July 19, 2021
'Fight Club'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan break the first rule of Fight Club after rewatching David Fincher's 1999 classic 'Fight Club' starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Cast
Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden
Edward Norton as The Narrator
Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer
Meat Loaf as Robert 'Bob' Paulson
Jared Leto as Angel Face
Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: Jim Uhls
Notes
- $63 million budget, made $101.2 million worldwide but only $37 million domestic – considered a disaster at the time.
- Brad Pitt was paid $17.5 million; Ed Norton $2.5 million.
- Sold 6 million DVDs in its first decade; Entertainment Weekly (2001) ranked it #1 on its '50 Essential DVDs' list.
- Columbine (April 1999) caused the studio to delay the release; Woodstock 99 also happened in the interim.
- Venice Film Festival premiere got booed. Pitt turned to Norton and said 'That's the best movie I'm ever going to be in.'
- Rosie O'Donnell spoiled the twist on her talk show – Brad Pitt called it 'unforgivable' on the DVD commentary.
- Pitt voluntarily had pieces of his front teeth chipped off so Tyler wouldn't have perfect teeth.
- Meat Loaf wore a 90-pound fat harness and eight-inch lifts.
- Helena Bonham Carter's line 'I haven't been fucked like that since grade school' replaced the original 'I want to have your abortion' after a deal Fincher made with Fox exec Laura Ziskin.
- Fincher wanted Radiohead to score the film; the Dust Brothers ended up doing it.
- Norton worked 129 days on the film.
- Norton was also up for 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' and Man on the Moon – interesting alternate universe where Damon does 'Fight Club'.
- The New York Times later called it 'the defining cult movie of our time.'
- Only Oscar nomination: Best Sound Editing. Hosts argue Norton deserved Best Actor and Pitt Best Supporting Actor nods.
- Chuck Palahniuk's novel was optioned for $10,000 by Laura Ziskin of Fox 2000 Pictures.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“A thrill ride masquerading as philosophy – the kind of movie where you admire the technique but wonder what the point is.”
Later acknowledged the film was 'beloved by most, not by me.'
Most re-watchable scene
- Chris: the bar scene and first fight outside the bar.
- Bill: Tyler's speech to fight club, the Lou cameo, and the 'starting a fight with a stranger' montage.
- Also discussed: the opening insomnia/IKEA sequence, 'things you own end up owning you,' the car accident scene, the hotel room reveal that the Narrator is Tyler, and the Pixies ending.
What aged the best?
- The twist/clues hidden throughout the film (27 instances of hints).
- The DVD and its commentary – the defining DVD of its era.
- The iconic shirtless Brad Pitt image/poster.
- 'When people think you're dying they really really listen to you.'
- The group therapy sequences.
- What the movie means to the Fincher universe and his timing.
- Helena Bonham Carter's lines – 'a condom is the glass slipper of our generation.'
- 'Fight Club' rules. IKEA's role in the film. The Pixies ending.
What aged the worst?
- The twist is now widely known – new viewers don't get the 'oh my god' moment.
- The self-fighting scenes don't totally work visually.
- The movie satirizes things that people in 2021 would be terrified to satirize.
- Project Mayhem stuff feels creepy post-January 6th.
- The Jared Leto beating scene is tough to watch.
- 15 minutes too long.
Casting what-ifs
- Matt Damon was considered – studio wanted Damon or Sean Penn. Interesting swap with 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'.
- Russell Crowe was wanted by one producer.
- Janeane Garofalo was Fincher's first choice for Marla – Norton nixed her.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar couldn't do it (Buffy). Reese Witherspoon was pushed by the studio.
- Courtney Love was considered but was dating Norton. Winona Ryder mentioned.
- David O. Russell was approached to direct but declined.
Best "that guy"
- The Narrator's boss, played by Zach Grenier.
- Also: Holt McCallany as one of Tyler's right-hand men.
Over-acting award
- Helena Bonham Carter.
- Also Lou (the bar owner) – 'came from the fucking set of 'Goodfellas'.'
Re-casting couch
- Reese Witherspoon as Marla – both hosts love this idea; she would have been nominated for an Oscar.
- Angelina Jolie as Marla also discussed.
Half-assed (internet) research
- Pitt had his teeth chipped; Meat Loaf wore a 90-pound fat harness and 8-inch lifts.
- The 'I haven't been fucked like that since grade school' line origin story.
- Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter spent 3 days recording orgasm sounds.
- Norton worked 129 days. Fincher told Norton to really hit Pitt in the ear.
- Starbucks allowed product placement but not destruction of their shop.
- Pitt paid $17.5M vs. Norton's $2.5M.
Apex Mountain
- Brad Pitt – no (movie wasn't successful enough at the time).
- Ed Norton – yes (caps his incredible 6-movie run).
- Fincher – no (still Social Network).
- Helena Bonham Carter – yes.
- IKEA – yes.
- The Pixies – no (but close).
- Movie twists (1999) – big year with 'Fight Club', Sixth Sense, Blair Witch.
Picking nits
- There should be much more facial damage from fight club participation.
- Tyler's face damage doesn't match the Narrator's face damage.
- Marla stays with a dissociative maniac way too long.
- Police should have shut down the house of domestic terrorists (but cops were in the fight clubs).
(Probably) unanswerable questions
- What is the Narrator's name? (It's Jack, per the screenplay and DVD commentary.)
- Did this movie create the anti-hero? (No – anti-heroes go back much further.)
- Wouldn't MMA training have quickly ruined fight club?
- Did Reddit and Twitter replace 'Fight Club'?
- The Trump/Tyler Durden cult of personality parallel.
What memorabilia would you want (or not want!) from the movie?
- Chris: the soap. Also the printed-out fight club rules.
- Bill: the disinformation/mischief boxes. Also Brad Pitt's leather jacket.
Who won the movie?
Brad Pitt – both hosts agree. Every time Pitt is on screen the movie jumps up five notches. Norton is the bronze medalist.