Honest Trailers have celebrated the 15th anniversary of David Fincher’s iconic exploration of the male psyche by criticizing its every frame - hich is exactly what we’d expect from them. Of course, the fact that Fight Club is widely regarded as one of the best movies of the last 25 years doesn’t mean that it’s above reproach. In fact the above video is a pretty accurate account of what’s so preposterous about the film.
Straight off the bat, the grisly voiced narrator makes a point that it’s impossible to disagree with: no one can pronounce Chuck Palahniuk’s surname properly. He also concedes that he is basically going to break the first rule of the film instantly, which of course states, "You do not talk about Fight Club." But, unfortunately for him, there wasn’t anyway that he’d get around that one. It’s probably best not to tell him that he broke the second rule too though.
So what else is savaged? Fight Club's male protagonist to start off with, who was pretty much like American Beauty, Office Space, and The Matrix’s male protagonist: a bored, successful yuppie who, despite his triumphs, really isn't enjoying his life. However, Edward Norton’s "Jack" (who is unnamed in the film but is christened in the script) soon becomes interesting once he finds solace in the "porn slicing, soup-pissing, soap making bad-ass" otherwise known as Tyler Durden. It’s also noted that Pitt’s character is able to get away with being a massive hypocrite because of his rather stunning body. In fact, Fight Club's anti-establishment, anti-corporate message, which is pretty much rammed down our throats throughout, didn’t stop it being inundated with product placement, and spawning a spin-off Playstation game, graphic novel sequel, and even having its own officially licensed soap. Durden would be spinning in his grave. If he was real, that is.
Honest Trailers don’t just make fun of Fight Club though. They lampoon its audience too, who lapped up its first world problems message with aplomb to such an extent that you couldn’t enter a college dorm room for the next decade without seeing a poster for it on someone’s wall. Plus, we should all have really seen the twist coming. Not only is Durden sliced into the film three times before he even appears, but Helena Bonham Carter’s character even asks Edward Norton at one point, "Who are you talking to?" We’re all idiots. Still, despite this criticism, let’s not forget that Fight Club is an amazing cinematic feat which sees David Fincher at arguably the peak of his powers. In fact, forget about the Honest Trailer for now. Let’s just watch its real trailer instead, and fawn over its brilliance ahead of its 15th birthday. Head over to page two!
