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I have to return some video tapes.
American Psycho is a 2000 American dark comedy psychological horror film co-written and directed by Mary Harron, based on Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel of the same name. It stars Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux and Reese Witherspoon.
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#AmericanPsycho #PatrickBateman #ChristianBale #Screenwriting #Screenwriter #Screenplay
I love how Bale portrays the randomness of emotions on Patrick's face because the guy doesn't realize what he should be feeling and imitating in a breakup
You're right! Never noticed thaat before.
Stocking supremacy
always felt that on him for the whole movie
Lol
Did you mean intimating? I mean, I guess it works either way... :-)
God! When will people learn that Patrick is a man who’s incredibly devoted to the video rental store industry.
If more people were like Patrick Blockbuster would still exist and the world would be a better place
@@anderson2706 I miss movie rental places like blockbuster. Sometimes you just don't have data like that to be streaming. It gave you something to go out and do for a bit. Those Redbox vending machines don't have enough of a selection to quite replace it.
Patrick would never survive in the 2020s. There's only a single blockbuster still open in America.
@@OmegaTrooper “Patrick, where are you going?” “I have to cancel my Netflix subscription!”
You know hes rented Back Door Sluts 9
I will always see this film more as a comedy than a horror
it is. It’s hilarious. You got it.
the book is way more horror than the movie to me. some of the kills are just grotesque to read
@@lainiesmith8109 The way he kills his own secretary in the book is insane.
Thats because it is a comedy
That’s the point
i love how he has no real expression until she accuses him of being inhuman, which sets him off cause its someone leaning against the façade he's created and therefor seeing him for who he knows he is.
Meanwhile the woman acts just as robotic if not worse.
@@KayttakaaHumehia who hurt ya buddy
@@user-gv3ii8zf5w I cant believe you guys aint seeing this, I mean he tells her right off the bat that he is breaking up with her and all those disconcerning things and acts weird and she doesn't bat a fucking eye and then after causing a scene she recovers instantly. I always thought that it is obvious that Evelyn is represented just as narcistic and empty inside as Bateman if not worse, just playing a damn game. This might be just me but I think even Bateman acknowledges this as Evelyn accuses him of being inhuman he points out that atleast he is in touch with humanity as he has rage inside him, unlike she who literally has nothing human about her beneath the facade.
@@KayttakaaHumehia i agree
@@KayttakaaHumehia does shallowness really outweigh murderous violence 2 u
One of my favorite aspects of the screenplay is how whenever Bateman talks about his homicidal behavior like in this scene, you never actually see his mouth. The implication is that thinking that, not saying it, but it's left ambiguous. Is Patrick really saying these things and all the yuppies are so self absorbed they don't care, or is Patrick totally delusional and he's not actually saying anything? If he's delusional, are the murders even real or are they psychotic fantasies of his mind? Such a good movie
And Evelyn doesn't respond to him when he says that.
Good job on making an observation that was intended to be made
@@charliejuice3098 Bruh
Actually, you can see movements in his jaw and neck that imply he's talking, but the ambigousy is still there, so it works anyway
They are an illusion, its revealed when that one guy says he had dinner with Jared leto
I absolutely love his face before he says "You are not terribly important to me.". It's like he's struck with this amazingly simple sudden realization he is astounded how he could not see it before. It's hysterical :D
I definitely had that same realization during a break up before. It was kinda a huge relief, just realizing I didn't really give a shit anymore.
@@JakeMXZero that with this confusion about why have you ever cared in the first place, right ?)
Also interesting is that the line was apparently not in the original script, at least according to this video. I wonder, was it written in during production, or did Bale ad lib the line.
@@rockoperajon if you look back up it was earlier in the script but skipped and then brought back
And considering how Bateman is basically an abstraction of a human being it fits totally
Lets see paul allens video tapes
Some of the girls have seen the tapes.
Funniest thing all day holy shit 🤣
He’s already returned them.
“Its a two tape set”
I can't believe the choice prefers Paul Allen's tapes to mine
That "I have to return some video tapes" is just so hilarious 😂😂
I find myself repeating it around the house
The best part is that it's a running gag throughout the movie. I believe he says it several times. And the way he says it is hilarious. I feel like he says it in a slightly annoyed way every time.
