Reel Critics

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The Reel Critics column features movie critiques written

by community members serving on our panel.

Fine performances can’t save ‘American Psycho’

“American Psycho” is based on the book by Brett Easton Ellis that caused

tremendous grief in the publishing world when it was originally

published.

Mary Harron, who made her directorial debut with the great but

little-seen “I Shot Andy Warhol,” again proves to be a director of

immense talent, even when the material is as marginal as this.

Harron and her writing partner, Guinevere Turner, have transformed the

novel from a poorly written satire on 1980s America to a decent parable

of the American male. Unlike well-written satires, you are not going to

leave the theater hitting your forehead with the palm of your hand

saying, “I never new men really behaved and thought this way!”

Instead, you may find yourself wondering about what makes the male ego

“tick.”

Christian Bale (“Metroland,” “Empire of the Sun”) stars as the vile

Patrick Bateman, Wall Street guru and serial killer. Harron develops the

script and the movie with less vile than you would expect.

However, she senses a linkage between the amount of time Bateman spends

in the morning lovingly applying his various male facial products to the

way he kills people who happen to either annoy him, anger him or simply

are happen to be in his path.

Consequently, Bateman, like his various executive-types he associates

with, are narcissists driven by ego and fueled by greed. Bateman just

takes it a tad too far in feeding his rage into being a serial killer.

The film, for its numerous flaws, does show flashes of sheer wit. There

is a scene where a group of businessmen compare their business cards

discussing the wording, paper thickness, finish, embossing, engraving and

fonts; they might have well been discussing their phalli. Their sexual

insecurity is manifested in card envy.

The card insecurity carries itself into other areas in which rivalries

are expressed in dinner reservations, office size and girlfriends. But

underneath their bravado is the grim realization that all of them are not

very important.

It is from this realization that Bateman feeds his serial killer

instincts.

The film also boasts an exceptional group of today’s young actors led by

Bale, Jared Leto, Chloe Sevigny and Samantha Mathis.

Bale gives an all-out performance as Bateman; he does not want the

audience to like either him or his character. Bale’s complete immersion

in the satirical tone of the movie enables him to make the murders not

one of a typical slasher movie but one of a hobbyist who really enjoys

devising new ways to keep himself entertained.

In spite of a few good scenes and the strong performances by the cast,

“American Psycho” cannot be saved from its many down sides. However, as a

film and book that examines, however poorly, the male psyche, it will

provide many conversation pieces.

* ROB OROZCO, 30, is an attorney who lives in Newport Beach with his wife

and two cats.

‘Gossip’ will get viewers talking

What happens when a rumor is more believable than the truth? How far can

the rumor go before there is no turning back? With the latest “Gossip,”

rumor has a life of its own and it’s a wild ride finding the truth.

A trio of college students have a class project. They decide to start a

rumor and track its progress and changes. Everything goes spiraling out

of control when a rape charge is cooked up, and the three disagree about

what to do with the new turn of events.

“Gossip” appears to be just the latest teen flick, although it is rated

R. But it has none of the bubble and fluff typical of those films.

Instead, the characters and plot spin an intriguingly truthful look at

the rumor mill, woven together perfectly for a thought-provoking trip.

The ensemble cast does a great job of doing the exact opposite of most

acting jobs: creating personas with minimal exposure that are absolutely

engaging and believable. The audience has to know these people, but not

know them at the same time.

James Marsden, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Kate Hudson and Joshua Jackson

do an outstanding job at keeping up with the plot and not being lost in

the hectic pace. Individually, they’re good; as a group, they’re

brilliant.

The bottom line is that it’s a big guessing game. Don’t expect to sit

back, relax and enjoy. “Gossip” will start the mind racing and keep it

churning away even after the darkened theater has become a distant

memory.

The story line is amazing. It’s easy to follow, but purposefully

confusing. The setup of the film runs like “Usual Suspects” and does a

great job of grabbing and holding interest. There are so many different

ideas running about that there is no down time.

“Gossip” does have a R rating for mentioning rape, suicide and murder,

and for a fistfight, but it is tamer than a lot of PG-13 movies.

If the moviegoing experience has become a bit dull, run out and see

“Gossip.” It’ll have you talking.

* MELISSA RICHARDSON, 19, is a Costa Mesa resident and a junior at UCI.