AMERICAN PSYCHO OVERRATED?

[SteveSzyk]

American Psycho has been getting some critical praise, and great fan support (It won best picture for Fangoria's awards), but I just don't see whats so good about it! I thought it was terrible! It was boring, and stupid! What do you guys think? American Psycho overrated? I think so!

American Psycho D

[Mike]

I didn't like it either but I eventually might check it out again to see if I like it any better. As it stands though I do think it's way overrated.

Grade: D-

[Brock Landers]

Okay... you think it's terrible, boring and stupid. Now can you explain exactly why? I am genuinely interested and am more than willing to debate the validity of it's "overrated" status with you. I just need for you tell me exactly what you didn't like, because you aren't giving any examples.

Personally, I think it's a masterpiece...

Mary Harron's "American Psycho", while toned down a notch from Bret
Easton Ellis' novel of the same name, remains to be one of the few brilliant
films to come out over the last few years. Its cinematic verite is explosive,
just seething beneath the surface, like Patrick bateman's twisted psyche.
The performances all around are powerful and demanding, but it is Christian
Bale that is the stellar standout. His presence on screen is more eruptive
than a volcano and his intense modus operandi as the perfect yuppie killer is
unsettling at the very least. There's much to be said for the writing and
direction, the wonderfully triumphant merging of the two make for an instant
cinema classic. Definitely a 3/10 on the finger scale... as in most actors
would cut off three of their fingers to be in such a well orchestrated film, and
as far as my own rating, I would give it a 10/10. Pure genius, tride and true.

[This message has been edited by Brock Landers (edited 08-28-2001).]

[ChainedMonkey]

I agree I think this movie is overrated, good but nothing GREAT. probably 3 out of 5.

[countchocula]

I agree with Brock. American Psycho is a great horror film. 5/5

[ilovemovies]

The movie wasn't remotely funny nor scary. It is boring and pointless. Christian Bale is so utterly bland. I did not find this guy scary he was an utter bore. And the movie is so one note just like Bale's performance. I thought it was a horrible movie and that was VERY pretentious. The worst film of 2000.
grade: F
stars: no stars
0/10

[SUPER LOVER MAN]

ill stay right in the middle and give it a 5/10, i thought it was alright, but no ground-breaking masterpiece.

[XCoRyX]

it isnt meant to be typical horro movie and u must be patient and have to think while watching it i loved it.

[TooL]

I liked it...I didn't love it..I have to check out the book..Which Iam probably going to do soon..But the movie wasn't exactly as awesome as people were saying it was..

[Thrush]

It didnt work as a horror movie.

It didnt work as a psychological thriller.

It didnt work as a satire.

Bad acting and horrible dialgue didnt help either.

[Freddy is God]

I'm with Brock and countchocula. This movie is a complete masterpiece. I think it is one of the three best movies ever made. And where are you people getting this "bad acting" shit? There is better acting in AMERICAN PSYCHO than anything I can think of off the top of my head. Every single aspect of the film worked, and there is not a single bad thing about it.

[ilovemovies]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Freddy is God:
And where are you people getting this "bad acting" shit? There is better acting in AMERICAN PSYCHO than anything I can think of off the top of my head. Every single aspect of the film worked, and there is not a single bad thing about it. </font>
Christian Bale gave a totally one note, utterly bland performance. He was a major bore! He was not scary, charming, funny or menacing in any kind of way. The other cast members are pretty bland and boring too. The whole movie was completely one note. The same thing happened and it was so pointless. I found absolutely no merit or any redeeming quality whatsoever in this film.

[pizowell]

American Psycho was a bright spot in a decade filled by post Kevin Williamson teen horror crap. American Psycho is a film about madness in a decade of indulgence, a journey into the self centered mind of a maniac. A film so good its almost perfect. Now I have some video tapes to return, slash on!

[The Undertaker]

AMERICAN PSYCHO was one of the best horror movies of the 90s, though it leans more toward black humor than a straight out scary movie. Whether you liked the movie or not depends on whether you liked Christian Bale. I loved his performance and loved the movie. Not scary at all, but sometimes disturbing and it also entertained me. Say what you want about Bale's acting, but the guy entertained me for two hours. As far as the others go, this is a movie where your supposed to hate each and every character in it. The only person who wasn't a complete asshole was the secretary and she really wasn't in very much of it. I would have side with those who say this movie is a masterpiece. **** out of **** easily...

[MICHAELvoorhees]

It is not overrated at all! It is a great movie! Not boring at all. Just funny and alittle diturbing, it has ok gore, great amount of nudity, and great acting, especially Christian Bale!

[Brock Landers]

"Christian Bale gave a totally one note, utterly bland performance."