"I have to return some video tapes" the ultimate 'get out of the area' line... until blockbuster closed, that is
fym bro im still using this excuse
I’m just going to use this ironically just to add insult to injury
"I have to catch my Twitch stream..."
You can technically still use this excuse if you live in Portland
Where are you going? "I have to cancel my disney + subscription"
"I've assessed the situation and uh, I'm going" I'm gonna use that from now on to get out of situations.
For a movie about psychopathic delusions, it's endlessly quotable haha
"I want a firm commitment" She said, despite having an affair
Got 'em
when was she cheating on him tho
@@papasscooperiaworker3649 It's mentioned in the beginning of the film, never CONFIRMED but heavily implied.
@@palereaper in the book it's confirmed. And the dialogue of this scene is almost exactly word for word the same as in the novel, just in a different order
she should’ve dated Rick Astley instead
the best line is "No, I'm in touch with humanity" xD
It's a very revealing line, not because he's a killer, but because he wants to see in humanity what he sees in himself, hence why he kills the hobo. That said, he also wants everyone to be losing to him at his own game, which is why he kills Paul Allen. Bateman views himself as the pinnacle of humanity, but that he is alone on his pedestal tells him that something is very wrong, leading to his insecurity.
Sounds like something mark Zuckerberg would say
He says it like he's so offended she could think he doesn't know how to act like a human. He puts a lot of effort into being and acting human!
@oniroutard He's able to reach parts of humanity most people will never see, like their internal organs.
@@mojo6112 I definitely can hear Zuckerberg saying something like that.... right before he inserts the charging cable so that he can charge overnight. Nothing worse than starting the day and then that "low power" icon keeps flashing in his internal HUD.
Script was too wordy, the actual movie was brilliant
yeah.. Thats kinda the point of a script.. did you know that a conversation mostly exists out of words?
@@Vincent-ri5cr what are you even talking about?
@@Vincent-ri5cr BAHAHAHA
@@TopStrikerMaverick i think he meant scripts usually have tons of dialogue which is cut out for runtime maybe. And the conversation line sounds like he is mocking u
@@cybernexus4233 spot on. Vincent Peters is ridiculing his obvious question. How'd a nitwit like you get so tasteful?
I know that your friends are my friends. I’ve thought about that, and you can have them. The punchline of the dialogue.
"I'm in touch with humanity" okay...let's see how much Paul Allen is in touch with humanity
Not too much after he heard Huey Lewis and the News
*Buh dum crash*
@@JoshAllenberg HEY PAUL!!!
@@Ad-fu6tj aaaaaaaaaaaaa
@@johndoe6260 🎶But couldn't take the punishment...🎶🎶
It's interesting how in the script Evelyn seems more aware and inquisitive of Patrick's aloof personality and way of life, telling him he's "not all there", where as in the movie she sounds completly oblivious and ridiculously dramatic.
I prefer this version of Evelyn for the movie as well. It makes the "I'm in touch with humanity" line much more meaningful in the sense that everyone else is lost in their own self-centeredness and he's the one sort of seeing the world more as it should be viewed and he's trying to purge it, even if at times it's for selfish reasons.
@@Justin-bg4jx That's nonsense, he is a symptom of his dehumanized surroundings. He hasn't seen any underlying reality, he's just gone one step further into madness than those around him. His assertion that he's in touch with humanity is a desperate attempt to readjust his mask, on some level he knows he is an abomination.
She sounds like a sociopath using crying for manipulation in this scene. She stops immediately after he leaves and just breathes out.
@G E T R E K T Lucky I guess....
@@keithklassen5320 In a way both of these things are true IMO; Bateman is fully aware of his intense pain at the world, but his obsessional violent reaction is still the symptom it has produced. He doesnt see anything more, he has indeed gone even further into the madness, but this madness represents the true violence of the system; the madness itself is its underlying truth.
