Review
Brad Pitt’s filmography is filled with plenty of great movies, but he dubbed Fight Club the best of his career almost immediately. ing his collaboration with David Fincher on Se7en, Pitt reunited with the director for the mind-bending and darkly satirical adaptation of Chuck Palinuk’s novel of the same name. Fight Club stars Edward Norton as an aimless young man who meets the mysterious Tyler Durden (Pitt), and together, they build an underground fight community for men.
More than 25 years after it was released, Fight Club‘s status as a classic of the 1990s is undisputed. Even with movies like Moneyball, Inglourious Basterds, Ocean’s 11, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Pitt’s claim that Fight Club is his best movie is not hard to agree with. However, Pitt’s early enthusiasm for the film came at a time when there weren’t a lot of other people who held Fight Club in the same esteemed regard.
Brad Pitt Praised Fight Club After It Was Booed At Its Premiere
Pitt Was Undeterred By The Initial Reaction
Despite being considered a classic now, the original reception to Fight Club was not a warm one. The movie premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where the dark humor and brutal violence of the project meshed into a tone that was clearly not for everyone. In the book Best. Movie. Year. Ever. by Brian Raftery, which examines the influential movies of 1999, Edward Norton recalled that he and Brad Pitt were the only ones laughing at the movie’s dark jokes. Norton also remembers that the vocal reaction from the audience did not dampen Pitt’s assessment of the movie:
“It got booed. It wasn’t playing well at all. Brad turns and looks at me and says, ‘That’s the best movie I’m ever gonna be in.’ He was so happy.”
Despite the fact that Pitt was labeled as a heartthrob early in his career, he quickly established that he was an actor who was willing to take chances with bold projects. He clearly had a lot of passion for Fight Club and the kind of movie they were making. The visceral reaction to Fight Club from that first audience likely only intensified his excitement about the film, as it was sure to be one that was remembered for a long time.
Fight Club Has Gone On To Become A Cult Classic
Fight Club's Legacy Continues To Grow
The Venice Film Festival reaction to Fight Club led to a warmer reception from critics when it actually opened, earning 81% on Rotten Tomatoes but Fight Club was a box office bomb in 1999 as well, earning back just over half of its budget. However, it has since earned a reputation as one of those movies that simply took longer for people to appreciate, becoming one of the most popular cult classic movies of all time.
Decades later, the legacy of the movie continues to grow with more and more fans discovering it and embracing it as one of their favorites.
From Fight Club‘s iconic ending to the soundtrack to the social commentary, so much about it has become part of pop culture over the years. Decades later, the legacy of the film continues to grow with more and more fans discovering it and embracing it as one of their favorites. It is the bold filmmaking and boundary-pushing tone that the initial crowds turned against that is part of what makes it remain so popular now. There is a danger to the movie, while still being an entertaining ride from beginning to end.
Pitt’s claims that it will be the best movie he’s ever been in are debatable, simply because the actor has appeared in so many great films. However, Fight Club certainly ranks as one of his best movies and surely his most iconic character. Tyler Durden is a creation that has surpassed the movie itself. Pitt’s performance perfectly makes him an engrossing person while having an otherworldly aura around him. The performance and the character are just two factors that add to Fight Club being remembered as a classic to this day.
