During sex, Bateman is very controlling. By treating the book as raw material for an exuberantly perverse exercise in '80s nostalgia, she recasts the go-go years as a template for the casually brainwashing-consumer/fashion/image culture that emerged from them. We also know that Bateman's father is extremely important in the company hierarchy, and that Bateman could be doing something with more responsibility if he wanted to, again suggesting that his role is not particularly specialized. What starts to happen as the movie progresses is that what you're seeing is what's going on in his head. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs Edit, Three times during the course of the film, Bateman mentions returning videotapes; after Carruthers makes a pass at him in a bathroom, during his second interview with Kimball, and in a restaurant as he breaks up with Evelyn.In the novel, returning videotapes is mentioned even more frequently than in the film. I want to stab you to death, and play around with your blood." Though the first round of sex is pleasurable, the second round leaves the women incredibly hurt and distraught. Is that Edward Towers? This aspect is also emphasized in a deleted scene on the DVD. It's almost more disturbing now because he knows; he's more aware of what he's doing and he's going to keep doing it anyway. Patrick Bateman : Well, actually, that's none of your business, Christie. Struggling with distance learning? It's almost like alienation breeds serial killers, everyone's so disconnected, it really doesn't matter, it doesn't matter who you kill, it doesn't matter what you do. Edit, Awards Did you know I'm utterly insane?" Kimball has asked the real Halberstram about it, and he denied being with Allen that night (which is true, as Bateman was with Allen). I awaken only when one of them touches my wrist accidentally. There are so many questions about American Psycho's loving protagonist that, to this day, fans are still debating for answers. By extension then, this could be read as a condemnation of corporations in general; they too tend get away with murder (in a figurative sense) and most people just choose to ignore it, just as do Bateman's associates. It's ambiguous in the novel whether or not it's real, or how much of it is real, and we decided, right off the bat, first conversation about the book, that we hate movies, books, stories that ended and "it was all a dream" or "it was all in his head". The women are uninterested in small talk; this is as much a transaction for them as it if for Bateman. What does Bateman do to Christie and Sabrina after the first threesome? The most important conversation involving mistaken identity however is the conversation between Bateman and his lawyer, Harold Carnes (Stephen Bogaert). "Kimball: "Well, there's a message on his - answering machine? Completely incapable of grasping the idea of someone eating a normal chicken for dinner. In the novel, this leads to a scene where Bateman is trying to steal Owen's limo (in the novel, Paul Allen is called Paul Owen), and ends up getting mixed up over what his own name is, identifying himself to the driver as first Patrick and then Marcus (p. 190). During the same conversation, Bateman also says, "It's not beyond my capacity to drive a lead pipe repeatedly into a girl's vagina," to which McDermott says, "We all know about your lead pipe Bateman," followed by Van Patten asking, "Is he like trying to tell us he has a big dick?" Mary Harron: "The book and the film are often defined as being about the 1980s, but the 1980s did not invent greed, did not invent commodity fetishism, did not invent a society that is so obsessed with perfect surface" (from DVD commentary track).Bret Easton Ellis: "Like the novel, the movie is essentially plotless, a horror-comedy with a thin narrative built up of satirical riffs about greed, status and the business values of the 1980s culture" (official site archived here).Guinevere Turner: It's part of the idea of the character, that everything is so empty, although he has tons of money and he's constantly buying things and obsessing over having the thing, he's trying to fill this void, and it's not working. Still living in New York, he spends most of his leisure time hanging out with A-list movie stars, heads of state and fashion designers. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. In the film he is a much older character played by Willem Dafoe.The film changes some names around. Bret Easton Ellis: "The film is a pitch-black comedy of manners about male narcissism" (official site archived here)David Ansen (critic): "The movie dissects the '80s culture of materialism, narcissism and greed" (quoted here). Mistaken identity is now working on different two levels; Allen's mistaking of Bateman for Halberstram, and Halberstram's mistaking of someone else for Bateman.Another small example of mistaken identity is seen when Bateman enters the first office building towards the end of the film, where he is called Mr. Smith by the security guard. This is proven by Patrick alternative, smooth side. I've heard the novel was a bit controversial. [the complete article is available here] You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. And because every single one of them operates with this belief, mistaken identity occurs on a daily basis.As Mary Harron points out on her DVD commentary, Bateman is just one of a group. "C: "Because I had dinner with Paul Allen twice in London, just ten days ago. Rolex did not allow the film to use their name as they did not want to be associated with a violent movie. [p. 5] Another good example can be found when Bateman and his colleagues are at a restaurant called Pastels; Some guy who looks exactly like Christopher Lauder comes over to the table and says, patting me on the shoulder, "Hey Hamilton, nice tan," before walking into the men's room. They're all handsome, they all wear smart suits, they all dress alike, they're all manicured, they all have the same business card [] Because they all look alike, no one knows who anyone is. User Ratings He then instructs them to begin paying attention to him, and they