If Fight Club is mentioned as a favorite, the fun part is asking why. The common answer - I'm betting - is that it is just a good masculine movie because a group of perfectly built guys get together to fight and break things. I have heard vague responses that it is just a bad ass movie. Some dudes might proclaim that this movie is their number one, but they pack themselves into gyms and try to look like Brad Pitt by lifting weights or buying designer clothing. Some might want to drive social status cars and wear social status clothing. The reason that this movie is in my top 5 is because of this exact fact. As a whole Fight Club is - in fact - very bad ass. It is quite the guy movie. The absolute best thing about it though, is the moral of the story. It is an attractive way to deliver a very wholesome message.
The Narrator has a typical day job as the typical American. He is very content with his life pattern as a very typical American consumer. He lives well above his means and is very materialistic. He feels completion in the items he purchases. Indirectly through a dire need, he meets Tyler Durdin. Tyler is not the opposite, but he is very close to it . They meet at a diner and Tyler hits the point and moral to the entire movie (29 minutes - 31 minutes: 30 seconds). He has an extremely realistic view on life, and tells everyone of us watching that we are too materialistic. He says,
"We are consumers. We are by-products of Lifestyle Obsession. Murder, crime, poverty.. these things don't concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels.. I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect. I say let's evolve - let the chips fall where they may."
He also mentions the irony that the things we own end up owning us. I suggest we all write that down. I may be speculating, but I have noticed recently that many people around me are stretching their Lifestyle Obsessions above and beyond their financial means in order to paint another coat of pretend success over their insecurity graffiti. All of this is in an attempt to prove to others and themselves that they are not affected by the down turn of the economy. My recommendation is that we stop digging the grave deeper and take a two hour break from our lives to watch this movie from a different perspective. Or at the very least, reassess our material dependencies.
Think about the movie message:
"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken... You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive..."Logging hours in a gym to look like a decathlete doesn't mean that you can run a five minute mile. Building up your chest to look like a famous wide receiver doesn't matter if your legs don't fill out your slim fit jeans. I prefer to have a body type that is a result of performing or training for physical activities that I enjoy. We are not defined by our professions, posessions, nor financial worth. We are, however, defined by your actions and morals.
Tyler says that he doesn't want to have some guy's name on his underwear. I have never paid $40 for a T-Shirt, and I hope that nobody ever does. Think about this: Brad Pitt's wardrobe in the movie was intended to seem as though he only shopped thrift stores.
"Its only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."
Hate me for noticing this, but I have come to this entire revelation after watching this movie yet again. This quote is quite reminiscent of the book of Luke, chapter 18, verse 22. I am also reminded of one of the best birthday presents that I have ever received. My friend Jon once gave me a thrift store gift card: a $10 bill.
No comments:
Post a Comment