Fight Club is often revered as a male-dominated fantasy film, but like...why does no one talk about how homoerotic so much of it is? Don't buy it? Well, follow along as I argue that Fight Club is full of eroticism made purely for men. Hell, there are barely women in the movie who are sexualized in any way. It's all about the hot abs on Brad Pitt and Edward Norton and their flirtatious will-they-or-won't-they-vibe. For today's Throwback Thursday, let's take a look at the subtextual gayness in Fight Club.
Here's the thing: Fight Clubis based on a novel and centers around two hot men who meet up in a clandestine bar with other sweaty men who all physically fight each other. Does that not sound super gay? Like I'm not wrong, right? Especially in the 1990s when gay men were still meeting in private and living out loud wasn't as celebrated as it is today. The film has a lot of themes, but the central theme is repression. These men are repressed and they seek to express themselves through fighting. Wonder what's repressed? Keep reading!
First of all, I'm not alone in thinking this. People have written academic papers on this subject, so I'm nottotally original when it comes to this topic. That's also to say that these thoughts are backed up by academia! What's not to love about an excuse to research potential gay stories in mainstream Hollywood? With that in mind, let's briefly go over what Fight Club is even about. Brad Pittplays Tyler Durden and Edward Norton plays The Narrator who narrates and fights his way through the movie. Edward is a bored office worker who meets sexy Tyler and is instantly drawn to him. From his blazing blue eyes to his devil-may-care attitude, The Narrator becomes absolutelyobsessed with Tyler Durden - AKA he falls in love with him. The two have an intense relationship, often burgeoning on toxic and codependent, where the two use fighting as a metaphor for physical intimacy. The movie uses masculine ideals like fighting as a way for men to get close to one another, eschewing women entirely and expressing their true feelings in the ring. Oh, and you can't talk about Fight Club. Fight Club is very much in the closet.
At one point in the film, Tyler Durden and the Narrator get matching chemical burns in the shape of a kiss at one point. How is that not romance? It's essentially getting your partner's name tattooed on your body. It's a weird proof of commitment and it also happens after Tyler seems to get jealous of the Narrator's relationship with Helena Bonham Carter's character. Hey, I've been there. I didn't make my lover get a chemical burn, but I get the impulse. I just made them post about me on social media or something instead.
Tyler also seems to adore Jared Leto's character Angel Face, a bleach blonde twink, which drives the Narrator to a similar kind of jealousy. He takes his jealousy out on him by beating the living daylights out of him later on. How intense is that?! This feels even more dramatic than a teen drama with jilted lovers. These are A-list stars getting violently jealous over their crush crushing on someone else. Kinda hot, right?
Also, Brad Pitt did a strange series of promotions for the movie which featured him posing in gender-bending clothing. The reason for this is not clear. His character Tyler Durden doesn't wear dresses in the film (or the book it's based on). Check out some of thosepictures here.
OKAY NOW IT'S TIME FOR A SPOILER ALERT:Tyler Durden and our narrator are the same person which is a pretty well-known "twist". Tyler lives inside of The Narrator and is thus a primal identity of his struggling to break through the surface. As an interesting aside, the book's author Chuck Palahniuk is gay. He wasn't out at the time that he wrote the book, but this could potentially suggest that he was living with an internal conflictfeaturing his dueling identities. Is Tyler Durden the Narrator's queer side trying to live openly? That's certainly one interpretation!
The film ends with The Narrator "killing" Tyler and then holding hands with Helena Bonham Carter as the world burns around them. Never forget there is aquick shot of a dick at the end of the film - a reference to Tyler's penchant for splicing porn into the film - so despite the straight ending, it technically ends in cock.The book, unlike the film, ends with Tyler still being very much alive to the Narrator which is good news. He can't suppress that side of him no matter how much he tries by engaging in a straight relationship at the end of the film. I think the cock is further proof that those desires and that love for Tyler still lives inside of him. Watch and see for yourself:
