Mar 27, 2016 when bret easton elliss american psycho was about to be published in 1991, word of its portrait of a monster an amoral young wall street serial killer named patrick bateman, who nail. Look closer at the deeper meaning and messages of american psychos ending. My pain is constant and sharp and i do not hope for a better world for anyone, in fact i want my pain to be inflicted on others. Also, the televised speech by president ronald reagan, as shown the final scene of the film, also occurred in 1987 whereas reagan had already left the white house by the. This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of american psycho. American psycho study guide from litcharts the creators of. Director mary harrons american psycho 2000 is a terrific horror film where patrick bateman christian bale is a wealthy new york banking executive who hides his serial kier alto ego from everyone around him. The ending of american psycho finally explained youtube. American psycho ending explained by its writers mary harron. I have just read a book that has all at once captivated, disgusted and intrigued me. The story is set in new york amongst the 1980s wall street boom.
The book ends as it began, with bateman and his colleagues at a new club on a. He is goodlooking, charming, smart, delusional, sadistic, and a cannibal. You cant capture the essence of it at all if you didnt read the book. During batemans spiral downward into his evil desires. The book creates a dissonance from real life and the actual plot that leaves the reader questioning if our. Thats right american psycho has one of those classic twist endings where most of the action of the movie and the book was a fantasy.
American psycho is a musical with music and lyrics by duncan sheik and a book by roberto aguirresacasa. The world of american psycho is not our world, it exists within the novel and although there are similarities between our 1980s and the 1980s of patrick bateman, they are not synonymous. American psycho begins with a quote from dantes inferno. It may seem like one of the cheaper ways to end a story, a cliche finale used so often it practically has a spot on the hollywood walk of fame.
In hindsight, an american psycho looks a lot like us the. Despite its controversial nature and horrific content, american psycho is a near perfect example of a post modern horror. But psycho is certainly fascinated with the idea of multiple personalities. The film adaptation of the bret easton ellis novel american psycho was released in 2000, and has been confusing viewers ever since. During the movie, ellis shows the entire yuppie culture was so focused upon themselves that they consistently call each other by incorrect names and no one seems to care. A more dubious undertaking is lions gate films attempt to translate another tale of. Elliss iconic book about 1980s consumerist culture and masculinity. When bret easton elliss american psycho was about to be published in 1991, word of its portrait of a monster an amoral young wall street serial killer named patrick bateman, who nail. Rather, the film aims to portray the selfindulgent and hedonistic wall street elite. This is evidenced by the scene where patrick is briefly reading zagats survey.
Screen prism has put together this really cool and very concise exploration of the ending of american psycho and its implications for either side of the argument surrounding the reality of. Differences between american psycho book vs movie page 1. The movie, american psycho, is taken from the book of the same name that is written by bret easton ellis. Even after 15 years of its release, the much ambiguous ending of american psycho calls for debate amongst fans. However, the lawyer thinks that christian bales character is someone else and refers to bateman in the third person as if they are talking about bateman as if he is not there. Difficult as it may be to trace the genuine pathology of patrick bateman, who, in his own words, killed 20 people, maybe 40, there are several strikingly exacerbated personality traits in the film that.
American psycho is not only a great critique of the 80s yuppie culture, but it is a scathing criticism of a nations moral decay. Like the bret easton ellis novel that inspired it, the film leaves open the possibility that patrick bateman didnt really kill all those people. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is graffitied across the side of a bank in bloodred paint. Jan 10, 2015 irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic when published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women. Earlier in the novel patrick and his other mergers and acquisitions friends go to a club in nyc called tunnel. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading american psycho vintage contemporaries. At the end patrick calls his lawyer and tells him that he killed her with a nail gun. Eventually his internal conflict becomes so troubling that he finds catharsis by murdering people. There are obviously potential spoilers as it is an attempt to decipher and explain the ending of american psycho. American psycho vintage contemporaries kindle edition by. Christian bale in the 2000 film version of novel american psycho. In elliss 1998 novel glamorama, both patrick bateman and christian bale the. However, during the last moments of the film, patrick.
It is only fitting then, that this is the month in which stephen kings novella, apt pupil, will finally be released as a feature film, directed by bryan singer. Ellis also appeared on an episode of charlie rose 1991, along with christian bale and coscreenwriterdirector mary harron, where he said he liked the film very much, and felt it improved on the novel in certain aspects. Sean also appears briefly in his brothers novel, american psycho. Where gatsby focuses on the american jazz era, psycho is the yuppie young, upwardlymobile professional decade of the 1980s, set in wall street, new york, at the time of the great economic boom.
A friend of mine sent me an interesting article about american psycho that makes the case that patrick is a closeted gay man running around giving aids to everyone, the book being either a metaphorical story or just an unreliably told one. Set in manhattan during the wall street boom of the late 1980s, american psycho is about the daily life of patrick bateman, a. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in american psycho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. It is also, and in the end this matters most, a bad book. American psycho is the story of patrick bateman, a rich, arrogant, twentysomething yuppie in 1980s new york, who also happens to be an insane serial killer.
Comedy of menace maybe, but definitely not comedy of manners. Rather, the film aims to portray the selfindulgent and hedonistic wall street elite of 1980s new york in a. American psycho is a novel that makes a statement about modern society. It demonstrates conclusively that although the career of. The narrative takes some rather sharp turns as it builds up to its conclusion, and in the end leaves.
The ending of american psycho finally explained looper. American psycho might have seemed like a straightforward film about a psychotic serial killer one who has good hygiene and knows his font. American psycho is often regarded as the first truly exceptional horror movie of the 21 st century. Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic books.
Christian bale starred in american psycho 2000 as patrick bateman, a new york investment banker who hides a murderous alter ego. Bret easton ellis is known for featuring his characters across several different novels. All i wanted was to be ambiguous in the way that the book was. Tunnel was a real club which closed in 2001, and did feature an actual tunnel as part of its interior. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity. The end of american psycho author bret ellis is firmly on the record as saying that he didnt think american psycho should be made into a movie, because as quoted in an interview with indie publisher creative loafing the medium of film demands answers which in his opinion makes the story less interesting. The best study guide to american psycho on the planet, from the creators of. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity, all with the same disengaged obsession he uses in choosing outfits. Identity and isolation theme in american psycho litcharts. Jul 23, 2019 the 90s films, especially, saw the deconstruction and the shattering of the fake glass facade that was the great american dream after decades of glorification. Bret easton ellis still stuck with american psycho after 25 years. Director mary harron depicts an extraordinary criminal in american psycho 2000. Genesis, whitney houston and huey lewis and the news before killing someone, patrick gives a monologue paraphrasing some of the chapters.
Can someone explain the end of the film you had all the drawings in the sketch book did that mean he dreamt it, another guy said he had dinner with one of the characters that was murdered. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. American psycho vintage contemporaries kindle edition. The novel takes place in new york city in the late 1980s, on the tail end of the. I will always be defined by patrick bateman, says author, adding. I thought it was kinda odd, since my theory isnt very.
American psycho essence of trash the washington post. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan investment banker. Much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about patrick bateman. In order to understand the final scene of american psycho, its key to remember the details. Then asks without looking over, why arent you wearing the worsted navy blue blazer with the gray pants.
One of the more popular interpretations of american psycho suggests patrick bateman never actually killed anyone, and the murderous actions we see played out merely take place in his unhealthy mind. Not only does it break common treads in horror archetypes and structure but its critique of consumerism and materialism gives the film a post modern complexity as an analysis of both an insane character and a time in american history. Ive read the book, ive listened to the audio version, and ive seen the movie about three times. Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a long time. Alison kelly of the observer notes that while some countries deem it so potentially disturbing that it can only be sold shrinkwrapped, critics rave about it and academics revel in its transgressive and postmodern. In the end, bateman seemingly kills dozens of police officers, something that. American psycho study guide literature guide litcharts.
Explanations of american psychos symbols, and tracking of where they appear. In american psycho, they are wall street yuppies, the upper class, the marxist bourgeoisiewho destroy and use the unfortunate homeless, prostitutes, children so they can live in excess. Explanations to some of the most confusing movie endings. Bateman kied homeless people, coworkers, and working women. Now that american psycho, which is the subject of this months guardian book club, has become an established feature of the literary landscape and is generally acknowledged as a. American psycho is the modern equivalent of the great gatsby, where money is king and shallow appearances are the only thing that matter. If you want to have american psycho explained, knowing the ending will definitely be of great help. The crazy lead character tries to explain that his confession was real, but the lawyer. All i have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem i have caused and my utter indifference toward it i have now surpassed. To have the american psycho explained, one must know the plot first.
The reader is introduced to the novels narrator, patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street investment banker. Earlier in the novel patrick and his other mergers and acquisitions friends go to a club in. The book obviously offers much more detail compared to the film, and the latt. Dann hat dennis scheck gesagt, dass american psycho sein allzeitlieblingsbuch sei. And hitchcock even throws in a psychiatrist at the end to explain everything, through elaborate psychoanalytic explanations. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. Now, while theres no way to be 100 percent certain that bateman did murder people. What sounds like a bizarre theory actually seems to have a lot of foundation, and explains some very. However in november of 1990, the company, citing aesthetic differences, dropped the book over its graphic and misogynistic content. Christian bales american psycho movie ending explained. At the end patrick calls his lawyer and tells him that he killed her with a nail gun there are 3 chapters that only talk about musicians.
Bret easton ellis american psycho even people who have never read bret easton ellis american psycho likely do not expect to hear the phrase comedy of manners in reference to it. It is based on the controversial 1991 novel american psycho by bret easton ellis, which also inspired a 2000 film of the same name, which starred christian bale. The movie failed in its capacity to represent the book and its message, all it did was make money. Nov 02, 2016 screen prism has put together this really cool and very concise exploration of the ending of american psycho and its implications for either side of the argument surrounding the reality of bateman. American psycho 5 voice stops, he takes in a breath and then quietly says, his eyes fixed on a beggar at the corner of second and fifth, thats the twentyfourth one ive seen today. American psycho is a film about a man who is unsure about his identity. Hitchcock practically throws open those house doors to analysts. To sum it up, the idea overarching this is the refusal of the illusory, the materialistic and a recognition of the embrace of mundanity in the modern age, something that was our tradeoff for said materialism. American psycho by bret easton ellis, paperback barnes. The book is very well written, and it has a style that creates a world easily accessible to the reader.
As the narration progresses, events in the film get more violent and take gory turns. One reoccurring theme throughout the novel is that patrick bateman and his yuppie friends often mistake their coworkers for other coworkers, since there. Bret easton ellis american psycho plunges the reader into a world of late 1980s yuppieism. Dec 01, 2016 american psycho 2000 based on the second novel from bret easton ellis, american psycho is a satirical horror story about the inner life of patrick bateman, a highpaid investment banker in 1980s. Sep 02, 2017 much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about patrick bateman.
Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic when published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women. The internet too is rife with explanations and theories, and after a brief mum period, even the makers came out with their own intentions. Directed by mary harron and starring christian bale in a breakout performance, both american psycho and its main villain patrick. American psycho 2000 based on the second novel from bret easton ellis, american psycho is a satirical horror story about the inner life of patrick. American psycho by bret easton ellis books the guardian. Sep 04, 2017 director mary harron depicts an extraordinary criminal in american psycho 2000. Jul 02, 2010 american psycho begins with the words at the entrance to dantes hell, scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the chemical bank near the corner of eleventh and first. Jul 21, 2012 the world of american psycho is not our world, it exists within the novel and although there are similarities between our 1980s and the 1980s of patrick bateman, they are not synonymous. The content of the movie created a good deal of controversy because of the explicit sex and violence scenes. American psycho vintage contemporaries kindle edition by ellis, bret easton. Though the tale was intended as a snapshot of the conformist, consumerist, superficial late. While the novel american psycho is set in 1989, the film adaptation is set in 1987. Lastly, at the end of the movie christian bale is desperately trying to convince his lawyer that bateman is capable of and indeed did commit all the atrocities. After killing many characters onscreen and becoming more and more unhinged, bateman is told by his lawyer that one of his victims paul allen jared leto is.
In hindsight, an american psycho looks a lot like us. He wants desperately to fit in with the other yuppies, but also wants to be an intelligent freethinking individual. Observing another side of potential behavior coming from the affluent american society of consumerism is explained through c. American psycho 2000 frequently asked questions imdb. Patrick bateman first appears briefly in elliss 1987 novel the rules of attraction, in which his brother, sean bateman, is a main character and narrator. Throughout the novel, instances of consumed and mistaken identity contribute to a growing experience of isolation on the part of both the reader and narrator. Yes, the ending has been ever questioned and debated upon by the entire fandom of this movie and the book, to this date, and that is what i believe is the beauty of it.
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