Must-see movies required for a successful existence
Why it’s famous:
Clever, well cast, and brilliantly written, the movie offers a bittersweet glimpse into the psyche of a disturbed, yet amusingly stoic murderer. This is dark comedy-horror at its best.
Famous lines:
Club Patron: So, what do you do?
Patrick Bateman: I’m into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly.
Waiter: Would you like to hear today’s specials?
Patrick Bateman: Not if you want to keep your spleen.
Patrick Bateman: I have to return some videotapes.
Why you haven’t seen it:
You just don’t understand how horror and comedy could possibly combine to create something worth watching.
Why it might be tough to get through:
If the sight of blood makes you feel faint, and the idea of Christian Bale running around naked with a chainsaw doesn’t get you all hot and bothered, you might spend a good chunk of this movie in complete shock.
Why you should see it anyway:
American Psycho is a classic, thought-provoking, and fascinatingly complex story. The more you watch it, the more you want to understand the inner machinations of Bateman’s strange mind. Watch it with friends and the “What did the ending actually mean” debate should produce hours of enjoyment.
Fun fact:
Looking for a way to create the character of Patrick Bateman, Christian Bale stumbled onto a Tom Cruise appearance on David Letterman. In the DVD special features, director Mary Harron said Bale saw in Cruise “this very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes,” and Bale subsequently based the character of Bateman on that.
