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American Psycho (2000)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:121
Fresh:80
Rotten:41
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: American Psycho looks good, but the satire seems hollow and pointless.
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) and Guinevere Turner's (Go Fish) adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's controversial novel distills the critically maligned book down to its ironic, satirical core.... Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) and Guinevere Turner's (Go Fish) adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's controversial novel distills the critically maligned book down to its ironic, satirical core. Wisely situating most of the novel's grisly action off-screen, Harron employs violence as a metaphor for the spiritually vacant materialism and corporate machismo of the Reagan '80s. Christian Bale (Velvet Goldmine) delivers a shining performance as the status-obsessed, psychotic broker Patrick Bateman--self-proclaimed expert in "murders and executions." Traveling amongst narcissistic, misogynistic, barely discernable corporate clones, Patrick spends his workdays obsessing over tasteful business cards, designer suits, and prime reservations at trendy restaurants. After hours, he dismembers prostitutes, models, transients, and literally gives a co-worker the axe in a series of increasingly surreal episodes, all prefaced by demented lectures on the virtues of Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, and Huey Lewis. Chloe Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry) and Resse Witherspoon (Election), as Patrick's secretary and fiancée, turn in strong performances, and Andrzej Sekula's stylish cinematography lends the film a stark, über-modern aesthetic reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange. While American Psycho does not venture deeply into the mind of its sick protagonist, it offers a sharp satire of the dark side of yuppie culture. [More]
Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon
Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Chloë Sevigny, Joshua Lucas, Guinevere Turner, Matt Ross, William Sage
Director: Mary Harron
Director: Mary Harron
Screenwriter: Mary Harron, Guinevere Turner
Producer: Edward R. Pressman, Christian Halsey Solomon, Chris Hanley, Ron Rotholz
Composer: John Cale
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Reviews for American Psycho
American Pyscho is one of those films that makes you laugh uncomfortably throughout and you just walk away feeling disgusted. The flick is definitely an underrated masterpiece.
One can picture Kubrick handling this material with a similar elegant malevolence.
It's a highly entertaining movie with enough edgy humor to prickle our senses.
Mary Harron and Christian Bale create an almost magical balance between the tragic and comic elements of this story.
American Psycho connects strongly in the moment, and has proven memorable over time, for the vivid impressions it makes in tone as well as look, its potent blends of sound and image, its unusual if erratic points of entry into potentially stock cha
The problem, again, is the book, an insurmountable obstacle. If Harron and Turner had set out to make a real movie on these themes, they would never have started from a script like this.
At once a sharp satire and an earnest study in the deadly consequences of moral vacancy.
Latest News for American Psycho
September 24, 2008:
American Psycho Stage Musical in Development ![]()
Hey, if a "Spider-Man" stage musical can get off the ground, why not a Broadway show based on Bret Easton Ellis' "American Psycho"? More...
January 30, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: The Notorious Bettie Page
One of the most well-received narrative flicks at last year's Toronto Film Festival was "The Notorious Bettie Page," which comes from the writing/directing team behind... More...
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