American Psycho: The Rhetoric within the Madness
Okies, everybody! Here's my paper on American Psycho for those of you who wanted to read it. Hope it's at least a little bit interesting to you. I've also taken the liberty of linking the business card scene and Paul Allen's murder scene at the end of the post, since I talk about them in the paper. ♥
American Psycho: The Rhetoric within the Madness
If there is one thing to be said about me, it is that I am a fan of movies. If there is one thing to be said about movies, it is that they have one purpose: to persuade. The people involved in the movie-making process ask you to invest in their two-hour story and hope to convince you that the boy deserves to get the girl, that war is bad, that aliens do exist, etc. They want you to root for their heroes, believe in their politics, and observe and adapt their ideologies into your life. In the case of the 2000 film, American Psycho, this art of persuasion is a success.
American Psycho centers on Patrick Bateman, a rich investment banker who lives in New York and is a self-proclaimed serial killer. The film captures the absurdities of 1980’s yuppies, including self-obsession and vanity, conformity and the loss of identity, and the strive for perfection. Rhetoric is used throughout American Psycho to highlight these absurdities and characterize the era.
While the entire film is teeming with rhetoric, three scenes in particular display the traits of this era perfectly. One scene takes place in the beginning of the film. This is where the audience is officially introduced to Patrick Bateman. As narraration tells us that Bateman lives in the American Gardens building on West 81st street, classical piano music plays in the background. This tells the audience that this building is no doubt an expensive one and that our main character lives an upscale life. As the camera pans through the character’s apartment, the first thing that can be noticed is the black and white color scheme. Bateman’s apartment demonstrates the absence of color, and lack of personality, in his life. Expensive art is hung symmetrically on the walls of his apartment, and by his giant living room window stands a telescope, suggesting that a rich, intelligent appearance is important to him. How his looks and appearance are important to him is further elaborated upon in the following narraration that takes place during the scene:
I believe in taking care of myself and a balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub...
He goes on to talk about applying herb-mint facial masks, after shave lotion, moisturizer, anti-aging balm, and moisturizing protective lotion. The lengths to which Bateman goes every single morning in order to achieve a look of perfection is extraordinary, and his vanity is encouraged throughout the movie by his colleagues and friends. We are shown later how he also receives manicures and goes to tanning salons every day, and when a coworker informs Bateman that he has a tanning bed in his own home, we realize that the desire for perfection is not exclusive to Bateman. Instead, the audience is shown how all of the people around him are the exact same way, once again demonstrating the lack of personality and one’s own identity.
In the scene’s closing, Patrick Bateman stares into a mirror and pulls off his facial mask, and his narraration stresses his lack of identity even more.
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there.
This dialogue strongly hints that his lifestyle has molded him into something devoid of any emotion or sense of self. He is not “there” because he does not know who he is. He is not Patrick Bateman because he is the same person as everyone around him; he’s merely a metaphor of his own lifestyle.
The second scene that establishes the absurdities of the 1980’s era is what is popularly referred to as “The Business Card Scene.” It takes place at Pierce & Pierce, the company for which Patrick Bateman works. The vanity of our metaphorical main man is evident when a colleague compliments his suit and tries to touch it, admiring that it “looks so soft.” Bateman slaps his hand away, afraid of someone ruining his perfect Valentino Couture suit and marring his image. Subsequently in the scene, Bateman is greeted by fellow coworker Paul Allen, and the narraration is as follows:
Paul Allen has mistaken me for this dickhead Marcus Halberstram. It seems logical because Marcus also works at P&P and in fact does the same exact thing I do. He also has a penchant for Valentino suits and Oliver People’s glasses. Marcus and I even go to the same barber, although I have a slightly better haircut.
