Yeah but Michael McDonald singing "Up There" makes it all seem worth it. I'll admit that the childish side of South Park is what initially won me over. I never laughed harder in my life than the first time I saw this in the theater.

Fight Club to me is all about masculinity. Its a story about a generation of men raised by women who are trying to find their own male voice. They grew up without any real father figures and they're trying to "be men". The story of course progresses to how men can be led like sheep and how too much testosterone can be quite literally destructive. Watching the film again you notice how clever certain devices are. The film got almost no notice when it came out considering everyone thought the great "surprise" ending was The Sixth Sense. Fight Club's ending was a little more inventive, and I think a tougher task to pull off.

Palahniuk's book says a hell of a lot about the modern man. I really think his writing has captured a side of the male gender never better represented. But on the other hand his book isn't all about fucking and getting drunk which people generally assume is all men think about or do. Not a single person watches a sports game, and aside from Marla there are no females, the only other one given a name is Chloe ("Who looks like Joni Mitchell's skeleton"). I'll admit the message of the movie has gotten a little misinterpreted by groups of guys beating the shit out of each other in basements. The book and film is just as much about searching for your masculine voice as it is a tale of thinking for yourself and avoiding blind consumerism. The mindless "space monkeys" are simply cogs in the wheel. Palahniuk's book ends a lot more interestingly. We're left to believe that "Tyler" has woken up, realized who he is himself, and will put a stop to Project Mayhem and all its misguided mischief. In the book however his creation becomes something much greater and bigger than himself, and there is no way of stopping it. I don't know if I'm shedding light onto anything new regarding the film, but the way it's executed, the dialogue, the wonderful interior monologues make the film a joy to watch over and over again. The book too can easily be finished in a day as well.