to go out of control, crack and spill out - a big starting point in the story being the decision to start recruiting people and having them move into the house.
- It then continues to the climax of the film, where he fully rejects the solitary/mental masturbation state of mind and kills Tyler. He then embraces another, holding Marla's hand, as they watch the buildings collapse.
- This is just a working theory, decided to watch this video before re-watching the film again. Great video!
The one detail I missed until I watched this was that the curtains in the hotel room when the narrator was confronting Tyler look like a bar code.
I wonder if he still thinks the Dissociative Identity Disorder twist can't be used again properly with Mr. Robot being ten flavours of awesome?
When I read the novel before the movie came out, the twist was "ruined" on the back cover. The hint on the back cover made it clear what would happen. I still read it anyway to see how it was going to be pulled off.
Watching this video, about one of my favorite movies, after watching the Mickey Mouse video, is crazy inspirational for me as an aspiring RUclipsr… I feel like I’ve watched you go through so many changes, and I don’t even think of them until I go back to your earlier work. So seamless your improvement, so obvious your unchanging talent. Thanks for existing, Leon
Twenty years on and I'm still running into refreshing takes on this film that I maybe glimpsed when watching but never had the opportunity to explore further.
The line about the qualification to become the President really aged horribly from today's perspective. xD
The Snarky Lesbian Well, yes and no. There are millions of people like Trump that would never have a chance to run for president and the reason Trump had that chance is because of his wealth, connection, charisma and lack of self-doubt.
KosmicznaKoneko low standards for charisma must be
I watched this for the first time with my roommate a few months ago and he told me he liked seeing my reaction to the little blips of Tyler
I know I'm very late to this but finally i found someone who can express why I love this movie so much. Thank you for this!
nice radiohead paranoid android cue in with that late 90's talk
eyy I noticed that paranoid android in the background. Great song.
I never noticed that they enter the car thought the same door and I've watched this movie tons of times
I see Project Mayhem in the same light as the Proud Boys.
I love how excited you sound in this video. It sounds like me when I'm tipsy and happily talking to someone about a movie I love.
I really liked The Village. I didn't see the twist coming but you're correct in that there weren't any subtle telegraphs pointing to it either. But Fight Club? Freakin' awesome movie!!
You can also watch Marla as an imaginary character too.
Was going to say, Marla seems as much of a machination and fiction as Tyler does, just more subtle.
Wow this analysis completely blew my mind. Especially the homosexual undertones part that was really cool. Just subscribed and turned on notifications for this channel. Keep up the great work!
this movie is still mind blowing .. awesome analysis.
Actually, in the Fight Club comic (which is a sequel to the book AND the movie, more or less) is said, as being Sebastian.
Ah, sorry, I didn't see that! I realize it's about the film, just that they did end up giving up his name, which I think kind of loses the illusion of Tyler being of the Narrator's mind
That would be the author of the book himself, Chuck Palahniuk.
What is it with 1999? The internet can't stop talking about Fight Club, The Matrix, & The Phantom Menace. ;)
I love that Paranoid Android plays at 6:39. Perfect.
Holy crap all I can say is this channel is one of the best on youtube. Wonderful content, keep up the good work.
My favorite movie!
thats not a penguin on Tyler's shirt its a toucan
Thank you.
I'm loving your videos...your insight makes me see these movies in a slightly deeper way and that makes me enjoy these films all over again from a fresh perspective.
+Renegade Cut Have you heard the theory that Marla Singer is a figment of the Narrator's mind also?
+Lucid Ray I have and I disagree. Some people even go as far as saying that the whole project mayhem and fight club is imaginary too, even the paper street house.
then perhaps the line "My God. I haven't been fucked like that since grade school" could be referencing masturbation as well (since Marla is in his imagination too)
For what it's worth, I enjoyed this muchly. Gratitude
It's funny because when I finished the movie I kept thinking back, "damn, there's no way, other characters talked to both of them in the same room." Just justifying everything, I never would have picked out those little details, thanks for this video, I'll have to rewatch Fight Club now haha
The rewatch is so much better, you are going to facepalm yourself so often...at least I did ^^
Ooo man that subtle radio head. Ur fucking amazing dude I love this series
Great video. Now I feel somewhat vindicated thinking that fight club was some kind of strange gay porn! Good movie though.
i was walking around primark once (not to buy clothes just out of boredom) and i seen a fight club logo shirt, and knowing the anti-capitalist themes of the movie the way one of the most shady retailers for treating their garment workers are putting it on shirts is really weird
Very thoughtful analysis. I think I appreciate this film more from your commentary.