I love the attention to detail when Witherspoon instantly and unemotionally composes herself after patrick leaves, it’s one of the moments in the film which I think best shows how all these yuppies can too be unfeeling, cold and so invested in the materialism of modern society their relationships with others are not that in the sense of love, but simply a word, a symbol, another rung on their ladder to achieving the same level as their peers. Evelyn tried to invoke an empathetic, emotional response from Patrick through her fake crying, which obviously doesn’t work and as she sees him leave and realises it didn’t work, she is shown to be more invested in her public image after her outburst, than attempting going after Patrick as any actually distraught spouse would, showing the lack of energy either put in to the relationship, as like their lives their break up is fast paced and with a lack of human communication. Witherspoon’s performance is one to watch if you pay very close attention to the film, and like that split second in the chinese laundry scene when Bale’s ‘mask‘ slips, Witherspoons equal attention to detail proves that all these yuppies, like Patrick, wear a mask of who they really are, all of them are becoming cold and unfeeling like him as they are so out of touch with their real human moral values and instead are completely invested in this artificial cookie cutter lives they have. Patrick is only worse than them due to his murderous and psychopathic tendencies, which have been awakened in him by the need for an outlet from his monotonous, repetitive, robotic life.
She wipes tears from her eyes pouting, and turning her face away once he leaves… how is that unemotional? She’s a hypocrite not a psychopath.
@@merchant_of_kek5697 I think it seemed a bit unemotional in how fast she suddenly snaps back from just having broke up over a dinner. Just after Bateman leaves, she wipes her tears, her expression changes from very sad to more done with the situation in the blink of an eye, and she hides the side of her face towards the woman she spoke to earlier, kind of like it was just an act for the woman and other people she knew at the restaurant, like she was playing a character and making a fasade that they were supposed to see. The sigh and her expression at the last second of the clip also indicate, to me at least, more of a feeling of "Ok, finally THAT's done", like a sigh of relief, kind of. I apologize if my wording seemed unclear, as english is not my first language, but I wanted to partake in the discussion.
@@skrukka939 that was my take from that scene as well (btw I think the end of the scene might be slightly shortened in the video because, watching the full film, I thought it was more noticeable)
@@skrukka939 my point is that she’s not a psychopath, also I just think it’s a bit silly saying someone is unemotional because they stopped crying once the chance of being pitied. Normal people have tend social masks and do unreasonable or just idiotic things. If every person that did a social outburst to get pity from public opinion we would be filled with completely unemotional people. How many of your friends or yourself have had a breakup and someone acted highly emotional yelling or crying then regaining their composure once the situation ended?
@@jamesexplainsmath Totally thought that too
I love how he mutters it, he knows it’s absurd and he can’t think of anything else to say
Its freaky how you can tell his frustration in what he's saying, but not how he's saying it, also how his frustration lays in her not understanding him and then her making a scene which makes HIM look bad, there's zero actual emotion felt towards her sorrow
What sorrow? He said he knows that they didn't really 'share a common past' He knew she was just making a scene there
@@Teglamen i mean she seemed pretty genuinely broken up about him breaking up with her, alot more then just a "wow imma make him look bad"
Look at 1:58. It's pretty clear that the crying was not as sincere, but that she tried using that to keep him as a partner since "this is how it is supposed to be". The movie pretty clearly shows that none of them give a fuck about eachother and that Bateman isn't uniquely inhuman compared to them. The first reason she gives him to not break up is that it would be awkward, since they have the same friends.
@@illyrian9976 oh i see, tbh i haven't watched most this movie so i dont really know every character and how they work, ive mostly only seen videos analyzing bateman himself
@@fobo3361 they bassically just date to fit in with the other people that also have partners, they both have affairs and are aware of it, but don't care enough to do anything, they're fake to each other and to everyone surrounding them. You should really watch the movie, it's pretty cool
"I have to return some video tapes." LoL, I have to use that one.
The real horror in this film is how accurate the acting is, it's so on point, so horribly realistic it makes me relieve past experiences I don't want to remember, absolute peak performance!
OMG literally meee
Credit to her as well, she gave a great performance here as an empty unlistening human being.
I hope you're not saying you have past experiences as a serial killer.... and if you have, I've been very nice to you in this thread so I hope that counts for something.
@The Tyro of Toriyama None of us are as normal as we are told.
@The Tyro of Toriyama you're young and edgy don't deny yourself and delude yourself to be a serial killer. Intrusive thoughts are a normal condition of the human mind, search it up, 94 percent of humans are affected by it, it's only natural for an advent, in the case of human consciousness.
