“Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?”

The Rio Theatre‘s Friday Late Night Movie series continues on November 29 with AMERICAN PSYCHO, a biting black comedy that examines the elements that make a man a misogynist monster – perhaps buckling under the pressure of the Holiday season – which makes it a perfectly fitting title to kick off our Holiday lineup.

Author Bret Easton Ellis‘ highly controversial AMERICAN PSYCHO was, for years, considered too outrageous and gratuitous to make the bloody leap to the big screen. But in 2000, it did, courtesy of visionary Vancouver-based director Mary Harron (who memorably blends gore, violence and social satire with a killer 80s soundtrack), and its star-making performance from the pitch-perfect Christian Bale.

Set in New York City in 1987, Bale shines as 27 year-old Patrick Bateman, a handsome and highly-privileged (before there was such a thing!)  Ivy League-grade narcissist living the quintessential young urban professionals’ American dream, working on Wall Street and earning a fortune to complement the one he was born with. He does, however, harbour an unusual secret: He’s a total psychopath who moonlights as a gruesome serial killer by night, descending into fits of madness as he experiments with fear and violence. The all-star cast is filled out by the detective (Willem Dafoe), the fiance (Reese Witherspoon), the mistress (Samantha Mathis), the coworker (Jared Leto), and the secretary (Chloë Sevigny). With Justin Therous, Josh Lucas.

“The slick satire cleverly equates materialism, narcissism, misogyny, and classism with homicide, but you may laugh so loud at the protagonist that you won’t be able to hear yourself laughing with him.” (Chicago Reader)

“AMERICAN PSYCHO is nearly perfect for what it is, but before we go on, we should ask what that actually amounts to. Can something with so rigid a thesis be a real work of art?” (Slate)

“It needs to be seen and appreciated, like a serpent in a glass cage.” (TIME Magazine)

Friday, November 29
Doors 10:45 pm | Movie 11:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets HERE

AMERICAN PSYCHO (Mary Harron, 2000 / 18A / 102 mins) A wealthy New York investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

*Minors OK. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and Rio Theatre passes are OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*Unless otherwise noted, tickets are always available for purchase at the box office prior to showtime.  Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats and time for treats.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance <[email protected]> and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime. (We seat 400+ people and our regular screenings are very rarely at capacity – you should not have issues being admitted.)
*All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale. No refunds, no exchanges.