Bateman’s obsession with his looks when he references his haircut and love of expensive clothing items can be seen, once again, in this quote. It is interesting to note that not only do Bateman and Halberstram wear similar clothes and share the same job, but so does everyone else in the room. The majority of the men in the room all wear suits that are dark blue and expensive, wear brown, circular glasses (even if their eyesight is perfectly fine, like Patrick Bateman’s), and have the position of vice president within the company. The latter is shown as the scene continues with Bateman showing off his new business card and his coworkers following suit. All of the cards look the same, down to coloring and job titles, yet Bateman is infuriated when a friend prefers Paul Allen’s card to his own because it means that his is not perfect. More depth is added to the scene through the music, which adds a sense of trepidation and anxiety as Bateman reacts. The unmistakable similarities between Bateman and Halberstram, and also between Bateman and all of his colleagues, makes the aspects of conformity and loss of identity within society even more apparent.
Another famous scene in the movie is the murder of Paul Allen. The scene takes place in Patrick Bateman’s apartment, where the audience is exposed to the lifeless décor once more. This time, however, we see that all of the furniture is covered up and the floor is covered in newspaper, done so that when Bateman kills Paul Allen, neither will be ruined. Bateman even wears a raincoat to prevent the possible blood spatter from tarnishing his suit, reminding the audience of his vanity even in the midst of killing. The music, however, is what makes the scene stand out so memorably against the rest of the film. As Bateman prepares to kill the drunk Paul Allen, he puts in a Huey Lewis & The News CD and plays “Hip to be Square”, then proceeds to explain the meaning of the song.
I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.
The music blares in the background and the song is so light and pop-tastic that the mood of the scene, which could have been dark and sinister, is instead almost chipper and amusing.
Indeed, all of the scenes in the film are satirical in form, which encourages the audience to laugh at the hilarity and incongruous society and yet to take it seriously. The audience, which is made up of either those who were alive in the 1980’s or those who were not, is expected to recognize the characteristics of this era shown in the movie and be repulsed by them. The rhetoric in the opening scene, the business card scene, and the murder scene of Paul Allen helps to achieve this, as none of the characteristics portrayed - self obsession and vanity, conformity and the loss of identity, and the strive for perfection - seem appealing after watching. They all just seem ridiculous and insane. American Psycho succeeds as a film because of this, and if there is one more thing to be said about it, it is that it definitely achieved its purpose: to persuade.
Scenes: "The Business Card Scene"
Paul Allen's murder scene
American Psycho: The Rhetoric within the Madness
If there is one thing to be said about me, it is that I am a fan of movies. If there is one thing to be said about movies, it is that they have one purpose: to persuade. The people involved in the movie-making process ask you to invest in their two-hour story and hope to convince you that the boy deserves to get the girl, that war is bad, that aliens do exist, etc. They want you to root for their heroes, believe in their politics, and observe and adapt their ideologies into your life. In the case of the 2000 film, American Psycho, this art of persuasion is a success.
American Psycho centers on Patrick Bateman, a rich investment banker who lives in New York and is a self-proclaimed serial killer. The film captures the absurdities of 1980’s yuppies, including self-obsession and vanity, conformity and the loss of identity, and the strive for perfection. Rhetoric is used throughout American Psycho to highlight these absurdities and characterize the era.
While the entire film is teeming with rhetoric, three scenes in particular display the traits of this era perfectly. One scene takes place in the beginning of the film. This is where the audience is officially introduced to Patrick Bateman. As narraration tells us that Bateman lives in the American Gardens building on West 81st street, classical piano music plays in the background. This tells the audience that this building is no doubt an expensive one and that our main character lives an upscale life. As the camera pans through the character’s apartment, the first thing that can be noticed is the black and white color scheme. Bateman’s apartment demonstrates the absence of color, and lack of personality, in his life. Expensive art is hung symmetrically on the walls of his apartment, and by his giant living room window stands a telescope, suggesting that a rich, intelligent appearance is important to him. How his looks and appearance are important to him is further elaborated upon in the following narraration that takes place during the scene:
I believe in taking care of myself and a balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do 1000 now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub...