“You’re not terribly important to me.” The way Bale delivers that line, I just can’t help but lmao 🤣
In the book, right before this part he tricks her into eating a chocolate covered (used) urinal cake wrapped in a fancy Godiva box.
Why the fuck would he do that
@@reidheidler5138 because he's psychotic why else
@@reidheidler5138 because he's sigma why else
@@willywanker1906 You re right, of course! How could i have been so blind!?
I heard that the book was a lot more intense, but what the fuck
Wait a minute, so, “You’re not terribly important to me” was improvised by Bale? That’s awesome. That’s one of my favorite lines.
No, the line appears earlier in the scene with some others but I’m assuming they restructured the scene in post because he doesn’t say it until later
@@vigilantslacker6039 Seems more improved. "You're not terribly important to me" is a line within the section that Reese skipped, but Bale added it to the end of his line before the crying sequence. Good acting
@@tuh0n yeah no. It was rearranged on the day. Actors, even one like Christian bale, don’t just improvise lines. It’s usually discussed between the writers and director, rarely the actor themselves. I’ve seen it happen in real time 100s of times
@@hugejackedman7423 Comedies are different. In Will Ferrell films especially but most comedies made now there are whole scenes that are essentially just improv between the actors and then they cut it into just the best jokes
@@vigilantslacker6039 Oh Ok.
if i had a nickel every time reese witherspoon was broken up in a restaurant
"I'm leaving, I've assessed the situation and I'm going.." LMFAO!
Let's see Paul Allen's break up scene.
Look at that subtle emotional support.The tasteful cultured talk.Oh my God,they even stay friends.
@@Csetnikke bravo
@@Csetnikke gold
I like the choice they made to have Christian cover his mouth as he says "I have to engage in homicidal behaviour on a massive scale." So it isnt clear whether or not he's even saying it out loud.
Reece Witherspoon is just so good at the freaking-out-over-dinner-break-up-scene
I love how quiet and serious he gets when he turns back around and says "I have to return some tapes"
“I’m sorry, you’re just not terribly important to me.” Way to let her down easy 💀
“I know that my friends are your friends. I’ve thought about that - you can have them.” That’s something you’d hear in Seinfeld, I love it
1:48-1:56 the strange mechanical way in wich he first says "I'm leaving" in an irritated manner and then after being asked where pulls over again and says that with a calm and composed tone...
I think I was pretty calm and reasonable when I broke it off with her, I know it may have been a mistake to just up and leave, but those video tapes weren't going to be returned themselves
😆
I think you had assessed the situation so it was fine for you to leave
Understandable.
I actually think the actors did a better job than the script cause if he followed the script it would be very clanky and no emotion but this version is more realistic because of how nervous patrick is talking to evelyn and how evelyn reacts
The script often gets changed at the shoot because it worked better diefferently
the script is only a rought guideline, the director always changes what was initially written to fit their vision of the movie better. most of the time at least
This always happens. Props to Ellis and the scriptwriters though - some of the best lines come from them as do the scenarios.
It's not the actors call to change the script.
It's probably not the final draft of the script. Or they edited out those lines.
"You're not terribly important to me." Gets me every time.
The way he GRABS her hand & then engulfs her arm & twists it around is PERFECT! A true narcissist would 100% do that. They CANNOT stand to be touched for two reasons: 1. They made themselves look perfect ( and you and your taste are sub-par & dirty, so don't touch), and 2. Touching, especially in public, conveys partnership (ownership in a way), and of course emotion. He is so frightened of being seen and of having any real emotion. Bale, as always, nailed it with the swift movement of his arm, pace of his breath, and intensity of his disgust. Bravo.
@The Tyro of Toriyama its OK to not wanting to be touched. It's Bale's face in the scene & the intensity of his disgust. It's also, the way Reese touches him, a mothering movement. And a loving mother is foreign to his character in the movie.
@Ties de Jong well, I hope you find the right people or person that you feel comfortable hugging and being affectionately touched by since it is therapeutic when mutually agreed upon.
“I’m in touch with humanity.” Totally something a human would say.