I like the starbucks part, I've never been there in my life and never will. Stovetop percolator coffee works just fine for me
My favorite movie of all time. 😍😍😍
I predicted the twist so early in the movie that the guy who took me there never called me out to another date. Idk why I saw it coming so easily, I guess it was because of some of the clues.
It's your life it will end minute at a time.
There is exactly one thing about this movie that I do not understand. How would a guy in a parking lot, beating himself up, result in other men becoming interested in joining in? This is a crazy thing. Like, the first guys who see the parking lot fight seem very taken aback, but other men clearly are NOT taken aback. So how did this actually SPREAD to other men? Hanging out with people who beat themselves bloody is generally not a thing. (Or maybe it is. I could be wrong.) Either way, it's a weird way to start a club.
This was a really great analysis of the movie. I've watched it like 10 times (maybe more) and you pointed out some stuff (particularly about the way the characters are stripped of individuality besides the name thing) that I've never thought of before. Interestingly enough, this movie made me realize in high school that I was a total misogynist (even though I'm a girl) and that I needed to knock that shit off.
Running out of words to thank you
This is amazing! you deserve more likes and views!
I love Fight Club, and as I am studying it for A Level at the moment this video was a massive help
To all those disagreeing with any themes in this video, especially the Queer Theory, not once does he state that these are HIS personal ideas - they are popular theories that you can use to analyse the film, he is just explaining them so you can understand every aspect and possibly view the film in a new light. Film isn't black and white - everyone's viewing is different! Enjoy each film and its different possibilities y'all! :)
IS THAT MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS I HEAR IN THE BACKGROUND??
Exhaustive analysis! Great video!
such a great year for film
You broke the first two rules of Fight Club
I disagree with your take on "a plot twist is only good, if it has a build up or it directly makes sense", although it is totally true for Fight Club or Citizen Kane or The Shawshank Redemption. But The Empire Strikes Back works also perfectly and no one could have possibly see that coming...
"that goes double for president"
hehehehe
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best video on entire youtube yo!
They should have ended the movie showing a real manifestation of tyler living his life somewhere else, unaware of the narrators insanity.
Am I Tylers bad dream, or am I his.
My stepfather (who is a trotskyist) told me that this movie is about revolution and how to do it. He said it with straight face, unironically.
Fight Club is I'm 14 and this is deep before that was even a thing, it was interesting when I was a young teen but much like Fincher's other work it just doesn't hold up well at all.
Fight Club is my favorite film, you did a great job analyzing it. For a cinemaphile such as myself, that's great.
On the starbucks comment. A film that was oddly amazing on consumerism is the 90s rom-com You've Got Mail. Google it, i was blown away with its distillation in such a sappy film.
And the final twist being Marla as the third personality.
Not to me, the Village twist was more of a surprise due to NOT having been foreshadowed to death, like Fight Club.
Anarchism isn't the same as "chaos". Anarchism is a political philosophy, if anyone thinks Anarchism is the same as "chaos" then Fascism is anarchist, which is an extreme contradiction.
Also about losing identity. Remember how he equates his being to everything he loses in the apartment explosion. His ikea furniture. With no clear identity he replaced it with things. This is in contrast with tylers philosophy thay you are "not your fucking kahkis".
Also if you are reading this you should read rant byt the same author Chuck. And then demand a sequel haha.
I feel like you are correct about the Village having a bad twist, but I still find it fascinating to think about. Maybe I’m wrong but I think if the director didn’t unwisely make twist endings his “thing” and it was a sort of one off movie it could possibly have been received better. Hell even have a cult following. That being said I just found the creature designs to be absolutely terrifying as a kid so maybe I have brain worms.
I was 19 when this movie came out....I think it's more relevant today, actually. Particularly Pitt's "Middle Children of History speach."
Interesting fact about Theodore Adorno: HE created "The Beatles," and wrote all of their songs....yes you can verify this...to a nigh satisfactory extent
Its funny, some anarchists look at Tyler Durden the same way some skinheads look at Derek Vinyard (American History X) when both movies are trying to demonstrate the flaws in their logic
Final Fantasy 14 managed to pull off the same twist by blurring the lines on how much of Fray was real and how much was aethiric manifestation
Excellently Done.
That's the skill of the WRITER...Poor screenwriters. The most underappreciated, yet undeniable most important link in the chain. There would be no remote conception of the movie without them. :-P
I like to think that the narrator's name Fred Broca.
i'd have liked if you had put the Unabomber's primitivism in the mix.
still an amazing video.
Wow, this is the first time I saw the flash at 25.59!!!
24:21 too