Bret Easton Ellis fans take note: there's a new straight-to-video documentary about the pop-culture-obsessed, mischievous literary genius/enfant terrible. This is Not an Exit: the Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis attempts to sketch a rudimentary portrait of the man behind such landmark '80s novels as Less Than Zero, Rules of Attraction, American Psycho and '90s work Glamorama. Scenes from each of these books are dramatized and split up by interviews with Ellis, his mom, his former teacher and a couple of big-shot literary critics. Plus, there are some home movies from the '70s of Ellis growing up in L.A., and of his deceased father with whom he had strained relations. See Ellis defend himself against the accusations of being misogynistic and nihilistic (mostly for what's in American Psycho). The dramatizations are passable (less embarrassing than most amateur-theatre-style documentary "dramatizing" acting), but the juiciest bits are when the very private Bretster opens up a little, shedding light on his real-life feelings of alienation, substance-abuse problems, persecution by the press and critics. At one point he confesses to be considering moving from NYC to Hollywood to write screenplays 'cuz it would be "easier" (gasp!). The final scene, of him in a limo with two friends gallivanting in the big city, semi-outs him when they make a crack about him possibly never having been with a woman. Hmm. Quel mystere! :

--Genevieve Paiement