do so, as he moves them around on his body however he likes. Low rated: 2. The main character, patrick bateman, is glamorously portrayed as a wealthy, standoffish killer suspected to have antisocial personality disorder and possibly dissociative. (p. 107). However, it quickly emerged that Bruce's initiative, which according to booksellers, was in no way successful, had not been sanctioned by NOW's board of directors. He was especially pleased that the film depicted Bateman as extremely uncool, a total loser.The only parts of the film that Ellis criticized in his review were Bateman's dance prior to killing Paul Allen (Jared Leto), which he felt was too close to slapstick humor (ironically, this is Harron's favorite part of the film), and the voice-over which runs throughout the movie, which he felt was "too explicit." If the murders were purely in his head, the strong social commentary would be undermined and the film would become a psychological study of a deranged mind rather than a social satire. Such as Rule/Law Breaking, Excessive Lying, Remorselessness, Impulsive Behavior, etc. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. We can profit off of Ellis' terror and pain, just as he and bookstores are profiting off of the rape, torture, and mutilation of women. His masseuse, Manfred, does callouts only to Bateman and a member of the Rockefeller family. What does Patrick Bateman do in the book? By not asking the girl her name, Bateman further objectifies and dehumanizes her. This would make the situation identical to when Allen thought he was having dinner with Halberstram when he was in fact having dinner with Bateman. Bateman's seats are better, therefore, he has "won" the unspoken contest between them, and his superiority is something to be celebrated.Regarding the film, the filmmakers themselves have offered various theories as to what the true meaning may be, and a good way to engage with the possibilities as to meaning is to look at what some of them have said about their own interpretations of the work, as well as the interpretations of critics and scholars. Most of these changes were made to ensure the film received an R rating, despite the film getting an Unrated cut later, some of the acts described in the novel could very well get the movie banned.In the novel aside from a serial killer, he is also a cannibal and a necrophile. On a more analytical level, videotapes could also function as something of a status symbol (Bateman is so rich and cool, he can rent huge amounts of videotapes whenever he wants, and most nights, that's exactly what he does). Bateman also reveals that he still does the occasional line of coke and is still taking Xanax. Bateman does not describe what happens, but its clear his controlling and dominating nature has turned violent. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Not only are they socially and psychologically uniform, but they accept and promulgate that uniformity, reveling in one another's anonymity as it necessitates that personal relationships are superfluous to the achievement of their ultimate goals - success and wealth. Edit, When comparing business cards with his co-workers, Bateman tells them that the font in which his card is written is Silian Rail.This is not a real font, the name was invented by Bret Easton Ellis for the novel. American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002) sees Bateman (played by Michael Kremko) killed by a potential victim (Mila Kunis), who then becomes a serial killer herself. As such, if this scene is an hallucination, the question must be are all of his murders hallucinatory? "Carnes tries to walk away, but Bateman prevents him.C: "Davis, I'm not one to badmouth anyone, your joke was amusing, but c'mon man, it had one fatal flaw. Toward the end of the novel, Ellis writes the "last" Bateman story as a way of confronting and controlling the ghost, and has the character burn to death in a fire. It's not about the law, it's not about justice, it's not about morality, it's about "You are damaging the potential for me to sell this apartment [] Go, go, go. Elizabeth complains about the restaurant they went to. . Of course brokers work very hard, but this isn't a realistic portrayal of office life. When he tells Allen he's insane, Allen is drunk and seems to assume that Bateman is joking. It is simply another component of his psychosis, which also includes fantasies of killing and torture. Similarly, whether or not Bateman is really "dead" remains an open question. (including. This starts in a non-violent manner, with him very specifically instructing the women on what to do to him, to each other. Later on, Patrick asks her to have sex with him again. Edit, Yes. Additionally, Penguin, who had published paperback editions of Ellis' previous novels, decided to follow suit and they too chose not to publish American Psycho. I don't understand" (221). Edit, Yes and no. Bateman, appearing very disturbed and confused, begins to leave, and when Wolfe tells him not to come back, he assures her that he has no intention of doing so.As with the Carnes conversation and the issue of Bateman's outbursts, there are two main theories on this scene. "In the light of the ensuing controversy, Simon & Schuster decided not to go ahead with publication, citing "aesthetic differences." Patrick Bateman Character Analysis. There is a jarring narrative shift here, when Bateman immediately transitions from sex to torture. Edit, You could say that. He wanted catharsis, he wanted to get caught, he wanted to have his life changed; to be thrown in jail, to be killed by someone himself, but he just can't, so it's kind of like, he's a mutant; nothing can kill him so he just got that much more detached. What does Bateman do to Christie and Sabrina after the first threesome? What are the pills Bateman takes prior to killing Paul Allen? He opens it, revealing a number of sharp metal items. He gets his hair cut every twelve days by the best hairstylist in New York. And we get to the scene where he's crying on the phone and confessing to his lawyer what he did, and then his lawyer doesn't even really know who he is.