#239 | Is ‘American Psycho’ a Better Novel or Movie? Don’t Miss the Point of This Edgy Bret Easton Ellis Satire, or Christian Bale’s Brilliant Patrick Bateman!
Quick SUMMARY:
Douglas Vigliotti delves into Bret Easton Ellis's novel "American Psycho" and its film adaptation by Mary Harron for another edition of “Novel vs Movie”. He discusses the book's themes, controversies, and the challenges of translating its provocative narrative to the screen. Vigliotti emphasizes the importance of understanding satire and metaphor, particularly in relation to the character Patrick Bateman. The episode aims to inspire men to read, appreciate the deeper layers of literature and film, and answer the question: which is better the movie or the novel?
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TOPICS COVERED IN the EPISODE:
Introduction to "American Psycho" (00:09) - Douglas introduces the episode's focus on "American Psycho" and its film adaptation.
Douglas's New Book Announcement (01:07) - He shares details about his book "Aristotle for Novelists" and its relevance to storytelling.
Bret Easton Ellis's Background (02:14) - Discussion of Ellis's rise to fame and his controversial novel "Less Than Zero."
Controversy Surrounding "American Psycho" (03:27) - Exploration of the novel's controversial themes and the film adaptation's reception.
Plot Overview of "American Psycho" (04:25) - Douglas summarizes the story and its central question regarding Patrick Bateman's reality.
Artistic Controversy and Adaptation (05:40) - Discussion on the artistic differences between the book and its adaptation by Mary Harron.
Themes of Satire and Metaphor (08:12) - Douglas emphasizes the importance of understanding satire in "American Psycho."
Critique of Literal Interpretations (09:52) - He warns against taking the story literally, highlighting the metaphorical nature of great art.
Art's Reflection on Society (10:56) - Discussion on how "American Psycho" addresses capitalism and its effects on society.
Preference for Film Over Novel (11:58) - Douglas reveals his preference for the movie adaptation over the novel.
Favorite Quote from the Book (13:06) - He shares a memorable quote that encapsulates the core question of the novel.
Closing Remarks and Call to Action (14:14) - Douglas encourages listeners to subscribe, rate the podcast, and engage with him online.
READ THE TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome back to “Books for Men”, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do so. This week is another edition of Movie vs Novel, and I'm going to be looking at “American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis, and its movie adaptation, which was done by Mary Harron. I hope I'm pronouncing her last name correctly. So the novel was a literary work of fiction. It's a satire, it's a comedy, it's a horror. It falls into a lot of different genres. The movie does the same, obviously, because it follows the story pretty closely. And the book came out in 1991. The adaptation of the movie came out in 2000, so it was almost a decade later. There were a lot of stops and starts with that. Different directors, and different actors, and I'll leave you to read about that if you want to dig further into it. But before I tell you more about the book, the story, the movie, what I think about it, some of my large takeaways, and of course, which one I prefer and why.
01:07 - I wanted to quickly mention that I have a new book out and it's called “Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story”. So if you're trying to tell a story in any shape or form, whether that's on the page, on the screen, or in your life, then this book will definitely have some relevance for you. It is definitely aimed at novelists or aspiring novelists, but as I just mentioned, it will help you identify core story elements no matter who you are, in what type of story you are trying to tell. If you're interested in more about that, you could visit AristotleforNovelists.com. Now let me pivot back into the reason why you are listening to this podcast to hear more about American Psycho, and I always like to start with the author. He's written eight novels, I believe, and one work of nonfiction. I'm actually looking at them on my bookshelf right now. I've read a large number of them. Bret Easton Ellis rose to prominence at a very young age, so I think it was his early 20s, maybe 21, something of that nature with an edgy, ambitious debut in 1985 called “Less Than Zero”.
