Fight Club - Murder, Mayhem, Soap

You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. What happens first is you can't sleep. What happens then is there's a gun in your mouth. And what happens next is you meet Tyler Durden. Let me tell you about Tyler. He had a plan. In Tyler we trusted. Tyler says the things you own, end up owning you. It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything. Fight Club represents that kind of freedom. First rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club.

However, before he meets Tyler (Brad Pitt), Jack (Edward Norton), has become addicted to help groups. In this scene he meets his help group nemesis, Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) and he does not like her.

Click here for "Fight Club" DVDs, Soundtracks and Books




INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - NIGHT
Jack stares at a group of men, including Bob, who are all listening to a group member speak at a lectern. The speaker has death-white skin and sunken eyes -- he's clearly dying.

SPEAKER
I ... wanted to have three kids. Two boys and a girl. Mindy wanted two girls and one boy. We never agreed on anything.
The Speaker cracks a sad smile. Some men chuckle, happy to lighten the mood.

SPEAKER
Well ... she had her first girl a month ago ... with her new husband. Thank God, because she deserves ...
The speaker breaks down and WEEPS UNCONTROLLABLY. Jack is riveted. He
barely breathes.

CUT TO:
INT. GYM - LATER

A Leader herds people into pairing-off.

LEADER
Find a partner.
Bob starts toward Jack, shuffling his feet. Jack watches him, still moved by his experience, face full of intense empathy.

JACK (Voice Over)
The big moosie, his eyes already shrink-wrapped in tears. Knees together, invisible steps.
Bob takes Jack into an embrace.

JACK (V.O.)
He pancaked down on top of me.

BOB
Two grown kids ... and they won't return my calls.

JACK (V.O.)
Strangers with this kind of honesty make me go a big rubbery one.
Jack's face is rapt and sincere. Bob stops talking and breaks into sobbing, putting his head down on Jack's shoulder and completely covering Jack's face.

JACK (V.O.)
Then, I was lost in oblivion -- dark and silent and complete.
Jack's body begins to jerk in sobs. He tightens his arms around Bob.

JACK (V.O.)
This was freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.
Jack pulls back from Bob. On Bob's chest, there's a WET MASK of Jack's face from how he looked weeping.

JACK (V.O.)
Babies don't sleep this well.

INT. JACKS' BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jack lies sound asleep.

JACK (V.O.)
I became addicted.

INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Jack moves into a "group hug" of sickly people, men and women. In view is a sign by the door "Free and Clear".

JACK (V.O.)
I felt more alive than I've ever felt.

INT. OFFICE BUILDING BASEMENT - NIGHT

Jack pulls back from a group hug of more sickly people. They pair-off.
Jack stands with a weeping middle-aged WOMAN. He gingerly takes her in his arms, pats her back. He begins to cry along with her. In view is a sign by the door: "Onward and Upward".

JACK (V.O.)
If I didn't say anything, people assumed the worst. They cried harder. I cried harder.

INT. CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL - NIGHT

Jack is in an embrace with a YOUNG MAN. They are both weeping.

JACK (V.O.)
I wasn't really dying. I wasn't host to cancer or parasites; no, I was the warm little center that the life of this world crowded around.

INT. PUBLIC BUILDING CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Everyone settles in their seats and a Leader takes the microphone.

LEADER
Okay, everyone, close your eyes. Imagine your pain as a white ball of healing light. Go down your secret path to your cave and join up with your power animal.

EXT. ENTRANCE OF CAVE (JACK'S IMAGINATION)
Jack walks up to the entrance and out comes a PENGUIN. The penguin looks at him, smiles.

PENGUIN
Slide.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Jack walks out of a doorway, saying goodbye to people. He walks down
the sidewalk, his face shining with peace.

JACK (V.O.)
Every evening I died and every evening I was born. Resurrected.

CUT BACK TO:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - *RESUMING*

Jack still hanging in an embrace with Bob.

JACK (V.O.)
Bob loved me because he thought my testicles were removed, too. Being there, my face against his tits, getting ready to cry -- this was my vacation.

MARLA SINGER enters. She has short matte black hair and big, dark eyes
like a character from Japanese animation.

MARLA
This is cancer, right?
She raises a cigarette to her lips. The men gape at her, dumbfounded.

JACK (V.O.)
And *she* ruined everything.

CUT TO:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - LATER
Everyone paired-off. MOVE THROUGH ROOM and catch snippets of intimate, painful

CONVERSATION.
FIND JACK'S FACE as it stares, over Bob's shoulder, eyes full of deep hostility.

JACK (V.O.)
Liar. Faker. Liar.

MOVE THROUGH ROOM, hearing more CONVERSATION.
FIND MARLA'S FACE, over the shoulder of a MAN she's being embraced by,
SMOKING, blowing smoke rings.

JACK (V.O.)
This ... chick ... Marla Singer... did not have testicular cancer. She had no diseases. She was a liar. I saw her at "We Shall Overcome," my melanoma group Monday night ...

INT. SMALL PROTESTANT CHURCH - NIGHT
Marla sits with the group, smoking, while a member speaks. Jack glares at her.

INT. CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL - NIGHT
Everyone sits with eyes closed while a speaker takes them through a meditation. Various COUGHING around the room. Jack's eyes open and he
glares at Marla. Her eyes are closed and she's smoking a cigarette.

JACK (V.O.)
... at "Seize The Day," my tuberculosis group Friday night.

CUT BACK TO:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - RESUMING

Jack continues to glare at Marla. Her eyes briefly catch his, then roll. Another puff of the cigarette.

JACK (V.O.)
Marla -- the big tourist. The faker. With her there, I was a faker, too. Her lie reflected my lie. And all of a sudden, I felt nothing. With her there, I couldn't cry.