Fight Club director says it's not his fault movie became popular with incels

Fight Club is one of the most iconic and timeless movies of all time that has garnered quite a cult following since its inception in 1999.

Directed by David Fincher, Fight Club starred Edward Norton as a down-in-the-dumps man who suffered a severe case of insomnia with no purpose in his seemingly meaningless life. That was until he met salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) who looked to give his life meaning by hosting an underground fight club.

Check out the Fight Club trailer below!

“The two bored men form an underground club with strict rules and fight other men who are fed up with their mundane lives,” reads the Fight Club synopsis. “Their perfect partnership frays when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), a fellow support group crasher, attracts Tyler's attention.”

Fight Club earned an almighty audience score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes cementing itself as an all-time great. However, it seems that some take the Fight Club fandom much further than others and this is something that David Fincher is aware of. Unfortunately, as reported by our friends at UNILAD, Fight Club is apparently popular with individuals described as “incels”.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, an incel is: “a member of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are hostile towards women and men who are sexually active.”

As reported by The New Yorker, ‘incel message boards’ are filled with fans that love nothing more than to worship the character played by Brad Pitt. Though to be fair, fans have been worshipping Brad Pitt for many years and quite understandably so. He’s a fantastic actor, after all.

What’s more, The New Statesman reports that alt-right individuals relate to Fight Club with its emphasis on rejection from the ‘material world’. Beneath its reality-questioning plot, Fight Club tells a story of the fight against capitalism and oppression. The alt-right also apparently consider themselves to be ‘red-pilled’, a reference to the Matrix movies as they see themselves as awoken from government manipulation.

When talking to The Guardian, Fincher addressed reports of those who may have stronger affection towards his movie. “I’m not responsible for how people interpret things… Language evolves. Symbols evolve,” he said. “It’s one of many touchstones in their lexicography. We didn’t make it for them, but people will see what they’re going to see in a Norman Rockwell painting, or [Picasso’s] Guernica.”

Fincher also explained his surprise as to why someone would ‘worship’ a character like Tyler Durden. “It’s impossible for me to imagine that people don’t understand that Tyler Durden is a negative influence,” explained the director. “People who can’t understand that, I don’t know how to respond and I don’t know how to help them.”

That being said, if you’ve never watched Fight Club, go watch it, it's awesome. If you haven't watched it in a while, go watch it again anyway.

Topics: TV And Film