02:14 - It's another one that was adapted into a film for me. In that case, the book far outweighed the movie, and it's probably my favorite novel he's ever written. It was controversial at the time for its depictions of youth culture, but to me, it gets at some essential truths, and that's probably why it makes some people really uncomfortable, understandably. I just mentioned I've read pretty much everything that he's written. He even came out with a new book last year called “The Shards”, which was a variety of autofiction, a genre that I've shared on this podcast a couple of times one with the Bradley Tusk book and the other with Brad Listi’s book. They're much different, but one can bundle them under the autofiction label, blending fiction and reality. And I will just say that the shards didn't deliver for me as much as I hoped it would. But this episode is not about that. It's about “American Psycho’, a book that took the world by storm, and similar to “Less Than Zero”, it was very controversial upon its release, so when Mary Harron adapted it in 2000, starring Christian Bale and Jared Leto and Willem Dafoe, people were wondering how this was going to transfer to a cinematic representation.
03:27 - I mean, it is a satirical comedy horror, and the handling of this type of graphic content can go one of two ways really poorly or really well. And if I'm sharing it on this, obviously I think it went really well and a lot of people do agree with that. Of course, it has its naysayers, but this is art, especially with art that pushes the boundaries. You're going to have a large group who don't like it just as much as the people who do. To me, that's a strength of the work, not a weakness. And also Bale's performance, like most of his performances, was just amazing, bringing the now iconic protagonist Patrick Bateman to life. That is why when I heard about the upcoming 2026 remake of this book or movie, I should say with Austin Butler, I was like, oh boy, here we go. It wouldn't be like Hollywood to ruin a good thing in the name of commerce, would it? But that's okay. I don't want to be cynical.
04:25 - I just think that remaking this is silly. Maybe I'll be proven wrong. Hopefully, I am. I'll watch it when it comes out. Anyway, let's talk a little bit more about what this story is actually about. In short, it's a tragic first-person story told through the eyes of the aforementioned, now legendary protagonist, Patrick Bateman, who is a very vain, narcissistic, villainous individual. He's an investment banker in New York City, and he doubles as a serial killer. But there's a much bigger question that looms. And it is sort of a spoiler, but it's impossible to talk about this story in an honest way without citing what the real question of the novel and movie actually is. And that question is, is Patrick Bateman really committing these murders, or is it all a manifestation in his mind? And this is a really fun question to grapple with as you watch this movie or read this book. For me, how you answer the question matters a lot less than understanding what the film is trying to accomplish, and I will share more on that in a moment when I talk about my larger takeaways.
05:40 - But before I do that, I should hearken back to something I said at the beginning about his novels being quite controversial. And this one definitely was, as it was supposed to be published by Simon & Schuster like his first two novels were, but they dropped him based on differences in artistic opinions and how they believed he should tell the story, I guess, but I believe it all hinged on the obscenity towards women. To me, this was interesting in its own right that the film was then adapted by a woman or two women, actually. So I had mentioned who the filmmaker was, Mary Harron, but her screenwriting partner was Genevieve Turner. That, to me, was just a very interesting thing, and I think it speaks to how wrong some people are when they are talking about what this book is, what this story is, and why it actually matters. Because without having that protagonist be that obscene and that nasty towards women, you are missing something that is much larger, that I think the author was originally trying to communicate to the reader and the point of the work.
06:53 - And so it's another book, like others that I've shared on this podcast Podcasts recently, one being “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” or “Last Exit to Brooklyn” that was restricted in countries this book was Germany, Australia, but I think you get the point. It's very vulgar and very aggressive in its tone and what it's trying to tackle. This leads me to some of the larger takeaways of the work. So my first takeaway kind of builds off something that I was just saying. And it's despite the graphic nature of both the story and the stylish nature in which it's told, both on the page and on the screen. There is a lot of nuance in this story, and I think that it gets at a macro problem with society today. Now, you may think that I am speaking directly to the story itself, but I'm talking more so about the problem with art and irony. So you're not supposed to take Patrick Bateman seriously. It's a satire. He's supposed to be brutal, vulgar, obscene, ridiculous, egotistical, all of that stuff in the most extreme form to convey a larger point.
