Toxic masculinity is a trait found in men where they are culturally pressured into behaving in a certain way which causes harm to themselves and society as well. Cinema, in the past, has had many films that have delved into the theme of toxic masculinity. From Fincher’s Fight Club, to American History X, the subject of toxic masculinity has been a hotbed for debate in the current cultural climate.

There are multiple reasons that American Psycho cuts through the clutter that surrounds toxic masculinity and its representation on screen… For starters, it’s a feminist film, a satirical take that revolves around the impact of society on men and then in turn the impact of men on society. Additionally, American Psycho is a masterful case study into the frameworks of the male psyche. This is largely possible due to Mary Harron’s objective approach. Her feminine perspective allows her a certain level of objectivity that a male director may have missed.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Interestingly, Marry Harron had her hurdles to overcome. Harron and screenplay writer Guinevere Turner were fired during the pre-production stages of the film, with Oliver Stone coming on board as director. Stone was keen on casting Leonardo Di Caprio instead of Christian Bale as Bateman. Through sheer serendipity, Leonardo Di Caprio, still riding on his titanic charm, was convinced by feminist journalist Gloria Steinem, to not take up the part citing it would break the hearts of his teenage fan club seeing him maul and murder women on screen… DiCaprio paid heed to Gloria Steinem’s advice and dropped out with Stone following suit. The project eventually came back to Mary Harron and the rest in history!

The Film is Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 Novel

     Lionsgate

American Psycho, the film was based on Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel of the same name. The novel, as described by Ellis himself was an impact of empty consumerism and its effect on the male psyche. Ellis found himself running on a continuous treadmill of consumerism, where being an alpha male was the only solution to all of life’s problems with the constant pursuit of consumerism acting as a vanity signal, an invitation to the top one percent club of men – boosting the fragile ego of an insecure man.

Ellis’s book was senselessly more gory than the film, depicting Bateman as an unmotivated psychopath, thirsty for the blood of women along with anybody who looked at him the wrong way… According to legendary critic Roger Ebert, “Harron transformed a novel about bloodlust into a movie about men’s vanity” Harron, along with screenwriter Guinevere Turner wanted to dive deep into the causes and triggers that caused men to embrace masculinity to the point of toxicity, rather than just focussing on a trait or a spectacle.

Equipped with a different, unconventional perspective, Harron and Turner went on to successfully display the complete range of emotions a toxic male is capable of, ranging from caricature-like lunacy to juvenile insecurity.

Toxic Masculinity and the Female Gaze

     Lions Gate Films

If Ellis’s book was a blood-fueled murder spree, Harron’s adaptation can be viewed as a clinical case study of the male ego, approached through a satirical lens. Biologically, men are not as expressive and emotional compared to females. Due to this neurobiological wiring, the films men make about masculinity, either do not confront the issue head-on or do so on a very basic level.

In American Psycho, there’s a scene where Patrick Bateman and his colleagues are comparing business cards, judging each card based on the font, paper quality, and color. This particular scene is approached with sexual undertones of humor, with the business indicating phalli. Despite being a part of the elite one percent of males in the world, the bankers displayed a sense of sheer insecurity, and blind conformity.

Instead of blatantly calling toxic men out, Harron uses wit and satire to convey a thematically important message in the film – the fragility of the male ego.

Yuppie Culture and its Relationship to Toxic Masculinity

      Lions Gate Films (United States) & Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (International)

Yuppie culture has lost its significance over time and has been replaced by an onslaught of various cultures. In American Psycho, Harron appropriately leverages yuppie culture by successfully highlighting the fragility of the male ego. The theme of mistaken identity is interspersed throughout the film, creating overarching similarities that most toxic men possess.

In one particular scene, Bateman is mistaken for someone else by his colleague Paul Allen (Jared Leto). Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, just a few seconds of awkwardness and the moment is gone. But not with Bateman, not when you have such a fragile, ill-formed sense of self. Interpreted as a direct assault on his ego, Bateman invites Allen to his swanky apart, puts on Huey Lewis’s Fore on the stereo, and then proceeds to crack Allen’s skull with an axe in a blind fit of rage.

Harron adds another layer of misleading identities to the narrative, to further solidify her point that most of the yuppies seem to be very similar in nature and behavior. In the case of misleading identities, Patrick Bateman often assumes Paul Allen’s identity while he’s out with women on dates, thereby creating an overarching persona that most of the toxic men subscribe to. Given the current cultural context of things, American Psycho is an essential watch to understand the multilayered effects society has on men and the cost it comes at.