The Things You Own End Up Owning You
By Austin Johnson
FX was airing Fight Club back when I was in the sixth grade. My older brother and I watched it upstairs together on this TV that had channels 1 through 100. I believe FX was somewhere around channel 73 if I’m not mistaken, and it was an important channel for us, because this was pre-streaming services. FX showed all kinds of stuff, they still do, but back then it was more valuable to show good films on TV, because it wasn’t there for you at will. We definitely weren’t allowed to watch the theatrical version at that time, so the cable version was what we had to roll with. I still thought I was a badass for seeing it though, because I had heard older kids talk about the film like it was a monument of some sort. Fight Club is a title that is surely going to gain the attention of curious youngsters all over the place. It is a title that might lead to a misunderstanding of some sort, as this film is not just about some fight club. This story isn’t just for the bros, it’s a story for all of us who question the actions we take every day.
In August of '96, Chuck Palahniuk released his novel, Fight Club, a 208 page classic. Then, in October of '99, the David Fincher directed film of the same name came out, making right around 100 million dollars at the box office. Jim Uhls wrote a brilliant screenplay, while we got Fincher’s 4th feature length film, and what a lot of people would call his best work. I personally wouldn’t say that, but you’ll have to wait for my Fincher Top 5 to know where I rank it. It’s fascinating to look back at this one, because it didn’t do as well financially as anticipated. After all, David had just directed Se7en, which also starred Brad Pitt and made well over 300 million at the box office in '95. Controversy surrounded the film, thanks to the extreme ways of Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). The morality is hard for some viewers to digest, but when the hell has a film ever pleased everyone?
After I saw Fight Club on FX, I went all in. I had to find the book, had to see more Pitt and Norton, had to tell all my friends, and had to know who performed "Where Is My Mind?" It immediately became a part of my identity, bringing it up in conversation every chance I had. If someone asked what my favorite movie was, I’d proudly say, “Fight Club.” Sixth grade me didn’t really know what the story's true intentions were, but the way Tyler spit his blood up onto Lou caused my jaw to drop. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate things like The Narrator putting a quarter into a payphone after coming home to his apartment in flames. He puts the quarter in to call Durden, who he had just met on a plane. In the next scene, the two are leaving a bar and Durden approaches a payphone right outside the door, and retrieves the quarter because the call never really happened. Or, when The Narrator is beating the shit out of himself in Chesler’s (Zach Grenier) office. He says that it reminds him of the first fight that he and Durden ever had. We see Pitt and Norton duking it out in the parking lot, but in reality, it would’ve looked just like the scene in the office.
Of course our two main stars did their jobs perfectly, but the supporting cast is brilliant. Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) walks straight into traffic, with a cigarette in hand, arguing with The Narrator about how they will divide up the groups they often become tourists at. When you reflect on this after seeing it for the first time, you are astonished by Marla’s patience, as she deals with an insomniac the entire film. The amount of confusion that is brought upon her is kind of torturous, but she remains by The Narrator's side in the final frame. Well, I guess the final frame is that massive penis they put on screen, shouting out to Durden’s antics earlier in the film at his movie theater job. There’s Angel Face (Jared Leto) and The Mechanic (Holt McCallany), both passionate members of Fight Club and Project Mayhem. Then, there’s Bob (Meat Loaf), the big-titted teddy bear, who is part of one of the testicular cancer groups that The Narrator frequents. Later in the film, he joins the fight club that The Narrator and Durden start up. He is a constant that every viewer loves, and his name is Robert Paulson.
When this film comes up, you often hear loud praise about how badass Durden is and how we should grab life by the balls. Live in the moment! Everyone knows it has way more to offer, but we don’t talk about how radical it truly is. Hell, remember that scene when Durden threatens the convenience store clerk? Takes his ID, points a gun in his face, and demands he start chasing his dreams of becoming a vet. That’s the kind of action this maniac takes leading up to his master work, Project Mayhem, which involves absolute destruction. Big corporations aren’t safe in Durden’s world, as he believes they are a huge problem in our society. Norton and Pitt also have issues with some big corps. They insisted on doing a scene of them two trashing a beetle, because they both hated the fact that a major car company was re hashing a car from their youth to make money. What was once a hippie symbol in the 60’s, is now sold at expensive prices because of that symbolism. Fincher placed a Starbucks cup in every shot, laying it on heavy that we are run by these places.
