American Psycho. Fight Club. Wolf of Wall Street. Se7en. The Dark Knight. The Godfather. Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood. Pulp Fiction. Drive. What do all of these movies have in common you may ask? They are all considered to be some of the ultimate Film Bro movies. Now you may be asking yourself, What is a Film Bro? What makes a movie a Film Bro movie? Am I a Film Bro? And I am here to answer all of your lingering questions.
Let’s start with the basics. According to Urban Dictionary, there are many definitions on what a Film Bro is. A combination of these definitions gets us: “An arrogant person who views themself as a huge film nerd, while having mostly surface level knowledge of movies who pretends to know a lot about film but actually only appreciates movies with visual panache and no narrative depth.” Basically it’s a man who watches a select handful of movies and acts as if he has the pinnacle of knowledge when it comes to film and movies.
When it comes to what makes a Film Bro a Film Bro, these are things that come to mind. Their favorite movies include: The Wolf of Wall Street, American Psycho, or Fight Club, among others. These three are the three most popular and common Film Bro movies, so chances are if a man tells you one of these three is their favorite movie, you may be dealing with a Film Bro. Another thing that I consider an important factor to being a Film Bro is having a Letterboxd account, but not just any Letterboxd account, one that is meticulously crafted with reviews that make them look like they are trying too hard. The third thing that comes to mind is if their celebrity crush is Margot Robbie. This is self-explanatory. If any man says Margot Robbie is their celebrity crush, it’s probably not because they enjoyed her performance in any of the films that they’ve seen her in. Another thing that comes to mind is if they use the term “cinephile” to describe themselves. No one being serious ever uses that word. They also will only refer to movies as “films” NEVER movies. The final thing that comes to mind is if they ridicule you for your favorite movie. If a man ever makes fun of you for liking a movie that they don’t deem “art” then they are most definitely a Film Bro.
Now you know some of the things that make up being a Film Bro, now you are probably wondering what makes a movie a Film Bro movie. There are few determiners here including by not limited to: The Director. If the movie is directed by Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsece, David Fincher, or Christopher Nolan, it is most likely considered to fall into this category. Next are the actors in said movie. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, and Ryan Gosling come to mind, but that does not mean that every movie that they are in falls in this category, they just star in a lot of the movies on the Film Bro lists. The movie also should be rated R. Some exceptions like the Dark Knight are included, but if the movie isn’t full of violence, nudity, language, and more, then it probably won’t do well in this category. There also tends to be the presence of sexual exploitation of women in some way shape or form in these films, which is concerning when men freak out over how much they love the characters that do the exploiting like Jordan Belfort and Patrick Bateman.
“I think guys that try to lecture or mansplain movies to women makes them a film bro. Also, having an obsession with movies that don’t have complex story lines for women and that sexualize, degrade, and/or exploit women like The Wolf of Wall Street,” Alexa Davidoff said.
The culture of Film Bros is one that is rooted in toxic masculinity and misogyny. Now if you are reading this article and find yourself relating to the Film Bro narrative, that is not to say that you are full of toxic masculinity and are misogynistic, this is simply a critique on this culture that has suddenly permeated our culture. I will be the first to say that every movie on this list is a great movie and there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking any of the film on this list. The cockiness and arrogance that some men hold over liking these films is what has created this toxic narrative that makes many women feel unwelcomed and unsafe in film-loving communities.
“The fact that women are not allowed to critique any part of the movie and if you say you like that movie, they like it more,” Mahi Patel said.
Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood is my personal favorite movie and if anyone tried to tell me that I did not understand the movie or I simply could not like the movie in the way that they like it, it would anger me because what do they know about my knowledge of the film? Or take American Psycho for example. The movie has found a second life with Gen-Z viewers, especially with young women. The movie is a satire on men and young women find it hilarious. There is also the added bonus of Christian Bale being attractive, but at the end of the day, all of the brutal and horrible things he does are excused because he is a man and the film is perfect critique on how men will get away with just about anything. On the flip side, young male Gen-Z viewers see Patrick Bateman as a role model and aspire to be like him, which totally bypasses the entire point of the film being a satire. Ironically enough, the movie was directed by Mary Herron, a woman. Bale himself identifies more with the female audience and cannot believe that there are audience members who want to be anything like Bateman. This idolization of characters like Bateman, Belfort, Tyler Durden, The Joker, and more is concerning, but ultimately not surprising.
With all of that being said, we wanted to poke fun at these movies by gender-swapping them and making all of the male characters women. (SPOILER WARNING FOR THE FILMS BELOW)
American Psycho
Of course we had to include American Psycho in our list. With Christian Bale playing the title psycho, Patrick Bateman. He works on Wall Street in Mergers and Acquisitions, but is more into Murders and Executions in his freetime. He is incredibly insecure and takes out this rage on anyone that gets in his way. Specifically his coworker Paul Allen (Jared Leto), who he is insanely jealous of.
Fight Club
The first rule about Fight Club is you don’t talk about Fight Club, but we’re making an exception. The mind-bending thriller from David Fincher stars Ed Norton as simply the Narrator who suffers from insomnia. He meets soap-salesman, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), at an AA meeting and the two become fast friends, with the Narrator following Durden around like a lost puppy where they both end up in the underground world of Fight Club.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Based on the truly insane story of disgraced stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street. Belfort became a multi-millionaire in the 1980s through money laundering and securities schemes that made him over $200 million. The entire story is full of drugs, sex, and ludicrousy and is truly unbelievable.
