Hey, even the Mona Lisa's falling apart

Discuss some of the similarities + differences between the two films you have studied for this topic with particular reference to narrative and genre features

Both films, American Beauty and Fight Club share similar messages that they seek to communicate. They were both made in 1999 and share some similarities. Visually they are both completely different interestingly enough. Fight Club uses edgy, fast editing techniques. It was perceived as ground-breaking for its visual style in cinema. Whereas American Beauty does not use high-tech editing technique but it still beautifully cut together. Both films were described as the ‘most talked film of its time’.

Throughout the film there are several references and subtle digs at the American Dream. By doing this the audience learn that both directors, Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and David Fincher (Fight Club) are very cynical when it comes to the ideologies of The American Dream. It isn’t hard to see that the directors do not agree with the ideologies that constantly surround us. The director’s thoughts on the Dream are represented through key elements such as narrative structure and the characters. For example for me Fight Club’s Tyler Durden is the voice of the director, David Fincher. It is quotes such as: “Right. We are consumers. We’re the bi-products of a lifestyle obsession” and “Hey, even the Mona Lisa is falling apart” which stand out for me. There are several moments throughout the film where I feel David Fincher is making a connection with the audience through the character. When Tyler says things like: “Murder, crime, poverty, these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear” I feel Fincher is angry with what the world has become.

I feel that Sam Medes does the same in American Beauty through the protagonist Lester Burnham. There is a scene in which Lester comes onto Carolyn and instead of giving into temptation she tells him to stop as he is going to spill beer on the sofa. When Lester argues that is it just a sofa, Carolyn screams: “This is a $4,000 sofa, upholstered in Italian silk”. It is this next line where the voice of Mendes is present. “This isn’t life, it’s just stuff. And it’s become more important to you than living. Well, honey, that’s just nuts. It seems to me that Fincher and Mendes share the same opinions.

Another thing both films have in common are the themes that they both play on. The films challenge pro-consumerism through their protagonists. Both American Beauty and Fight Club feature a wide selection of characters all different in their own little way. To me, each character has something unique about them considering how dominated they are by stereotypes. When it comes to their personal values the characters are not all that different from each other. They both feature characters rooting for different sides. In American Beauty, Carolyn Burnham and Jack are everything the American Dream stands for. They rely on the pro-consumerist ideologies to fulfill mental happiness. Whereas other protagonists such as Lester Burnham and Jack’s alter ego Tyler Durden live for something more meaningful. The two protagonists in both films are very similar from one another. Fight Club's Tyler Durden and American Beauty's Lester Burnham are both on a quest for physical embodiment. They struggle with masculinity and live joyless lives. They constantly seek happiness but they do so in a different way in which Carolyn and Tyler Durden do. I feel that both films deeply play on the idea of different stereotypes.

Fincher’s characters are a combination of stereotypes and facts. One in seventeen Americans (about six percent of the population) suffers from sever mental illness. Fight Club’s protagonist Jack is a prime example of this. It can be argued that he does not suffer from a metal illness. He actually suffers from insomnia which is a symptom not a disease. The fact that he imagine an alter-ego shows the audience that he is not all there.
Both films explore the theme voyeurism, particularly American Beauty as its tagline is 'look closer'. Again, this theme is explored through the character's actions. The audience forever sees Brad Pitt's character walking around in the fight scenes. He is a critical observer and this also emphasizes his strength as a character. American Beauty's Ricky Fitts is also an observer in a more obvious way. Fitts is never seen without his camera. He documents things he finds beautiful throughout the film. To some extent he is similar to Lester and Tyler as he also lives for the more important things. He is constantly picking up on the smaller, more important things such as Janey's expressions. Disfunctionality plays a big part in both films. I feel every character in both films embody this one way or another. For example American Beauty's Jane craves human contact and some sort of a relationship with her father. On the other hand Marla craves sexual contact in order to feel better about herself. Marla (Fight Club) and Jane are different, fresh representations of females. They challenge the hegemonic values of feminity and beauty. The two of them do not fit in anywhere; this is enlightening to see characters that are not a walking stereotype. Although it could be argued that they are the ‘misfit’ stereotype.Fight Club and American Beauty both immediately challenge the American Dream through narrative and a voice-over. They also both begin at the end of the film, challenging usual narrative convention. The two films feature homoerotic overtones and to some extent can fall under the black comedy genre. These overtones make the audience uncomfortable and thereby keep them from anticipating the twist ending.