The content of the movie created a good deal of controversy because of the explicit sex and violence scenes. Bret easton ellis made the choice to seamlessly integrate that fantasy with the real events of patricks life so that the reader has to figure out where the fantasy ends and reality begins. Whats the difference between american psycho the book and american psycho the movie. Its also a story about a callous murderer, with several gruesome killings shown, and lots of blood, as well as shots of severed heads and body parts. Before we can talk about the ending of american psycho, we need to get one thing straight. The american psycho ending has confounded viewers of the film for 20. American psycho, vintage books, new york 1991, isbn 0679735771. I was a big fan of the book despite the above and there were plenty of interviews with harron at the time where she said patrick was a killer and it wasnt a comedic satire of serial killer movies though it has many touches of absurdity. The book is bar none the most fucked up thing ive ever read. This is the first book of this style of writing i have ever read or listened to and so unfortunately i am unable to compare it to anything. American psycho book new paperback by bret easton ellis see more like this. A girl is taking a trip with her boyfriend to meet his parents and is thinking about ending their relationship.
A novel and a movie always differ, theyre very different media. Ellis explained that the book was really about the dandification of the american male. In germany the book was deemed harmful to minors and had numerous sales restrictions placed on it between 19952000. Is patrick bateman actually a serial killer who murdered tons of people, or is he just a loon who imagined the whole thing. The movie, american psycho, is taken from the book of the same name that is written by bret easton ellis. Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst. The book ends as it began, with bateman and his colleagues at a new club on a friday night, engaging in banal conversation. A big difference in my opinion is that a book lends itself. American psycho writers break down the films ending. When american psycho became a bestseller, the new york times announced that it would be removing it from its bestseller lists because of the books content. Patrick is in some joint with his male colleagues not friends for drinks and they talk like so many times troughout the book. But guinevere turner, who cowrote the film with director mary. What i consider the ending of american psycho is the point in the film when our unlikely protagonists world starts falling apart, quite literally, and like in nolans inception, the highly fragile dream world that patrick bateman played by a devilishly feisty christian bale built begins collapsing. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is graffitied across the side of a bank in bloodred paint.
Ellis is an american dickens, holding a mirror up to the face of america and daring us to look deep into its depths. American psycho might have seemed like a straightforward film about a psychotic. Before we can talk about the ending of american psycho, we need to get one thing. Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a long time. What the fuck does the end of american psycho mean. A book usually doesnt fit into a movie, for example. If youve seen the movie, your insides have surely coiled in revolt from patrick batemans violent and outlandish murders. American psycho begins with a quote from dantes inferno. Freeman and stars mila kunis as rachael newman, a driven criminology student who is drawn to murder. Much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about. American psycho screenwriter on patrick batemans legacy and that controversial ending. The one line in american psycho that will completely. Bateman, who relays the action of the novel, as well as his innermost thoughts. In many ways the text of american psycho is one mans ultimate series of selfies.
I thought it was kinda odd, since my theory isnt very. To have the american psycho explained, one must know the plot first. The story is set in new york amongst the 1980s wall street boom. Tunnel was a real club which closed in 2001, and did feature an actual tunnel as part of its interior. American psycho isnt for the faint of heart or the squeamish. Although several national bookstore chains and numerous booksellers around the world refused to sell the book, more than 100,000 copies were sold in the u. Months before inception, shutter island delivered an ambiguous ending that haunts 10 years later.
No book has caused more controversy since its publication than american psycho by brett easton ellis. The ending of american psycho finally explained youtube. Set in manhattan during the wall street boom of the late 1980s, american psycho follows the life of wealthy young investment banker patrick. Told in the first person, american psycho shocked the world when it was first published in 1991, thanks in large part to its explicit dialogue. Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic books. Parents need to know that american psycho is based on bret easton elliss controversial 1991 novel, which is set in the 1980s and deals with materialism, narcissism, and the amassing of great wealth to be spent on personal pleasure. To me and mary, the book left it up in the air, too, what was real and.
She hated it so much that she violently tore it apart. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Is patrick bateman in american psycho actually a serial. I keep hoping for one of his books to grab ahold of me. This summary of american psycho includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. The reader is introduced to the novels narrator, patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street investment banker. Patrick, a 26yearold mergers and acquisitions turk, has a bottomless expense account, a society fiancee reese witherspoon, and. The ending of american psycho can be viewed one of two ways, both acknowledged by the author as potentially correct. My reading of american psycho is that most of what happens in the book is patricks fantasy. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan businessman.