Se7en
Perhaps the darkest movie on this list, Se7en is another David Fincher film starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as Detectives David Mills and William Somerset (respectively). The two are tasked with following a serial killer that is slowly killing off strangers according to the seven deadly sins. The killer, John Doe (Kevin Spacey), reveals himself in a spectacular fashion and the ending will leave your stomach in knots.
The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s Batman adaptation sequel is considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Starring Christian Bale as the caped crusader and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, Nolan makes a perfect film that shows a constant cat and dog fight between the two comic book legends. Ledger received a posthumous Supporting Actor Academy Award for his horrifying interpretation of Batman’s most infamous enemy.
The Godfather
One of the pinnacles of Film Bro movies is Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. It also happens to be the oldest on the list with a release date of 1972. Starring the iconic Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, the film follows the Corleone crime family as Vito must make the decision to pass the reins on to his son Michael (Al Pacino). Brando won the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal as Vito.
Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood
A historical fiction based on the 1969 Manson Family murders, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood is a true love letter to 1960s Hollywood. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as struggling actor Rick Dalton and his best friend and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), the two men are forced to find their way as the industry rapidly changes in front of their eyes. The historical part comes in with Dalton’s next door neighbor, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who was a real actress who was murdered by Charles Manson’s cult in August of 1969. But spoiler alert, in Tarantino’s version, Tate is spared and Rick and Cliff take on the murderers themselves, giving them the ending that they deserve. Pitt won the Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role.
Pulp Fiction
Another Tarantino classic is Pulp Fiction starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson as hitmen Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield. The film focuses on violence and crime and tells the stories of multiple characters including Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman). The film won the
won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 and won Tarantino the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award.
Drive
The final movie we wanted to highlight was Drive starring Ryan Gosling as the Driver. The Driver works as a stuntman driver in Hollywood who is dissatisfied with his life and decides to drive as a getaway driver which ultimately gets him involved with high-profile criminals which brings him a multitude of problems.
Overall, all of these movies truly are great films and this was all done in good fun. Film Bros are such an interesting part of our culture and I am so interested to see what movies become Film Bro cult classics in the future.
THE DETAILS
FIGHT CLUB—TYLER DURDEN
Top, Stylists Own. Jacket, Stylist’s Own. Skirt, Stylist’s Own.
FIGHT CLUB__THE NARRATOR
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Top, Stylist’s Own. Pants, Model’s Own. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
DRIVE—DRIVER
Top, Model’s Own. Jacket, Stylist’s Own. Skirt, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
SE7EN—DAVID MILLS
Top, Model’s Own. Vest, Thrifted. Skirt, Stylist’s Own. Jacket, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
SE7EN—JOHN DOE
Top, Model’s Own. Belt, Stylist’s Own. Pants, Stylist’s Own.
AMERICAN PSYCHO—PATRICK BATEMAN
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Top, Model’s Own. Blazer, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Skirt, Model’s Own. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Boots, Model’s Own. Raincoat, Stylist’s Own.
AMERICAN PSYCHO—PAUL ALLEN
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Pants, Model’s Own. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
PULP FICTION—VINCENT VEGA
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Blazer, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Pants, Model’s Own. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
PULP FICTION—JULES WINNFELD
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Blazer, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Pants, Model’s Own. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
WOLF OF WALL STREET—JORDAN BELFORT
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Blazer, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Skirt, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD—RICK DALTON
Turtleneck, Stylist’s Own. Leather Jacket, Stylist’s Own, Vintage Liz Claiborne. Skirt, Stylist’s Own, Anthropologie. $98.
ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD—CLIFF BOOTH
T-shirt, Stylist’s Own. Hawaiian shirt, Stylist’s Own. Skirt, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Belt, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
THE GODFATHER—VITO CORLEONE
Button Down, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Blazer, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Skirt, Stylist’s Own, Vintage Tom Ford Gucci. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Bow, Stylist’s Own.
THE DARK KNIGHT—BATMAN
Dress, Stylist’s Own. Mask, Stylist’s Own. Belt, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Top, Stylist’s Own. Cape, Stylist’s Own.
THE DARK KNIGHT—THE JOKER
Dress, Stylist’s Own. Tie, Thrifted from Cause for Paws. Jacket, Thrifted from Cause for Paws.
STYLISTS: Cameron Crews and Ava Stewart
PHOTOGRAPHER: Grace Rodrigues & Cameron Crews (only Se7en).
MODELS: Riley Hall, Ishita Rao, Eleanor Slyman, Kelsey Bohn, Maggie McCrostie, Paige Hill, Savannah Jenkins, Isabelle Huller, Shaniya Woolridge, Mahi Patel, Alexa Davidoff, Ava Armstrong, Kelsey Griswold, Genesis Ramirez, and Laura Roman-Rantz
LOCATION: Stanhope Student Apartments
HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTISTS: Marissa Fahy, Kelsey Griswold, Alexandra Byrne, Rose Soltani, Maria Clara Frietas, & Mahi Patel