Fight Club has become something like a voice for anti-consumerism and minimalism, which Palahniuk meant to do all along. The film helped raise attention for the book, and he has said that Fincher took it, and enhanced it. I can’t argue with that at all, as every actor became their character. The effort put in by Ren Klyce and Richard Hymns got the film an Oscar nod for Best Sound Editing. It is ranked as the 10th best film of all time on IMDb, which is a source that everyone uses if they need to know something about a film. I hope it gets a more mature reputation as time goes on, as it will always be around for us to watch. It’s one of those that you just got to own on DVD or Blu-Ray. It will hit its 20-year anniversary in October of this year, and will continue to reach new viewers for decades to come. Fincher makes 1999 a standout year, because a story like Fight Club being put onto the big screen with his talent will make any year a standout.
In August of '96, Chuck Palahniuk released his novel, Fight Club, a 208 page classic. Then, in October of '99, the David Fincher directed film of the same name came out, making right around 100 million dollars at the box office. Jim Uhls wrote a brilliant screenplay, while we got Fincher’s 4th feature length film, and what a lot of people would call his best work. I personally wouldn’t say that, but you’ll have to wait for my Fincher Top 5 to know where I rank it. It’s fascinating to look back at this one, because it didn’t do as well financially as anticipated. After all, David had just directed Se7en, which also starred Brad Pitt and made well over 300 million at the box office in '95. Controversy surrounded the film, thanks to the extreme ways of Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). The morality is hard for some viewers to digest, but when the hell has a film ever pleased everyone?
After I saw Fight Club on FX, I went all in. I had to find the book, had to see more Pitt and Norton, had to tell all my friends, and had to know who performed "Where Is My Mind?" It immediately became a part of my identity, bringing it up in conversation every chance I had. If someone asked what my favorite movie was, I’d proudly say, “Fight Club.” Sixth grade me didn’t really know what the story's true intentions were, but the way Tyler spit his blood up onto Lou caused my jaw to drop. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate things like The Narrator putting a quarter into a payphone after coming home to his apartment in flames. He puts the quarter in to call Durden, who he had just met on a plane. In the next scene, the two are leaving a bar and Durden approaches a payphone right outside the door, and retrieves the quarter because the call never really happened. Or, when The Narrator is beating the shit out of himself in Chesler’s (Zach Grenier) office. He says that it reminds him of the first fight that he and Durden ever had. We see Pitt and Norton duking it out in the parking lot, but in reality, it would’ve looked just like the scene in the office.
Of course our two main stars did their jobs perfectly, but the supporting cast is brilliant. Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) walks straight into traffic, with a cigarette in hand, arguing with The Narrator about how they will divide up the groups they often become tourists at. When you reflect on this after seeing it for the first time, you are astonished by Marla’s patience, as she deals with an insomniac the entire film. The amount of confusion that is brought upon her is kind of torturous, but she remains by The Narrator's side in the final frame. Well, I guess the final frame is that massive penis they put on screen, shouting out to Durden’s antics earlier in the film at his movie theater job. There’s Angel Face (Jared Leto) and The Mechanic (Holt McCallany), both passionate members of Fight Club and Project Mayhem. Then, there’s Bob (Meat Loaf), the big-titted teddy bear, who is part of one of the testicular cancer groups that The Narrator frequents. Later in the film, he joins the fight club that The Narrator and Durden start up. He is a constant that every viewer loves, and his name is Robert Paulson.
When this film comes up, you often hear loud praise about how badass Durden is and how we should grab life by the balls. Live in the moment! Everyone knows it has way more to offer, but we don’t talk about how radical it truly is. Hell, remember that scene when Durden threatens the convenience store clerk? Takes his ID, points a gun in his face, and demands he start chasing his dreams of becoming a vet. That’s the kind of action this maniac takes leading up to his master work, Project Mayhem, which involves absolute destruction. Big corporations aren’t safe in Durden’s world, as he believes they are a huge problem in our society. Norton and Pitt also have issues with some big corps. They insisted on doing a scene of them two trashing a beetle, because they both hated the fact that a major car company was re hashing a car from their youth to make money. What was once a hippie symbol in the 60’s, is now sold at expensive prices because of that symbolism. Fincher placed a Starbucks cup in every shot, laying it on heavy that we are run by these places.
Fight Club has become something like a voice for anti-consumerism and minimalism, which Palahniuk meant to do all along. The film helped raise attention for the book, and he has said that Fincher took it, and enhanced it. I can’t argue with that at all, as every actor became their character. The effort put in by Ren Klyce and Richard Hymns got the film an Oscar nod for Best Sound Editing. It is ranked as the 10th best film of all time on IMDb, which is a source that everyone uses if they need to know something about a film. I hope it gets a more mature reputation as time goes on, as it will always be around for us to watch. It’s one of those that you just got to own on DVD or Blu-Ray. It will hit its 20-year anniversary in October of this year, and will continue to reach new viewers for decades to come. Fincher makes 1999 a standout year, because a story like Fight Club being put onto the big screen with his talent will make any year a standout.