Directed by mary harron and starring christian bale in a breakout performance, both. As film adaptations of books go, the movie american psycho released in 2000 is fairly spoton. The sign seen at the end of the book simply reads this is not an exit. When i was younger i thought it held merit of some kind, but since learning the author is a gross idiot ive decided that the book doesnt exist and the movie directed by a woman is the only american psycho ill ever need. American psycho 2 also known as american psycho ii. The novelists function is to keep a running tag on the progress of culture.
American psycho by bret easton ellis, signed abebooks. Hunter, american psycho is largely a critique of the shallow and vicious aspects of capitalism. Beneath its very thin veneer of thematic posturing american psycho is pure trash, as scummy and mean as anything it depicts. Like the bret easton ellis novel that inspired it, the film leaves open the possibility that patrick bateman didnt really kill all those people. A woman hating psychopath with incredibly sadistic urges. American psycho ending explained by its writers mary. In the end, it could be a guy who cleans windows fantasizing about the whole life he could have had. The ending of american psycho finally explained looper. Patrick bateman christian bale the ending of american psycho 2000 is a classic piece of ambiguity. I was so disappointed in that book that i gave it to the library for their friends sale. No matter which way you spin it, the things going on in his.
I was disappointed with imperial bedrooms and bought the first edition not waiting for the paperback. He descends from one horrific act to the next in a never ending spiral of violence and death. American psycho, bret easton ellis american psycho is a novel, by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. American psycho is one of the most banned books of all time, for good reason. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. Elliss iconic book about 1980s consumerist culture and masculinity was published in 1991. In american psycho, ellis attains the rank of a master satirist, viciously skewering a culture that reduces life to power lunches, armani suits, personal hygiene, and video stores.
Earlier in the novel patrick and his other mergers and acquisitions friends go to a club in nyc called tunnel. American psycho is often regarded as the first truly exceptional horror movie of the 21st century. It seems 20 years of speculation was enough for american psychos cowriters, mary harron and guinevere turner. So extreme were a few of the scenes in the book, they dont even appear in the movie.
The misogyny, racism and increasing brutality become increasingly disturbing as the book. In american psycho, bret easton ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. A colleague told me that after she finished reading american psycho she ripped the book up. American psycho ist ein roman des usamerikanischen autors bret easton ellis. The novel is considered as being blochs most enduring work and one of the most influential horror books of the 20th century. Its concluding 150 pages can only be described as repulsive, a bloodbath serving no purpose save that of morbidity, titillation and sensation. Nothing is ever said about what happened to the bodies, but it suggests that the agent knew what happened and probably suspects that bateman was the one who killed them. The modern classic, the basis of a broadway musical, and major motion picture from lions gate films starring christian bale, chloe sevigny, jared leto, and reese witherspoon, and directed by mary harron. There were times during the most obscene scenes of torture, rape and murder that i understood her need to wipe it out. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. Bret easton ellis contemplates american psycho sequel. Differences between american psycho book vs movie page 1. Bret easton ellis is a very, very good writer and american psycho is a beautifully controlled, careful, important novel. Psycho is a 1959 thriller novel by american writer robert bloch.
Its an indictment of a society that values economic prosperity over any sort of. What other book might you compare american psycho to, and why. American psycho by ellis, bret easton book the fast free shipping see more like this. I am aware though that this was a popular style of writing within this era. Ive been known to be both a picky reader and a finicky film critic, and even i think the movie version of bret easton ellis novel, published in 1991, is faithful to the text its based on. In australia, the book must be sold shrink wrapped and can not be sold to those under the age of 18. The novel tells the story of norman bates, caretaker at an isolated motel who struggles under his domineering mother and becomes embroiled in a series of murders.
The american psycho ending has confounded viewers of the film for 20 years. When published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women. How does the movie american psycho differ from the book. It was really about what is going on with men now, in terms of surface narcissism. In the end, even when there is a literal mountain of evidence against him, no one recognizes patrick bateman, even for what he truly is a psycho. The bret easton ellis novel american psycho, a dark, violent satire of the me culture of ronald reagans 1980s, is certainly one of the most controversial books of. All american girl is a 2002 american black comedy horror film and a standalone sequel to mary harrons 2000 film american psycho. I still think american psycho should be in my top ten books of all time. Because of the above i read into it that the narrative of american psycho is a personal hell for patrick bateman. American psycho ending explained by its writers mary harron. American psycho has been confusing viewers since it was released. American psycho summary from litcharts the creators of.