AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | Reaction & Commentary 

Crazy this film has the Green Goblin interviewing Batman about the Joker being missing! 😂

One thing no one seems to realize or at least talk about is that all the "opinions" Patrick has (about music, society, etc.) are not his own, they're actually from articles and reviews he reads. That's why they're all so eloquent and deep. Patrick has no sense of self and therefore no actual opinion about anything (at least not positive ones) other than serial killers (the only time he shows genuine emotion is when he talks about Ted Bundy or Ed Gein).

Very nice. Now let’s see Paul Allen’s reaction video.

Inthe 80s, you could rack up some hefty fees if you didn't return your video tapes on time. The realization that they're due in an hour and the rush to return them was very real, making "I need to return some video tapes" a very valid 80s excuse to duck out.

This movie reminds me of the quote "It is no measure of mental well being, to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society".

“Is that a raincoat?” “Yes it is!” 😂

"I have to return some video tapes." is a plausible 1980s excuse. If you returned the tapes late, or un-rewound you could be charged a fine. Depending on the selection, searching for obscure video tapes to rent could lead you to some far flung places, especially in New York City.

we do need these movies. ...where everything isnt foreshadowed into boringness.

The business card scene earned Bale the name "Robo-Actor" from the director, because he could consistently make himself break into a sweat essentially on cue. During that scene, as his character became more agitated in response to being "upstaged" by Paul Allen's business card, Bale somehow managed to perspire at the same point every take.

It is hard to describe why this movie is so great. It is literally insanity personified. And in the end, you don't know if it's real or not.

Fun fact: the scene with business cards was where Christian Bale demonstrated to the film crew the fact that he can sweat heavily just by thinking about it.

Imagine being 25 years old and being THAT talented...

The use of visuals to make Bateman an unreliable narrator is my favorite part of American Psycho, along with the various takes of Willem Dafoe where he does and doesn't suspect Bateman. It's a great satire of materialism, yuppie culture, and the idea of 'psychopath as CEO'.

This is a world of conformity where everyone tries to both simultaneously imitate everyone else, while also, paradoxically, trying to be seen as the best among their peers. This is why, throughout the film, all of the characters are constantly confusing one person for another. They're all vapid and shallow and demonstrate no unique character that make them stand out in a sea of faces. In such a social environment, a true psychopath could easily blend in, because everyone around them is so shallow and myopic in their scope of interest, that someone could commit truly grisly crimes and go completely unnoticed or, at best, have other people actively assist in covering up the crimes out of self-interest. This is why no one in Patrick's apartment complex reacted to the sounds of someone screaming for her life and a chainsaw buzzing in the hallway. They simply don't care. This is also why the woman in Paul Alan's apartment behaved so strangely and told him sternly to leave. She covered up the crime scene so that the property value of the apartment wouldn't go down. Patrick Bateman is not the titular psychopath of the film, the 80's yuppie culture that he exists in is. The film is about him gradually coming to the realization that being a bloodthirsty murderer doesn't make him unique in this world that is filled to the gills with unfeeling monsters. He is just another insignificant, albeit exceedingly privileged, cog in this machine that will endlessly facilitate his most savage impulses, or otherwise overlook them entirely.

The "I gotta return some videotapes" is a reference to the days of Blockbuster Video. If you didn't return your tapes on time you were charged a late fee. It was part of daily life in the 80's.

This is the real 80s. The one you didn’t see in most 80s Hollywood movies. In those movies, Patrick Bateman would have been the hero. This is all done from Patrick’s perspective and at some point you realize he’s not the most reliable historian.

Brett Easton Ellis wrote a satire of yuppie culture in the 80s and the hyper reality that was displayed was meant to convey a general sense of shallowness by all involved. Bale initially was unsure of the role because he said he kept laughing when he read the script. Brett assured him that it was also meant to be seen in a humorous context adding to the general ludicrous nature of Patrick Bateman's life.

