I came here to see at least two people arguing opinions as if they're facts. I also came to see an escalating argument filled with personal insults, accusations, and hurt feelings. I was not disappointed.

They're movies. Watch them. Enjoy them. Debate them, civilly. Use them as a bookmark for significant moments in your life. Then move the fuck on.

Fight Club was fun. Haven't seen AB. Couldn't give one shit less which one a few posters feel is "better" in a tiny little corner of the internet.

You're preaching to the choir. They won't get that.

American Beauty is my choice.

@Heisenberg12 said: Good response...But, I have friends who love FC and trust me when I tell you it has everything to do with the fighting AND Pitt and his abs, physique...I have heard them talk about it, and it's not about anything deeper...And yes, they're all college grads now..

Omg, you think that's what AB is about? Lol. That's exactly what it's NOT about...I don't feel like explaining it forever, but in a nutshell it's a critique of American Society, how the external is all that matters while internally things are totally different; people project an outward superficial appearance of happiness and the perfect upper middle class life, but deep down it's all a facade and they're hiding all these deeper, darker truths. And BTW, he's going thru a "mid life crisis". There's a difference between being unhappy w your life and going through a mid-life crisis.

Well, if you see FC as a fight against societal norms, then it fails at that. It doesn't succeed at it. The protagonist fails, everything was a psychotic break/mpd or schiz, whatever. It was all a failed fantasy. Pitt wasn't even real. And you think this was more "realistic"?

AB is a pinpointed perfect critique of middle/upper middle class America. Nothing about it was unrealistic, really. Nothing was too far out. FC was all fake. The scenes never could have happened in real life.

If you like it, go ahead, but it's overrated to me and people who know movies like Ebert. AND the CONSENSUS on Metacritic, which has it at a really abysmal 66%. I think 66% is the perfect score for it actually. 6.5/10 ish. I'll round it to a 7 with so many other movies that were good-pretty good, but far from great.

Entertainment Weekly gave it a 25%, and LA Times gave it a 30%, both very professional film reviewers. I don't think it's that bad, but if you read their reviews they bring up some good points.

66% on Metacritic is actually a big bash and says a lot bc Metacritic generally scores high if a film is technically good or good in other ways or for films that are above average. 66% on Metacritic is actually bad. Anything below 70 on Metacritic is relatively unfavorable, especially for a movie people like you seem to think is regarded so highly. Even without Ebert, Metacritic giving it only a 66% says a heck of a lot about the movie that the fan boys will drown out.

Well, your friends sound quite shallow/simple if they think Fight Club is about fighting just because of title and fighting itself an't really important, it's a shame it simplifies movie this way for some people.

As for AB, as I said, it's pretty much subtler version of FC on smaller scale focusing on one single life and issues of man (after all it's same with FC, though in FC man wanna change society/enviroment while in AB man is just changing himself, you can try to paint in any way these are simplified synopses of the both movies, of course they talk about other topics but the main story is simple as that), I just oversimpified main point on par with your description of FC which is "about fighting" while it really isn't and I never paid much attention to fighting part. Yeah, it's interesting idea to ventilate your feelings/energy and feel more real closer to our primeval nature, but I might as well jerk off to release the stress and it's not really important topic.

For me personally, they are both masterpieces and they formed my opinions about life/consumerism (I would strongly suggest anyone to read Paul Graham's easy Stuff and on related topic also SPOILEEEEEEEEER final monologue of John Doe in car about innocence of his victims from Se7en or also SPOILER Vincent's monologue again on back seat in Collateral and let's not forget about masterpiece and peak of Bay's carreer Falling Down (where pretty much every scene is memorable and worth discussion, I don't really get why is this movie not much more popular), together with Fight Club there is no way these movies could be shot today, thank god for 90's, you could get American Beauty because it's very subtle, but no way FC or FD happening, please anyone suggest me movies dealing with current society issues with same quality released in recent years).

I don't really care what Ebert, Metacritic or some irelevant US newspapers think about movies, because they are for me on par with Oscar jury which is also totally irelevant nowadays. Just becaiuse they don't approve good quality movies and push their (un)paid agenda it doesn't make movie any less good as judged by millions of people cult following these movies. You won't find such response to dumb movies critics rated much better than Fight Club or Falling Down and it doesn't mean they are really better than these two, it just means these critics are most likely old traditional farts who don't like edgy stuff same as old white men deciding Oscar winners.

@AlienFanatic said:

I came here to see at least two people arguing opinions as if they're facts. I also came to see an escalating argument filled with personal insults, accusations, and hurt feelings. I was not disappointed.

They're movies. Watch them. Enjoy them. Debate them, civilly. Use them as a bookmark for significant moments in your life. Then move the fuck on.

Fight Club was fun. Haven't seen AB. Couldn't give one shit less which one a few posters feel is "better" in a tiny little corner of the internet.

I don't really see here personal insults or accusations, we just discuss movies. Seem your civillity treshold is way too low, if you think this ain't normal discussion (good luck when traveling abroad, you won't get far if you think this ain't civil discussion). Btw. Fight Club really is not about fun and it's not supposed to be fun, watch comedies or Transformers if you want fun, you haven't really seen Fight Club if you think it's fun.

Personally I would recommend watching Fight Club, Falling Down and American Beauty, together with Taxi driver in the end of teenage years or in twenties to form your opinions and get better understanding. But the guy above mentioned that even college grads think it's about fighting so dunno if those guys are really particularly dumb or newer generation is even more childish than before unable to understand pretty straightforward movie even in their 20s.

@AlienFanatic said:

I came here to see at least two people arguing opinions as if they're facts. I also came to see an escalating argument filled with personal insults, accusations, and hurt feelings. I was not disappointed.

I have mentioned quite a few times in this thread that I still haven't even given my opinion of Fight Club. Let alone argued that opinion as fact. I have only stated that the film has a high reputation. Yeah, I guess it's an escalating argument but I've made absolutely no insults. And I'd even say that my argumental adversary, Monsieur Heisenberg, has kept his insults pretty mild.

@AlienFanatic said:

Fight Club was fun. Haven't seen AB. Couldn't give one shit less which one a few posters feel is "better" in a tiny little corner of the internet.

That's what the thread is about. That's not what the argument is about. Both me and Heisenberg agree that AB is the better film.

As far as uncivil internet arguments go, I've seen a lot worse.

I prefer American Beauty, and so does the critical consensus. 😏