That was the WHOLE POINT, ilovemovies. He was supposed to be an egocentrical, borish, yuppie who was constantly trying to "fit in" by being a "one-note" person. Bale played Bateman EXACTLY like the book portrayed him. As a guy more obsessed with business cards and restaurant reservations than with being colorful and a caricature.

As far as being bland... that was his job as an actor, at least the parts when he was trying to be "normal" in front of people. Now, those great scenes of violence and sexual idiosyncrasies were anything but "bland".

Just because an actor gives the best performance of his career playing someone who is "bland" most of the time, doesn't mean the performance was "bland". It means the actor did a brilliant job of doing his job... ACTING!

Next thing you know, you will be saying that Ed Norton was "bland" in "Fight Club" because his role in the film starts out that way... as a "bland" guy in a "bland" job who has nothing going on in his "bland" life, at least until he "meets" Tyler Durden.

[This message has been edited by Brock Landers (edited 08-29-2001).]

[SteveSzyk]

Like I said, I hate the movie, but I disagree with anyone who says the acting was terrible. I thought the acting was amazing, and the best performances of the year! That was the one quality that kept it from getting the F.

[This message has been edited by SteveSzyk (edited 08-29-2001).]

[ilovemovies]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Brock Landers:
"Christian Bale gave a totally one note, utterly bland performance."

That was the WHOLE POINT, ilovemovies. He was supposed to be an egocentrical, borish, yuppie who was constantly trying to "fit in" by being a "one-note" person. Bale played Bateman EXACTLY like the book portrayed him. As a guy more obsessed with business cards and restaurant reservations than with being colorful and a caricature.

As far as being bland... that was his job as an actor, at least the parts when he was trying to be "normal" in front of people. Now, those great scenes of violence and sexual idiosyncrasies were anything but "bland".

Just because an actor gives the best performance of his career playing someone who is "bland" most of the time, doesn't mean the performance was "bland". It means the actor did a brilliant job of doing his job... ACTING!

Next thing you know, you will be saying that Ed Norton was "bland" in "Fight Club" because his role in the film starts out that way... as a "bland" guy in a "bland" job who has nothing going on in his "bland" life, at least until he "meets" Tyler Durden.

[This message has been edited by Brock Landers (edited 08-29-2001).]</font>
Edward Norton was excellent in that movie and in that case then you found the perfect example of how an actor's performance doesn't have to be bland when portraying a bland person. Norton was full of life and energy with his performance. Bale on the other hand just seemed to just standing there(sort of speak). I understand that he was playing a bland guy but then I guess he played it too well. Nothing seemed to register. I just saw a blank face. It was a total lack of energy or even interest unlike Norton's performance.

[Skaboy18]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ilovemovies:
</font>
Edward Norton was excellent in that movie and in that case then you found the perfect example of how an actor's performance doesn't have to be bland when portraying a bland person. Norton was full of life and energy with his performance. Bale on the other hand just seemed to just standing there(sort of speak). I understand that he was playing a bland guy but then I guess he played it too well. Nothing seemed to register. I just saw a blank face. It was a total lack of energy or even interest unlike Norton's performance.

[/B][/QUOTE]


Of course there was no energy! "I am simply not there" Bale even says that he has no emotions. It wasn't that Bale was non-acting, it's that he was acting the part perfectly. He was this inhuman creature who simply felt nothing and therefore had no real responses.

[ilovemovies]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Skaboy18:

Of course there was no energy! "I am simply not there" Bale even says that he has no emotions. It wasn't that Bale was non-acting, it's that he was acting the part perfectly. He was this inhuman creature who simply felt nothing and therefore had no real responses.</font>
Maybe the main problem was, for me anyway, that it was just not an interesting enough character to spend a whole movie with and to make a movie about.

[Brock Landers]

ilovemovies... all I can add to that is that I would highly recommend reading the book by Bret Easton Ellis... it made me see the film completely differently... and to be frank, the book changed my life... seriously.

[Cannon Fodder]

Amercian Psycho overrated? No way. I would say it dersves most of the praise that it gets and as far as I'm aware it hasn't garnered all that much praise from most circles, which is a real shame. Christian Bale's performance was great. He was meant to be bland and he did it well. He made bland interesting, if you know what I mean. If we're talking about truely bland just look at the boring gits in most horror movies, the Friday 13th universe is populated by pure cardboard and most of the stars in the newer teen horror movies are completely bland- the likes of Freddy Putz Jnr. etc.

[pedro]

I have a habit of comparing films to the novels they're are based on. In that respect, American Psycho was disappointing. However as a movie critic, i'd have to say the movie wasn't half bad. Good acting. good directing too. An above par movie for sure.

[Patrick_Bateman]

I happen to think it was awesome...But that's just me....

[The Claw]

American Psycho was good, but thats just my bad opinion