You’re the first person I’ve seen actually disturbed by this film. I’m sure you’re not alone. I saw it shortly after it was released on VHS and it’s one of my favorite movies to this day. I took it as a satire on yuppie culture of the 80s as well as a dark comedy. I found Patrick hilarious 🤷‍♀️

This is such an interesting film. It’s more of a character study and a dark comedy. Many people think it’s just a horror movie. The book is amazing as well

The scene where he asks his secretary out to dinner is my favorite. He wears sunglasses because he's trying so hard to "hide" his psychopathy. Deep down he knows his desires are wrong and he wants to hide them so bad. When she gets to his place, he tries so desperately not to act on those desires, and eventually succeeds. It's truly a mentally exhaustive struggle for him to not kill her.

Gotta admit... I *DO* always have the urge to listen to Huey Lewis after this. ... AND THAT'S THE POWER OF LOVE!

This movie is comedy gold. Laughing at rich yuppies just feels so satisfying.

I felt the same way you did the first time I watched this movie. The violence and tension was so shocking that I couldn't really appreciate other aspects of the film. On subsequent viewings, I knew what to expect, so it wasn't as shocking. Which allowed me to recognize and appreciate the brilliant satire, social commentary, and dark absurdist humor.

I like to think of this movie as an analogy for bigger businessmen and how ruthless they are in their ego trips, to the point where as a class they can get away with murder (sometimes literally), but even if someone were to blow the whistle on things it wouldn't matter. I also like the scene where he tells Jean to leave; the movie is sure to let us know how good and innocent (read: pure) Jean is as a person, it feels like the reason Patrick likes her is because she is authentic, but his view of her innocence starts to dim when he realizes she wants to go to Dorsia, or otherwise partake in the shallowness of his culture. I think he tells her to leave because despite being wealthy and seen as high-class, he knows it's poison and doesn't want her to live that kind of life. Or I'm way off idk haha

Weird Al made a sketch with Huey Lewis recreating the scene where Christian Bale murders Jared Leto while talking about Huey Lewis. It was very meta and very hilarious.

Some of the murder scenes in the book were absolutely horrifying! This movie was so tame compared to the book killings.

When she was doing her preview she was explaining "Falling Down " a great must watch movie.

One thing that very few have pointed out is the dichotomy between Bateman's obsessive tinkering to perfect his own body, and the gleeful way he desires to destroy the bodies of others (especially women, but also some men). Also, Bateman's screeds on pop music are his way of controlling a situation. In the book, he orders a Pepsi at a restaurant while his companions all get Cokes, and they roast him a bit for it. Suddenly his narrative switches to a LONG description of a band & their music (like the Huey Lewis scene here). It's just Patrick recontextualizing his "human" personality in order to shut down his embarrassment about the Pepsi.

22:23 - "...that made me so uncomfortable!" The hallmark of great cinema. If you don't unsettle your audience, at the very least once, you're doing it wrong.

I don't believe I've seen a top row on a Reactors channel that's more full of Classics than on this channel at this moment. You're a Real One, Shanelle. 👍✌❤

My interpretation is that none of the murders happened. He is a psychopath trying to ‘fit in’ by mimicking the behaviour he thinks he needs to for inhabiting this superficial world he’s in. I think the movie is him having a psychotic break and losing control of his mind, thinking he’s carrying out his desires externally but it’s all imaginary. At the end he realises he’s not actually done it and there’s slight disappointment because he’s tired and wants to be judged. Even though there is an ambiguous ending I think something does change because his secretary has found his diary and now realises how sick he is.

As weird and a little confusing it may be, I find it to be a bit poetic in some parts when he’s narrating, and there are many theories as to what exactly happened which makes it more interesting

I love how every reactor is always “not the dog” while a person is dying. Maybe not the person.

The film is about the yuppie culture and narcissism. It's about how all of those guys are virtually indistinguishable from one another and it plays on that. Their suits, haircuts, glasses, etc... Notice how they constantly get mistaken for one another too. Like, they're all vice-presidents on their business cards lmao. Anyhow, whether or not Patrick committed all of those murders is up for interpretation. The ending essentially shows that in that type of world nobody cares or people are simply willing to look the other way. It ties back to the beginning where Patrick says he simply is not there, and it's almost like he isn't. He's just another guy floating amongst everybody else. Often unseen or overlooked.