This shows the level of acting. Without the actor, they are just words on a page. A good actor can emote so well that you forget you're watching people who have rehearsed the words and blocking. Bale is a master actor too, to be fair.
This man is a legend: he play Batman and Bateman.
Anyone else thought “BATEMAN” was “BATMAN”? And it’s perfect because he plays both lol
dude i had a full-on mandela effect with that exact thing. i thought there was a mistake in the script until i came back ten mins later and saw it. brain autocompleted my vision 😭
noo why did i do the exact same thing. my brain knows but it doesnt but it knowsss
I was thinking the same
Director: "How much of the screenplay do you want to ignore?" Christian Bale and Reese Witherspoon: "Yes"
"I know my behaviour can be...erratic sometimes" Yeah you know, it's just involuntary movements, a stab here, a smash there, another slash Just a bit of wandering, can happen
I love how in this scene, because of the way it is shot and the way the light comes in through the windows, Evelyn's eyes have a very clear glint of light in them, while Patrick's don't, which makes him look even more lifeless and cold. Such a cool detail!
Really good observation. Mary Harron directed the shit out of this movie
What a passionate love between narcissist and psychopath... Awww 😍
The way the two of them skipped some of the original screenplay lines to make the conversation more realistic was just 👌
That's called "video editing"...
So I heard this rumor that Patrick doesn't actually rewind his tapes before returning them. If so, he truly is a Psycho...
I died laughing when he said "you're not terribly important to me"
1:28 he's embarrassed and started looking around😭😭😭😭 Idk but that's so fucking funny for me
Either this guy forgets to return his video tapes constantly or he is just always on-time. Definitely couldn’t be a coverup used to distract people from his slowly-revealing homicidal rage.
I always felt that the high number of videotapes he rented was an implication of how many people he kills. He often seemed to have porn running on the tv when he interacts with women, sometimes as he prepares to kill them. So, if he has a high number of videotapes rented, I can only assume that's how often he interacted with women and therefore that's how many women he killed. This is just a complete guess by me though. Maybe I'm reading too much into something that was just supposed to be a running gag.
returning videotapes will be my primary excuse from now on
I love seeing the differences between the script and the final version
you can tell Patrick is losing his sanity in this scene and finding himself
In real life applications, the phrase "I have to return some video tapes"can get you out of many awkward situations, granted that you leave immediately
lets see paul allens loyalty to rental stores.
0:53 Script: "Brushes her hand away" Movie: grabs her hand so hard he looks like he's barely stopping himself from snapping her wrist Seriously though the physical acting from Christian Bale is incredible in this movie. Constant barely contained homicidal rage behind that creepy cold detatched expression.
“I want a firm commitment” Immediately focuses on some chicks bracelet as Patrick is having a complete mental breakdown.
Stellar improvisations!
This showed me screenplays in a different light. I love film and screenplays. The work needed to make them is very real, but the creative structuring and organization is very appealing to me. Like colorful building blocks fashioned in the mind. The colors are very real, but unseen; they are supportive, in the background; just an idea as how to visualize it via the help of a theoretized, off-the-cuff metaphor
How did he not burst out laughing saying this line so many times in the film…?! 🤣
This scene is even more unsettling when you realize everyone in the movie is supposed to also be a socio/psychopath.
The way he delivers that line "I'm in touch with humanity" is just
whenever i go somewhere and i’m asked “where are u going?” i always respond, deadpan, with “i need to return some video tapes” and i’ve found, as the years wear on, that it makes less and less sense which confuse more and more people and this fulfills me on numerous levels
“You’re not terribly important to me” That’s pretty much exactly what Chuck said to Jimmy in Better Call Saul, like their last conversation. Crazy
Impressive, very nice, let's see Paul Allen's break scene.
It’s amazing how much was improvised
“But what about the past? Our past?” “We never really shared one.”
Good Luck to everyone who's entering the screenplay competitions!!! Hope y'all finish them!!!
“No, I’m in touch with humanity” 1:16 There’s brilliance in Bale’s acting here. He’s obviously lying, and we can see him look to his right for an instant when saying those words. People tend to look to one side when lying.
I always love seeing the script at the same time as the film. Its very interesting to see how the team and the actor execute on the script, especially the deviations they make.