08:12 - He's not admirable. And so anybody who misses the point of this story and doesn't grab on to what it's actually saying falls into a camp that I call literal-ville. And literal-ville is when you take everything that you see literally. And this is a real problem because so much great art is metaphoric, it is not literal. So if you're living in literal-ville, you're missing out on some of the most amazing art that you can possibly experience. And maybe that doesn't matter to you, but it matters to me. And that's why I'm sharing it as my first large takeaway from this book because there is not a better representation of what satire is, or more broadly, what metaphor actually is in art than “American Psycho”. Thematically, this book tackles capitalism, consumerism, and materialism, and most importantly, addresses what do all of the aforementioned themes do to someone's mind. And to me, this is on hyperdrive today because the technical evolution has also made consumerism materialism even more magnified in modern culture. And how does this affect the way men treat women or certain men treat women? And I think that we have a huge problem in society today with misdirection in poor role models.
09:52 - So the thing that I want to emphasize for anyone, especially men, is to remember that we are supposed to laugh at Patrick Bateman because he is ridiculous. He is not a role model. He is somebody who we need to see in the most extreme way possible. So that way it delivers the actual point of the story in the best way possible. The second big takeaway has to do with the book itself. And I already talked about Ellis a little bit, but his prose, to me, it's one of a kind. It's like a machine gun. It's so energetic, it's so hard to put down. It's lean, but it's voice. It always feels like it's shot out of a cannon. And that's why no matter what story he is telling, I can always read it. Combining that with his ability to really go there, I think is a super strength of this novel. I already mentioned the super strength of the movie, which I feel like is Christian Bale's performance, which to me is pitch-perfect.
10:56 - So for the sake of time, I want to jump into my third and final takeaway, which of course is which I like better the movie or the novel? So, as most adaptations do and this film is no exception. It does change some of the scenes and what happens in the story, and definitely leans it out to stay closer to the main storyline. As I concluded in both of the editions of Movie vs Novel that I did already this year, usually that extra point of view and that depth adds to the novel quite a bit. But as much as it kills me to say I actually liked the movie better, that's only because I can rewatch the movie. But I can't reread the novel. And I do think that although they are different, you're not missing what the intention of the original story was, at least not for me. Maybe the author would say something differently. Also, the reason why I like his earlier novels so much is that they are the right size or length, I should say.
11:58 - And if I'm being totally honest, I find “American Psycho” to be a tad repetitive by intention, of course, and its drawn-out sadistic nature in which Bateman is a lot more violent and vicious, gets a bit tiring for me. Where believe it or not, the toned-down film captures that same essence in the same overt, disturbing way, but only slightly more humorous. And I'm able to laugh at Patrick Bateman a lot more on the screen than I am on the page. And so for that reason, I actually prefer the movie over the novel. And to end this, I wanted to share with you my favorite quote from the book. It comes from a dialogue when Patrick Bateman is talking to this girl, and the quote starts with her asking a question, and Ellis writes: “‘So what do you do?’ ‘I'm into, oh, murders and executions mostly. It depends.’ I shrug. ‘Do you like it?’ She asks, unfazed. ‘Um …it depends why?’ I take a bite of my sorbet. ‘Well, most guys I know who work in mergers and acquisitions don't really like it, she says.’”
12:57 - And to me, this really gets at the core question of the novel, of course, which is, is Patrick Bateman really committing these murders, or is it all a manifestation of his mind? Or even better, I like to think of the exchange of dialogue if it is taken literally. It's a great example of somebody telling you who they are and you not listening, or you have a preconceived notion that blocks the true nature of the individual, something I think we all do, probably much too often. All right, having said that I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, I want to remind you to please click that subscribe button on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on, or take two seconds and rate the podcast. Either one goes a really long way and getting it in front of more eyeballs and ears, and in return, inspiring more men to read.
14:01- If you want to tell me what you thought about this podcast or the podcast more broadly, there are two ways to get in touch with me and that is on Instagram @DouglasVigliotti. It is the only social media that I have and via my website DouglasVigliotti.com. Like I said at the top of this episode, I have a new book out. It is called “Aristotle for Novelists” and you can find more information about that at AristotleforNovelists.com. All of those links will be in the show notes. And last but not least, I want to thank you so much for listening. If you want more information on this podcast, which includes signing up for the monthly newsletter, all you have to do is visit the website BooksforMen.org.