The author of American Psycho also wrote “Less Than Zero” which was turned into an amazing film with Robert Downy Jr and “The Rules of Attraction” which didn’t stick to staying in the 1980’s and unfortunately didn’t live up to the other two films.

Christian Bale was only 25 when filming began in February of 1999, although he had been training for 6 months to get in shape. Also, "I have to return some videotapes" isn't code for anything. Back in the late 80s, blockbuster was how we watched movies, and people would rent video tapes multiple times per week! The problem was, you would pay $2 for a rental, but every day you were late returning it, they charged you another 2 bucks. So Sometimes you spent more renting a movie than it would have cost you to see it in a theater. I remember once I ended up with $36 in late fees for renting Beverley Hills Cop 2 and good Morning Vietnam. I could have taken a date to both movies in the theater for roughly the same price!

11:00 - Yeah, him and Vincent D'Onofrio. You should see D'Onofrio on Full Metal Jacket and Adventures In Babysitting. Now *THAT'S* a remarkable transformation.

If I'm repeating anyone, apologies. Essentially, it's Wall Street meets Psycho, Gordon Gecko meets Norman Bates. It's a commentary on the decade's conservatism, greed, and commercialism represented by the yuppies in the movie. Even professionals outside that world and observant people whose specific job is to reign criminal excess in still find ways to overlook and/or excuse the bullshit. From all of that, I've always taken the meaning of the movie to be that maybe all, some or none of the events happened, but it doesn't matter. We were heading down a road where more powerful people were finding it easier to be shitty in real damaging ways. So, maybe it's not a serial killer, but it might actually be worse. Or that's not anything, who the hell knows what anything is.😅 Also, maybe don't watch Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

This is my take: The movie is at its core -- merely a satire. The world that Patrick Bateman exists in is one where everyone is so self-absorbed that they don't even remember the names of their closest friends. It is in some ways, just a kind of an Orwellian fictional nightmare scenario where everyone has become full-blown sociopaths. But they play it for laughs, all while showing the disturbing reality of such a world. While there are obviously some things that are all in Bateman's head (blowing up a police car with a gun and seeing "feed me a stray cat") -- much of his killing is really happening. He's getting away with it all because no one really cares.

Huey Lewis and Weird Al did a Spoof on that very scene where Bale kills Leto, its on youtube its great when actors/ singers acknowledge and go along with the gag

At 6:25, all their cards have "Mergers & Aquisitions" spelled wrong. I don't know if it's a easter Egg, or if it's because no one does any real work, and therefore wouldn't know how to spell it anyways... ROFLMAO At 9:12, Now that you've seen this iconic scene, I really want you to react to the Weird All Yankovich Music video he did with Huey Lewis to promote the aniversary of their album. It's really funny. Finally, No. Patrick is not crazy. He really did kill all those people. I ALWAYS believed it was all real. Because it's based on a book. And in the book it was. In the book they explain it more. But basically his father learns the truth & simply pays off the Land Lord to cover everything up. She repaints so as to not lose money on the apartment. The running gag is that no one can tell anyone apart so the lawyer thinks he had lunch with Paul Allen because he mistook someone else for Paul.

Mary Harron - "One thing I think is a failure on my part is people keep coming out of the film thinking that it’s all a dream, and I never intended that. All I wanted was to be ambiguous in the way that the book was. I think it’s a failure of mine in the final scene because I just got the emphasis wrong. I should have left it more open ended. It makes it look like it was all in his head, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s not.”

Shan, when you said you were ready for this at the beginning - I was like, ummm...girl, you sure?

If you want to see Christian Bale transform himself, watch The Machinist. It's the role that nearly broke him.

It was directed by a woman, and written by two women as well.