He goes on to talk about applying herb-mint facial masks, after shave lotion, moisturizer, anti-aging balm, and moisturizing protective lotion. The lengths to which Bateman goes every single morning in order to achieve a look of perfection is extraordinary, and his vanity is encouraged throughout the movie by his colleagues and friends. We are shown later how he also receives manicures and goes to tanning salons every day, and when a coworker informs Bateman that he has a tanning bed in his own home, we realize that the desire for perfection is not exclusive to Bateman. Instead, the audience is shown how all of the people around him are the exact same way, once again demonstrating the lack of personality and one’s own identity.
In the scene’s closing, Patrick Bateman stares into a mirror and pulls off his facial mask, and his narraration stresses his lack of identity even more.
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there.
This dialogue strongly hints that his lifestyle has molded him into something devoid of any emotion or sense of self. He is not “there” because he does not know who he is. He is not Patrick Bateman because he is the same person as everyone around him; he’s merely a metaphor of his own lifestyle.
The second scene that establishes the absurdities of the 1980’s era is what is popularly referred to as “The Business Card Scene.” It takes place at Pierce & Pierce, the company for which Patrick Bateman works. The vanity of our metaphorical main man is evident when a colleague compliments his suit and tries to touch it, admiring that it “looks so soft.” Bateman slaps his hand away, afraid of someone ruining his perfect Valentino Couture suit and marring his image. Subsequently in the scene, Bateman is greeted by fellow coworker Paul Allen, and the narraration is as follows:
Paul Allen has mistaken me for this dickhead Marcus Halberstram. It seems logical because Marcus also works at P&P and in fact does the same exact thing I do. He also has a penchant for Valentino suits and Oliver People’s glasses. Marcus and I even go to the same barber, although I have a slightly better haircut.
Bateman’s obsession with his looks when he references his haircut and love of expensive clothing items can be seen, once again, in this quote. It is interesting to note that not only do Bateman and Halberstram wear similar clothes and share the same job, but so does everyone else in the room. The majority of the men in the room all wear suits that are dark blue and expensive, wear brown, circular glasses (even if their eyesight is perfectly fine, like Patrick Bateman’s), and have the position of vice president within the company. The latter is shown as the scene continues with Bateman showing off his new business card and his coworkers following suit. All of the cards look the same, down to coloring and job titles, yet Bateman is infuriated when a friend prefers Paul Allen’s card to his own because it means that his is not perfect. More depth is added to the scene through the music, which adds a sense of trepidation and anxiety as Bateman reacts. The unmistakable similarities between Bateman and Halberstram, and also between Bateman and all of his colleagues, makes the aspects of conformity and loss of identity within society even more apparent.
Another famous scene in the movie is the murder of Paul Allen. The scene takes place in Patrick Bateman’s apartment, where the audience is exposed to the lifeless décor once more. This time, however, we see that all of the furniture is covered up and the floor is covered in newspaper, done so that when Bateman kills Paul Allen, neither will be ruined. Bateman even wears a raincoat to prevent the possible blood spatter from tarnishing his suit, reminding the audience of his vanity even in the midst of killing. The music, however, is what makes the scene stand out so memorably against the rest of the film. As Bateman prepares to kill the drunk Paul Allen, he puts in a Huey Lewis & The News CD and plays “Hip to be Square”, then proceeds to explain the meaning of the song.
I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.
The music blares in the background and the song is so light and pop-tastic that the mood of the scene, which could have been dark and sinister, is instead almost chipper and amusing.
Indeed, all of the scenes in the film are satirical in form, which encourages the audience to laugh at the hilarity and incongruous society and yet to take it seriously. The audience, which is made up of either those who were alive in the 1980’s or those who were not, is expected to recognize the characteristics of this era shown in the movie and be repulsed by them. The rhetoric in the opening scene, the business card scene, and the murder scene of Paul Allen helps to achieve this, as none of the characteristics portrayed - self obsession and vanity, conformity and the loss of identity, and the strive for perfection - seem appealing after watching. They all just seem ridiculous and insane. American Psycho succeeds as a film because of this, and if there is one more thing to be said about it, it is that it definitely achieved its purpose: to persuade.
Scenes: "The Business Card Scene"
Paul Allen's murder scene