It has been over a decade since I last saw Fight Club. I was a freshman in college, and since I had never seen the 4’x6′ poster for the film prominently featuring Brad Pitt that was plastered on my dorm wall, we decided to watch it. I remember thinking it was a pretty awesome film; lots of pretty gory fight scenes, interesting filming choices, fantastic acting from Ed Norton and Brad Pitt. We might have watched it several times over that year, because it just seemed to be one of those movies that was so steeped in “manliness” that we were all over the thing. It is one of those films that really had a cultural impact, with a lot of pretty quotable lines, fantastic direction by David Fincher, and it might’ve been the start of the “Brad Pitt’s gotta be shirtless” running joke.
But then, I stepped away from it. I don’t know if I just got tired of the thing, or if I moved on to other things, but it just wasn’t a movie that begged me to watch it again. That might be because at face value, the story itself doesn’t make a lot of sense. Think about it a bit while I do a quick spoiler warning and share the trailer for a 20 year old movie.
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Ok, so I am assuming if you are still reading this, you’ve seen this movie. Let’s think about this thing on a purely story level, knowing what we know about the ending twist. Basically, Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are the same person, and “he” has been traveling around starting little fight club/terrorist cells around the country. The end comes with them making bombs, storing them in the garages below a bunch of banks and credit card companies, bringing them to rubble and wrecking the financial markets. To think about this with an adult brain, you really have to “Yada, yada” some serious plot holes for this to make sense.
First, how can this guy travel around the country without knowing that he has been doing this? “Multiple personalities”, you say. Ok, fine… that’s dumb, but fine. Second, how does a guy beating himself up in a parking lot inspire people to follow him? Seriously, if I saw someone beating themselves to a pulp, I’d probably call the cops. “Just accept it so the plot can happen”. Ok fine… it happened. Again, its quite a yada yada, but fine. So how does Marla not realize this guy is as messed up? “Because SHE is equally messed up!” Yeah, but like… if she is that messed up, should she really be the romantic interest?
Based on the above, you might think that my most recent rewatch of this resulted in me hating the film, but I assure you, that is not the case. Actually, I probably enjoyed this movie more given the added context of living through my 20s. See, the trick to enjoying this movie is realizing that the story isn’t really supposed to make logical sense. Rather, the entire thing is an allegory for coming to terms with your adulthood. Let me expand on this…
Ed Norton plays a late-20s/early-30’s urban professional. Like most in that age range, he desires to be special, yet conforming. He wants to have the life that TV and movies tells him that people his age should pursue. He attempts to find the right furniture, clothes, and attitudes that will fulfill him on a personal level.
But, at the same time, he has insomnia. The insomnia, then, is a realization that something isn’t “right”. Then, he meets “Tyler Durden”. Tyler is everything Ed Norton wishes he could be. So, if Ed Norton plays that restrained part of everyone’s personality, the one that people feel they have to be to fit in, Tyler Durden is that side of him that is pure impulse. Tyler is that personification of that “fuck it” part of ourselves. The type that tells off your boss, that plays little games with people just to screw with them, that actively wants to go get in arguments with one another.
So, Ed Norton begins to give in more and more to Tyler. He starts to live more on impulse than restraint, and people are drawn to him because of it. We can all relate to that in some respect, I think… People are more drawn to authenticity than they are to restraint. Tyler Durden happens to be raw nerve, where Ed Norton is guarded. Tyler is a much more dynamic personality, and he amasses a following, whereas restrained Ed Norton finds that acting more like Tyler has better results.
The Fight Club can be viewed as those late night arguments you get in with your pals; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you almost always learn something about yourself. People look to have authentic debates and arguments, so allowing these to some extent can actually be healthy. In the movie, this is shown by having this Fight Club replace group therapy sessions; it isn’t always healthy to sit around and tell people what they already know. Sometimes it is better to get out and hash out the details with people who think different.
Then we get to the “Project Mayhem”, where the Tyler Durden side of things can go too far. Where Fight Club was a healthy way to make each person stronger, Project Mayhem takes that same medium and morphs it into Tyler’s selfish ambitions. Think of this as that guy who is a blast to hang out with, but at times makes things all about him. It is at this point where Marla becomes purely objectified; at one point, the relationship was a lot of fun for both parties involved, but Tyler’s refusal to take her feelings into account drove her away.
And then, we get to the climax, when Ed Norton realizes he is really Tyler Durden, and Brad Pitt is entirely in his head. Let’s call this “rock bottom”, signifying when most people realize that their lack of restraint can also get them in a lot of trouble. For me, it was waking up in my bed one morning without remembering how I got from a house party 6 miles away back home. Then, over a year later, I found out I wrecked someone’s house and everyone at the party had been laughing at me behind my back ever since. (I don’t drink much anymore.) Ed Norton realizes he has a problem, sends Marla away so he can get things under control, and then figures out how to attack the issue.
I think the ending is the final word on the matter… Brad Pitt holds Ed Norton hostage, until Ed Norton realizes that he ultimately has to take over and “kill” Brad Pitt. I don’t really get the “shot myself in the face to kill my other self” bit, but i think this not making any sense plays more to “allegorical, not narrative” theory on this one. Basically, by accepting that he is Tyler Durden, the Ed Norton character is finally understanding that to be full person, you need that Brad Pitt side, but you need him somewhat restrained. Yes, having that ability to let loose is a powerful asset for a person, but if unrestricted it can cause more problems than it solves.
So yeah, l really like this movie. Watching it in college, I just wanted to go start a fight club, but as an adult I get a lot more out of it. I recommend that if you haven’t seen it in a while, check it out again. It was worth my time, and I bet you will get some new perspective on it as well.
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