You kids will never understand the imperative duty of returning VHS rentals in the 1980's

Hands down my favorite comedy of all time

great film, when people ask where i am going or why im leaving i say " i need to return some video tapes" ... sometimes, believe the directors said the ending did actually happen . "won't be prosecuted for his crimes based on his affluence and high-society station"

Brilliant film technique and brilliant acting. This caused quite the stir here in Toronto when they were shooting, and much more once it was released. I loved the book so i had to see it. Stunning madness.

The time period was obvious, but maybe not even to someone in her 30s. Even though whatever you read stated the movie was set in 1987, Patrick said he was listening to the new Robert Palmer album while "Simply Irresistible" played, which was released in 1988. The detective had a "new" Huey Lewis and the News CD, although it was new in 1986. Reagan's speech at the end was from 1987. In the book, Patrick ran into Tom Cruise in the elevator and complimented him on the summer 1988 movie "Cocktail." There were not enough references to the time period simply because brands did not give their permission. I guess it was easier to know for those of us alive then.

There are so many great little details that connect together in this film. For example, when Patrick first meets with the detective, the detective says someone claims to have seen Paul Allen at a restaurant in London. But after following up, the detective determined that it was a case of mistaken identity. This, of course, casts doubt on the lawyer's claim at the end of the film that he had dinner with Paul Allen in London.

Mary Harron directed this film brilliantly!!! Christian Bale nailed the novel’s macabre/ satirical tone 💯🎬😈🪓

Another reading of the movie fits well I believe: Even if Patrick Bateman, as stand in for many yuppies or business suits did not kill explicitly these people, their business usually comes at the cost of other peoples lives, getting low wages or fired has them end up in homelessness or prostitution. Patrick Bateman then sees lower class people with disgust, and only his lifestyle matters to him.

Great reaction! I’ve been on a binge lately watching a ton of reactions to this movie, and you’re the first I’ve seen catch the “Cliff Huxtable” reference 😂 An interesting note about the scene where he kills Jared Leto with the axe, the director actually didn’t tell Jared that was going to happen, and it wasn’t in his copy of the script, so Jared was genuinely shocked when he saw Christian Bale coming at him with an axe lol

One thing I really love in the book that doesn't get used as much in the movie is how Patrick identifies every piece of clothing that a character is wearing when they appear in the narrative. It really helps push the whole idea that no one knows anyone's face, they're all just names and suits to each other, and of course it further emphasizes the consumer culture that defines the 80s. The book was also Brett Easton Ellis's way of coming to grips with how much he had lost his humanity and identity as a part of this yuppie culture. I'd honestly recommend reading the book because it is ultimately a different experience being stuck in Bateman's head

It’s funny I saw him in Empire of the sun then next time was this movie and remember thinking wow that’s that kid! Thanks Shanelle!

The point of his monologue at the end is that he isn't really getting away with it. He exists in hell, totally alone, surrounded only by surfaces he can never connect with or avoid being tortured by. He is totally disposable and forgettable to all of his "friends," we see no evidence of family other than a passing remark by Evelyn, and he admits in the end that he wants nothing good for anyone, ever. Those around him close ranks on his horrors to protect themselves from embarrassment or financial loss. As far as they're concerned, neither he nor anything he did has ever existed. But it exists anyway, so the horror is about nihilism.

I always wanted to see your reaction to Requiem for a Dream.. it's one of the best films of the 2000s.. but after watching your reaction to this film I don't think you'd be able to handle it.. they're completely different films, but if you thought this was hard to watch then I can't imagine how hard Requiem for a Dream would be for you.. it's a masterpiece and has masterclass filmmaking and acting.. I still highly recommend it and it'll also get views, it always does.. it's a film that everyone should see at least once..

A brilliant satire on the 80’s NY culture. That scene in the apt at the end, that’s literally the real estate market in NYC - to this day, gotta find those apartments! Thanks for getting through this, totally agree with you at the end there - I think in this culture here it CAN happen, and probably all did (cept for the atm+ sequence) . If this was too much for you stay away from the book - that’s x10 more disturbing, great satire but boy, hard to stomach a lot of it.

