15 Movies That Thought They Were Smart But Totally Weren't

This one will inevitably be divisive, but aside from the beautifully done plot twist, Fight Club really isn't too clever.

It's likely that, as you grow older, you'll love Fight Club less than you used to. There's no denying that the film touches on some really interesting ideas but because everything in the script is so over-the-top and immature, it's impossible to engage with the film on a thematic level. In particular, Tyler Durden's (Brad Pitt) arguably trite rants about society are NOT ageing well.

Also, despite its focus on psychology and social commentary, Fight Club is entirely style-over-substance. There's a complete lack of pathos or emotional depth, most of the characters are cardboard and the central premise of a group of frustrated men beating each other up is one of the most basic metaphors for societal frustration imaginable.

As such, while you will definitely have a good time watching Fight Club, it never feels like a genuinely insightful work since there's no emotion or humanity within all its flashy dialogue and it's impossible to take anything it says seriously.

Fight Club remains an entertaining and overall good cult movie thanks to how good the performances and direction are (even if its astonishingly high IMDb Top 250 placement is beyond ridiculous), but is it smart? Nope.