"Fight Club"

[LotsaBadKarma]

While there is a certain amount of violence in this movie, which dominates the first viewing, the more one watches Fight Club the more one becomes privy to the message beneath all the fighting. It's basically a rejection of what we have come (as a society) to consider "values". It doesn't offer any solutions to the problem except on an individual basis. The combatants engage in fights so as to take their minds off the endless bullshit of deadlines, expectations, and appearances. At one point in the movie a new guy asks if he can be the next to fight. He is dressed in a suit and tie and the lead character replies, "OK man, lose the tie". It becomes a sub-society where a business executive exists on an even footing (perhaps even inferior) with the lowliest dude in his mailroom.

I've probably watched this movie 20 times and I still occasionally pick up something new during a viewing, something that I missed or wasn't ready for previously.

I've told people who can't stand the sight of 2 grown men punching each other that if they can get past that part of the movie and hear the message that it can be life changing.

Anyone else seen it? Opinions?

[Boston Rockbury]

While there is a certain amount of violence in this movie, which dominates the first viewing, the more one watches Fight Club the more one becomes privy to the message beneath all the fighting. It's basically a rejection of what we have come (as a society) to consider "values". It doesn't offer any solutions to the problem except on an individual basis. The combatants engage in fights so as to take their minds off the endless bullshit of deadlines, expectations, and appearances. At one point in the movie a new guy asks if he can be the next to fight. He is dressed in a suit and tie and the lead character replies, "OK man, lose the tie". It becomes a sub-society where a business executive exists on an even footing (perhaps even inferior) with the lowliest dude in his mailroom.

I've probably watched this movie 20 times and I still occasionally pick up something new during a viewing, something that I missed or wasn't ready for previously.

I've told people who can't stand the sight of 2 grown men punching each other that if they can get past that part of the movie and hear the message that it can be life changing.

Anyone else seen it? Opinions?

Very interesting - Yes i agree it isn't really about fighting. seemed to me it was a lot about people looking for meaning and something to belong to and in the days befor dudeism I guess fighting was all they had.

[BrotherShamus]

It always seemed to me like they decided on fighting because its such an extreme "hobby", so because they're pretty much all white collar guys, the fight was something totally different from their shitty lives. It would also explain how Tyler came to be, being the personification of that kind of thing. It seemed to present a super nihilist philosophy.

[milnie]

I would say more anarchist than nihilist.  The character played by norton is similar to that played by Jim carrie in me, myself and Irene.  Both have suppressed their natural aggressive responses so much that an alternate personality that embodies all the things they cannot do is formed. In fight club, the discovery at the end is a great plot twist which is questioning the norms of society, the "mans place in the world" if you will. Imdo

[Father Dude]

I occasionally engage in my friend's own personal little "Fight Club". This never goes past just some rough housing and tackling with some holds and a punch or two thrown in. While it's pretty undude once in a while it proves useful to get the shit kicked out of you. It can feel kinda good and at the end you sit on the sidewalk with a beer and talk.

The message of the film though is definitely part of the Nihilist/Anarchist tree of thought. They reject everything and have no love for anything. Say what you want about tenants of the Dude, but at least it's an ethos.

[LotsaBadKarma]

I think that the Nihilist angle does figure into the conversation here. For me, though, the whole concept constitutes a rejection of "polite" societal values. I mean, shit, this is a world where a war monger gets awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace? WTF, man? So this is kind of a poke in the eye to all the people who prattle on and on about how things like MMA competitions are like "human cockfighting" and need to be banned and in the meantime launching billions of dollars worth of weapons of mass destruction into far away lands. So the guys in the movie basically say "fuck it, let's throw some dukes and drink some beers". And the end result is the aforementioned rejection of values which I think, in this case, becomes an ethos in itself with the added benefit of having the volume turned down in the rest of your life after fighting. It seems that this part translates into a kind of re-prioritizing of what's important and what's not in a guttural and visceral world which is the one where it seems we really live. After all, a duvet is a blanket, it's just a blanket.
So, I don't know, maybe the point I'm making is that there is a lot of connection between these two great works of cinematic art, "The Big Lebowski" and "Fight Club" although the Dude probably would never involve himself in an underground fight and Tyler Durden probably doesn't bowl. But on the spiritual, philosophical plane, I just kinda lost my train of thought there. Fuck it.

[Judd Dude]

They definitely aren't pacifists.

[A Dude]

I haven't seen it, because I honestly didn't care to watch a movie about guys beating the shit out of each other, didn't think it might have a deeper message. I have a couple of friends that recommend it but the describe it as just a action movie. Now you all have me interested, I'll check it out.