This was set in the 80s. Returning some video tapes is a good excuse to leave. Everyone could relate

By the end, we are the crazy ones. Not knowing what's real and what isn't is the idea. This movie puts you in the position of not being sure, of being confused and uncomfortable. And it does it incredibly well.

A lot of people praise this movie for having an ambiguous ending, but I always felt it gets that more from being rushed than intentional. It's too difficult to compress this book into a film. This is a story that would be better suited to a mini-series from a major streaming service like HBO.

Bateman definitely killed those people, it's not all in his head. The lawyer at the end isn't reliable because he didn't even recognize Bateman. Jared Leto is definitely Paul Allen because we saw his business card, and we know he's dead because we watch Bateman stove his head in with an axe. In fact, going by the business cards, we see that Batemen doesn't get anyone's names wrong even once. We also know that he recognizes the lawyer correctly at the end because he goes up to him and it's the guy he thought it was (ie who has the voicemail). Of all the people in the movie, Bateman is the most reliable when it comes to names and faces. Also, the bit with Paul Allen's apartment being cleaned - it's because the realtor didn't want the value to be hurt by the murders, so it was covered up.

Yeeeeesssss!!! This is my favorite Christian Bale role. Then Empire of the Sun and The Prestige. The monolog at the end when he is going nuts is AMAZING. it reminds me of the end of Rambo. I used to watch this while tripping on DXM. It's rad.

here's a take that I think explains a lot - 'american psycho' is ambiguous, There are psychopaths and psychotics - where psychopaths have no deep emotions, use other people as tools, etc, and psychotics which don't have a grasp on reality because their brain plays tricks, hallucinates and otherwise drives the person experiencing it to do more and more erratic things. Patric Bateman is both. His psychosis is fighting with his psychopathy throughout the whole movie, to the point where he makes that phone call to confess (psychotic batemen) but the society he lives in is so psychopathic that others in the society don't want to hear it. And he ultimately obtains his goal of 'fitting in' because his psychopathic side wins and he continues on with his killing spree with no one caring.

I simply do not understand how somebody can watch this entire movie and be surprised that it took place in the 1980s. There are just so many context clues ... and at one point they literally show the year.

You're the only reactor I noticed who caught the "Cliff Huxtable" line

When filming this, they had intended to film at the dorsia but it's so exclusive they couldn't get a reservation

Your reaction is quite interesting. Most people laugh because they find the absurdity funny, but you had a very straight emotional reaction to it.

"Don't just stare at it, react to it!"

This is one of the best comedies of all time wtf

The book is much more clear that all of it happened. The book was way more brutal than the movie. American Psycho wasn't just one psycho... It was all of them in general were American Psychos and were all the same people. It shows not just how certain people get away with murder but how they treat others.

The first interview between the detective and Bateman was filmed two times. One with suspicion and one without suspicion. They cut the two interviews together and it is really confusing to see both attitudes in the same scene.

7:27 I don't know who's the psycho, him or you guys! All you guys worry about fricking dog, while a human was stabbed to death.

“That’s bone” … one of the many great lines

Shanelle, if you found this film difficult to watch, do not read the book....this is tame compared to the mental pictures you will have.

This is one of my fav films and a few years ago i noticed something the Business Card Scene the cards ALL have the same Spelling error, they are so focused on the LOOKS of the cards they dont notice the spelling error.

You need to watch the music videos from ice nine kills called hip to be scared. Its all about this movie and us amazing. Its chaotic and melodically awesome and really encapsulats the movie.

The main character of The Rules of Attraction is Patrick’s brother in the books

The business card is scene eminently quotable and memable and is a pissing contest in the microcosm of that company. An expert in typefaces analyzed it and said all the font names were meaninglessness.

12:29 - Oh yeah! I SO knew you'd wear that look on your face at this point! 😂

This is one of the best film adaptations of a book in cinema history. My favorite Bret Easton Ellis movie adaption though is "The Rules of Attraction" which features Patrick Bateman's' younger brother in college. And its written and directed by one of the writers of Pulp Fiction." I would definitely recommend checking that one out when you get the chance.

