Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club is one of those mind f*ck movies much like The Sixth Sense. You can easily find a spoiler on any number of sites. I won't bother here. Once seen, pleasure is derived from watching others watch Fight Club. I conducted this experiment again today. My subject: my father.

As Tyler Durdin, Brad Pitt is everything you want to be. He says the things you think, does the thing you {want} to do, carries himself the way you would {if you didn't think you'd get laughed at hysterically... Tyler is everyone who ever held a thankless job. He is the yang to corporate American worker's yin.

Every aspect of the movie speaks to the viewer. The narrative of Ed Norton's corporate drone, his existence could be a mirror to any of ours and then in steps Durdin. His flashy existential philosophy for the everyman is eye-opening. Dialogue, score, visuals-- it all plays to that crucial moment of self-realization.

Back to the experiment. So, I hoodwinked my father into viewing by saying it's about suburban white males and the elusive world of underground fighting. With a promise of no-holds bar violence, he was in. As the film played, going for the revelation and wham! His eyes go big, his mouth wide... what the?!

It was great. His reaction was perfect. He then begins to analyze scenes, recalling details that should have clued him in, talking things out. It is a good night.