‘American Psycho’ Director Says “Wall Street Bros” Missed Point of Film: “A Gay Man’s Satire on Masculinity”

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Director Mary Harron expressed her bewilderment over how the 2000 movie “American Psycho” has become popular among stock market professionals.

The movie director recently had a conversation with Letterboxd Journal regarding the online trend known as “sigma male” and its association with Christian Bale’s character, Patrick Bateman, being viewed as an ideal by some men.

Harron expressed his constant bewilderment, saying, “We never anticipated Wall Street guys would take a liking to it at all.” He further questioned, “Did we miss the mark? I can’t fathom why this occurred since Christian Bale’s character is clearly mocking them… Yet, people interpret the Bible as reason to commit violence, and they link The Catcher in the Rye to assassinating a president.” In simpler terms, Harron was surprised that Wall Street bros liked something they didn’t intend for them, and he couldn’t understand why, since the main character mocks them, but people can misinterpret literature and use it in harmful ways.

In contrast, the director of “The Notorious Bettie Page” stated that Wall Street professionals may have overlooked the film’s main message. The movie centers around Patrick Bateman, a wealthy New York City investment banker, who conceals his dark psychopathic side from his work colleagues and friends while becoming increasingly engrossed in his violent and hedonistic desires.

Harron clarified that he and Guinevere, who identifies as gay, found the interpretation of American Psycho to be a satire on masculinity from a gay perspective. Bret Easton Ellis’ homosexuality, according to him, enabled him to observe the homoerotic customs among these alpha males, which are prevalent not only in literature but also in sports, Wall Street, and other male-dominated environments where competition and the pursuit of superiority are highly valued. There is a distinctly gay element to the way these men idolize physical appearance and fitness.

In Ellis’ novel, Patrick Bateman admires Donald Trump, who is presently in his second term as the U.S. president. Although American Psycho is set during the Reagan era of the ’80s, when the AIDS Epidemic affected the LGBTQ community significantly, the filmmaker finds it surprising how the story seems less relevant now because transgender rights are being challenged by the Trump administration.

25 years on, the society has evolved into one that’s even more predatory than before. The wealthy have grown wealthier, while the less fortunate have become poorer still, she lamented. She had never envisioned that such a thing as the celebration of racism and white supremacy would take place in the highest office of the land. She could not have foreseen that we would endure living through such times.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the release of “American Psycho”, and Lionsgate has tapped director Luca Guadagnino to oversee a fresh film adaptation.

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2025-04-16 03:24