Fight Club discussion (Spoilers)

[Ernest Rister]

Fight Club...liked it better when it was called Walden.

Seriously though, cats, this is one of those times when I have to throw up my hands and walk away because I just can't talk about this movie on film forums. I think Fight Club is a great film, but not for the reasons many of its fans think it's a great film. The film is childish, infuriating, infantile, it slouches towards profundity and mistakes violence for anti-conformity. But because it has inspired so many Alabama teenage rednecks to go film themsleves pounding each other and advertising their nonsene on YouTube, one can't ignore the cultural signifigance of the film.

Woah! Sorry if that got you guys going. It's not serious, I'm just aping the film. The film has a maddening lack of conviction. The film is inflamatory and then backs away from it's flame. It tries to raise hell and then critiques those who raise hell. It is anti-consumerist, anti-property, yet also seems to salivate at the idea of gaining ground against a perceived enemy. This fierce ambilvalence is why the film has attracted so many followers, because no matter how you feel, you'll find your views justified by the film.

That's what pisses me off about it. It takes Walden and Carpe Diem and then spreads its legs and *****s itself out so as to not offend anyone who were pissed off about its consumerist message by creating villains out of its own heroes. It has no convictions. Maybe that's the point.

Regardless, I just find the whole thing cowardly and annoying and reeking of frat club conformity while trying to hide behind a criticisim of frat club conformity. I don't buy it. The damn thing glorifies conformity while pretending to criticize it.

So pound away, Alabama rednecks. We all laugh and shake our heads at your conformity aping a move that pretends to advocate anti-conformity. That's why Fight Club is great movie. The damn thing doesn't even understand itself, but that doesn't stop it from being incredibly influential.