It completely threw me that you’re genuinely disturbed by this film lol I’m so used to laughing during this one. It’s very much satire so it’s interesting to see this kind of reaction. This is one of my absolute favorite movies so I was very excited you did this one!

Great, great episode. Awesome reaction. My favorite line is during his breakup scene with Reese Witherspoon in the restaurant. "I'm sorry but you just aren't important to me."

In The Rules of Attraction James Van der Beek plays Patrick's younger brother, Sean Bateman, at college.

I'm with you, Shanelle. The acting may be great, the directing might be well done, but it's a movie I have absolutely no interest in. And the harder anyone tries to convince me how "great" it is, the less I want to have anything to do with them.

If you want some easier fare that’s more your speed try: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Oscar (1991), Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

I cannot emphasize enough how huge the novel was when it came out. Violent satire that was a massive bestseller and as controversial as they come. As others said, the film pales in comparison to the novel, but it's grown on me over the years. Now I absolutely love it. And yes, that 1987 Zagat guide was a new one. It's the 80's, baby.

The writer of this book also created another work that has Bateman's younger brother, who is also a little type A and borderline delta wolf. The movie is called the Rules of Attraction, with James Van Der Beek playing Bateman, and he's really good. You'd like it

So this movie is actually a satire. As a woman, I still find it hilarious…and I personally think it’s in his head. He’s a big movie fan but pretty much a loser so he recreates “movies” with him as the star: porn, action, horror. That notebook his secretary found wasn’t of things he did but things he imagined he did. This is a constant debate though among fans and even the author of the book! But I’m sticking with my theory that he never killed anybody 😊

7:06 - I know right! I could watch that scene over and over on a loop.

This movie is a critique of capitalism. Specifically the idea of Reaganism, it’s important to know about politics when doing media analysis.

i never understand the stance of ‘necessary’ material in film, whether it’s thinking there is ‘too much’ sex/violence/drugs etc, nothing that occurs in a film is really ‘necessary’ at all, not even film itself. shying away from disturbing subject matter and pretending it doesn’t exist won’t make it go away.

Bari Weiss is watching American Psycho.

Watched this in high school. Loved it. Laugh riot. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return some video tapes. Then 8:30 res at Dorsia -- EXCELLENT sea urchin ceviche.

My idea is that if there isn't a drawing in his book, then it happened.

"No one knows anyone, they don't even just pretend." -Bowie "I'm Afraid of Americans"

Was a preview of what to expect from a long line of stellar performances by Bale. Look for HARSH TIMES, a sleeper with arguably the BEST Bale performance ever....

I took a huge break from thriller and horror after seeing this in the theaters I totally get it❤

This is one I'm sure I've seen at least once but have no memory of watching it in full so good excuse to pop it in the VCR (and by that I mean look it up in some streaming site) and rewatch it. I have watched many clips of it as the years went by, and seen many reactors cover it though. I'm of the school of thought that it all happened in his head, as I've detailed in other comments. Just as in Lost Highway it is presented as though it may be ambiguous, but it's actually a pretty straightforward psychological thriller. And as to why we need movies like this it's because we need to feel the whole spectrum of emotions. Yes, we need happy endings, coming of age stories, and rom-coms. But we also need tragedies, horror, and to feel unsettled. Without the later, we'd be just as sick as without the former. It's that balance that defines us. After all, movies, being visual stories, are a mirror held up to society. We need to ponder on all we see reflected, not just what we like to see, in order to improve as a society. P.S. If you're gonna be promoting the podcast on the description it might be a good idea to actually upload the recent episodes there, and not just Spotify and Apple podcasts. And on the note of Apple: why, in the name of Satan's burly, green ass-hairs, are you two still on that sinking ship? They discontinued the iPod, the namesake for this medium (podcasts), and by now restricting access to Apple software they've pretty much signed their own execution papers. Once Spotify overtook them last year the writing was on the wall. Stick to Spotify AND youtube.