My dad had to return some videotapes to Blockbuster. I don’t think he knows they went bankrupt but he’ll come home eventually.
Incredible how Mr. Bateman was able to portray the true identity of Batman.
I’m going to submit a short film I wrote for the contest !
Great Alex, we're looking forward to reading it!
@@OutstandingScreenplays thank you so much ! I just submitted the script. I hope you enjoy it !
@@alexbadeau5027 The script received Alex! ✅ Thank you for submitting! We wish you the best of luck! 🤞📝
i like the way he says i have to return some videotapes it’s very satisfying
"I have to return some video tapes" tremendous amount of finality in that statement
Very nice. Now let’s see Paul Allen’s script.
Bale = talent
No he is a sociopath this is why, I recognize sociopaths
@@minecraftherobrine1234 So how did you know he was a sociopath?
@@minecraftherobrine1234 are you talking about the movie or real life?
“I’ve assessed the situation and uh, I’m going “ Damn I gotta use that one day
I really like how most of the dialogue is taken straight out of the book.
Now let's see Paul Allen's breakup scene...
All the good actors are able to run with it if lines get missed
“I gotta return some videotapes” is the best excuse to get out of any social situation
All the introverts hanging out at the videotape place
If only video easy was still a thing...
Bale is absolutly beast but can we mention that Resee have done two timeless, legendary and totally different break up scenes (this and legally blonde)
*"Returning Video Tapes is much more important than Pvssy" -Sigma Male Grindset*
“I’m in touch with humanity.” I never understood what he meant by that other than his obsession with materialism and what others think or wear.
She calls him inhuman, which he is. He responds with that as a very strange way to deny her accusation because he cares about his public image and thus wants to be viewed as "human"
“I’ve assessed the situation, and uh, I’m leaving”
Good one
(American Psycho 2022) Evelyn: (sobs uncontrollably) Patrick: "I'm leaving. I've assessed the situation, and I'm going!" Evelyn: Where are you going?! Patrick: ...just. leaving! Evelyn: ...but where?! Patrick in: (whispers) "I have to cancel my netflix account" Evelyn: (continues sobbing)
thought it said “batman” and not “bateman” for like the first minutes and i was completely content with it
batemen lost his ‘e’ and became batman
It's crazy how that little "No" adlibbed to "I'm in touch with humanity" makes such a difference. He sounds like a teenager trying to stop a rumor 😂
Yeah. If Batman wanted to get rid of a girl, he would do it this way.
Or if he wanted to get rid of some video tapes.
The actor saw Bateman so much in the script. One day he saw it as Batman by accident, but he probably said no, I will be Batman.
Someone should make a supercut of both movies. Bateman vs. Joker
Hands down my favourite film. Me and my siblings quote the hell out of it whenever we can.
I remember watching this on ifc as a kid, ifc had all the best films
This was always interesting to me because he could've easily just killed her, but he totally chooses Not to.. I think he DID have feelings for Evelyn, they were just really buried and he didn't know what they meant. He truly just needed a cover girlfriend, and he didn't want to hurt her after she provided that for him.
I never read the book but I saw some comments here saying how in the book he made her unknowingly eat an used urinal mint, and he enjoyed it for a minute then suddenly didn't enjoyed it and broke up with her, which I think means he realized he couldn't stop behaving like a psycho and he wanted to protect her from that.
@@Lucy-zb1ij Exactly. Even his evil had limits. He knew if he stayed in her life he would end up hurting her, and her being as oblivious as she was, he probably felt like she didn't deserve it. 😆
Thats a nice sentiment
@@Lucy-zb1ij wow
Incorrect. He has no feelings at all. Serial killers just don't kill their covers. She is his cover in his attempt to look normal and fit into society. If he killed her, he would look suspicious and his mask would slip. Serial killers only kill those not closely connected to them, as it is not as easy to connect those killings to them. Surprising how you all still don't know this, given the amount of coverage serial killers get these days.
Anyone else kept seeing BATMAN in the script whenever it was BATEMAN's line?
I love how he became Batman simply by removing the “e”. Genius
The way he said about video tapes
Every year that goes by, the more hysterical every line in this movie becomes. 😂