Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by burkaman on Thursday May 03, 2018 @01:27PM
(#16987895)
Aside from Patrick Bateman committing gratuitous murders on screen, the major difference is that he hates his life and he never looks like he's having fun.
Jordan Belfort might be doing terrible things (although not as bad as serial murder), but he looks and acts like he loves every minute of it. Bateman doesn't.
You could also compare The Hangover and Leaving Las Vegas. One makes a drug-filled weekend in Vegas look sort of fun, and one does not.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by gowld on Thursday May 03, 2018 @06:30PM
(#16990611)
This a great film genre: juxtaposed double-headers.
Any other pairings to recommend?
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by burkaman on Friday May 04, 2018 @11:39AM
(#16995403)
Hard to think of good examples. Bad Lieutenant and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans are very different takes on the same theme.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by DarkTree on Thursday May 03, 2018 @02:44PM
(#16988631)
You're super hopeful if you think people don't idolize Patrick Bateman, but they do. People don't see the story, they see a young, good-looking Christian Bale with a powerful suit on walking the streets of NYC with headphones on. People want that image, and the message is lost or separated entirely.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by duderific on Thursday May 03, 2018 @01:48PM
(#16988096)
The word "Psycho" has such a blatantly negative connotation, that it's pretty clear that he is not supposed to be a hero.
Also all the murdering.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by mrguyorama on Thursday May 03, 2018 @03:22PM
(#16988992)
Except "edgy" people view some bastardization of nihilism as a cool thing to aspire to. To this end they view Patrick as an ideal character. Powerful (at least more so than Steven nobody), and the psychopath concept intrigues them because it separates a person from their emotions, which for many people seem like an improvement, as not feeling would hurt less.
These films of destructive and unhealthy people are usually aspired to because even when the characters hit their rock bottom, they still have more money, power, control, and agency than the average viewer.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by motohagiography on Thursday May 03, 2018 @01:45PM
(#16988062)
The Bateman character in the film was directed and shot by Mary Harron. See her other work to get an idea of what made him different.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by Frqy3 on Friday May 04, 2018 @10:29AM
(#16994820)
I've heard designers talk about the business card scene in tones of deep respect.
Re:Fake it till you make it: the wolves of Instagram
by Apocryphon on Thursday May 03, 2018 @02:11PM
(#16988297)
Belfort made it look effortless. Bateman made it look hard.
It's easy to come up with a few theories as to what sets it apart, but I would love to see a proper analysis of how it tackles the subject matter without glorifying the lifestyle unnecessarily--and what other films should learn from it if they aim to accomplish the same