"Fight Club"

www.iSteve.com/05FebB.htm#fight.club.consumerism.feminism

"Fight Club" -- I finally got around to seeing the 1999 Brad Pitt - Edward Norton fable about underground street fighting clubs that evolve into a anti-consumerist anarchist/militarist movement under Pitt's charismatic leadership. It reminded me of a conversation with one of my sons when he was three and he was going on and on about Batman and Superman. My wife interjected, "But, do Batman and Superman fight, or are they friends?" My toddler gave her his "Silly woman, don't you understand anything about us men?" look and replied, "They are friends and they fight."

"Fight Club " made only $37 million at the box office, but generated wild enthusiasm in the younger and higher IQ male segment. It's currently rated the 38th best movie of all time on IMDB.com, a poll that's dominated by smart younger guys. The comments on IMDB are of the "Best movie ever, changed my life" ilk.

It's exhilarating stuff for awhile, although movies that hypothesize novel revolutionary political movements typically fall apart in the last act because nobody can figure out how to put the genie back in the bottle. Frank Capra said that "Meet John Doe," with Gary Cooper as the half-witting spokesman for a populist, quasi-fascist mass movement manipulated by corporate bigwigs, was the most exciting movie he ever made ... up until the ending, which completely defeated him. I believe they shot five different endings of "Meet John Doe" and weren't satisfied with any. "Fight Club" somewhat successfully distracts attention from this problem by throwing in a whole new psychological wrinkle toward end.

One thing that stood out was a certain lack of honesty about what all these guys who join Pitt's private army are angry at society over. The movie claims they are rebelling against consumerism, but clearly that's just a politically correct placeholder for their anger at the feminization of society. It's not men who are buying all that stuff Pitt complains about.