History Film / BenandArthur

** Holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest. Chemically speaking, it's ordinary water. Sam Mraovich, however, believes that holy water is concocted through a recipe. While there are indeed online recipes for a drink also called "Holy water", that's just a cocktail.

** Holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest. Chemically speaking, it's ordinary water. Sam Mraovich, however, believes that holy water is concocted through a recipe.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Victor kills Ben, and Arthur dies from the gunshots wounds inflicted by Victor after Arthur shoots him in the head]].

* EasilyForgiven: After being punched and knocked out by Arthur, Ben forgives him shortly after as though it never happened.

** A special mention also goes to the [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jxWQ_p9liNI/VxGBsmK2jLI/AAAAAAAALyQ/yZ6W0w35WOE5viEIAyApr3hLyFEtFGNbQCLcB/s320/prisioneros-odio.jpg spanish dvd cover]], which attempts to make the film look like a violent action movie.

-->'''Victor:''' You know what? I'm never gonna have any nieces or nephews ever, because, you know what?, you're so fucked up, you know that?\\

A labor of love for writer/director/star Sam Mraovich, which quickly became a magnet for mockery in the wake of its release, it has been likened to "a gay version of ''Film/TheRoom2003''" -- though it was actually released [[OlderThanTheyThink a year before Tommy Wiseau's epic]] -- thanks to its [[NoBudget minimal production values]], entertainingly dreadful acting, and one of the most unsubtle deliveries of its message outside of a 1950s propaganda film.

A labor of love for writer/director/star Sam Mraovich, which quickly became a magnet for mockery in the wake of its release, it has been likened to "a gay version of ''Film/TheRoom''" -- though it was actually released [[OlderThanTheyThink a year before Tommy Wiseau's epic]] -- thanks to its [[NoBudget minimal production values]], entertainingly dreadful acting, and one of the most unsubtle deliveries of its message outside of a 1950s propaganda film.

* PsychoExGirlfriend: Tammy. Granted, one could see how she was being pissed off as being used as TheBeard for several years, but screaming in his face, refusing to divorce him, and ''threatening him at gunpoint to stay married'' is a bit much.

* {{Jerkass}}: Arthur was clearly intended to be a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, however his character is so tactless, obnoxious, inconsiderate, lazy and unlikable that he becomes borderline insufferable and impossible to root for.
* JustPlaneWrong: Footage of a ''cargo'' plane is used for the shot where Ben and Arthur arrive in Vermont. According to Sam Mraovich, he just filmed the first plane he saw arriving at LAX and didn't realize until editing that it was actually a cargo plane, by which time it was too late to do anything about it.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:The priest at Victor's church, who is torched by Arthur]], using what is supposed to be liquid fuel but is probably water. Subverted in that, while a match is lit, we never actually see the fire or even hints of one.
* LaughablyEvil: Victor. It's unknown if this was intentional or not, but he's so irrational, prone to temper tantrums, and petty, that it's hard not to find him amusing to watch.

A labor of love for writer/director/star Sam Mraovich, which quickly became a magnet for mockery in the wake of its release, it has been likened to "a gay version of ''Film/TheRoom''" -- though in actual fact it was released [[OlderThanTheyThink a year before Tommy Wiseau's epic]] -- thanks to its [[NoBudget minimal production values]], entertainingly dreadful acting, and one of the most unsubtle deliveries of its message outside of a 1950s propaganda film.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Arthur's bizarrely hypothetical speech about him being drafted and dying for a nation that won't allow him to be married doesn't make any sense, since at the time of the film's release, gay men were not allowed to serve openly in the US military under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Why exactly they felt the need to make something up, when the reality (the U.S. military will discriminate based on your sexual orientation) is actually much, much worse is a mystery.

* CoitusEnsues: Ben and Arthur, after returning from their tense dinner with Victor and Stan.

A labor of love for writer-director-star Sam Mraovich, which quickly became a magnet for mockery in the wake of its release, and has been likened to "a gay version of ''Film/TheRoom''" -- though in actual fact it was released [[OlderThanTheyThink a year before Tommy Wiseau's epic]] -- thanks to its [[NoBudget minimal production values]], entertainingly dreadful acting, and one of the most unsubtle deliveries of its message outside of a 1950s propaganda film.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Arthur's bizarrely hypothetical speech about him being drafted and dying for a nation that won't allow him to be married doesn't make any sense, since at the time of the film's release, gay men were not allowed to serve openly in the US military under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Why exactly they felt the need to make something up, when the reality (the US Military will discriminate based on your sexual orientation) is actually much, much worse is a mystery.

** While Victor is clearly seen entering and leaving a Catholic church, much of what he espouses, especially regarding the need to be "saved", is more aligned with Protestant teachings.

** Upon fatally shooting Ben, Victor claims that killing him [[{{SoulsavingCrusader}} "saved his soul"]]. If anyone in this film actually cared about real dogma, they'd realize killing Ben without giving him a chance to repent of his sins would be doing the opposite-putting it in great danger of damnation. Possibly justified in this case, seeing as Victor seems to have completely lost his mind at that point, so thinking logically wouldn't really be his strong suit.

* AxCrazy: Victor wasn't really the pinnacle of sanity beforehand, but by the end of the film he completely loses it. Heck, even ''[[{{Jerkass}} Arthur]]'' rightfully calls him out on it!

* CampStraight: Victor. However this is subverted in an interview with Sam Mraovich, where he says that Victor is actually a closet homosexual. Too bad the film makes no mention of this.

-->'''Arthur:''' ''[voiceover]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe I think I took it rather well.]] I guess regardless of how well you know someone, [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle there's always more to learn]]. The important thing is, [[TemptingFate we're gonna stay together]].

** [[spoiler:The Attorney]] only gets mentioned twice after her death, and the whole subplot about launching a lawsuit against the state of California is completely forgotten about.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: In the film's climax, [[spoiler:Victor]] shoots [[spoiler:Arthur]] seven times, but [[spoiler:Arthur]] hangs on long enough to fire off a single shot at [[spoiler:Victor]]-which hits him right in the forehead, killing him instantly.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Tammy, trying to get Ben to call off the divorce at ''gunpoint.'' And if he really is gay, then she'll just be gay too and then it'll be okay for them to get married again, huh? When Ben points out that none of this makes any sense, she screams at him more:

* LazyBum: Arthur, Arthur '''ARTHUR!''' He's so lazy that his EstablishingCharacterMoment is him complaining about having to get up from a nap.
* LeaveTheCameraRunning: Why oh why is it important to see Arthur ''vacuum his carpet'' after Victor visits and admonishes him?

* NoBisexuals: Though it's more due to bad writing than anything--Ben was married to a woman but has been having an affair with Arthur. He repeatedly insists that he's gay and was only using Tammy as a cover... despite him and Tammy being married ''for years''.

* ShoutOut: The end where [[spoiler:Arthur tries to [[{{Squick}} seduce Victor]]]] is taken almost word for word from ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}.''

* UnexplainedRecovery / BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Ben]]. Even though [[spoiler:Victor's assassin clearly killed Ben, Arthur is later seen carrying a weak but very much alive Ben into their apartment. This is despite coming home from the hospital, where Ben should have ostensibly received better care.]]

* WorstNewsJudgementEver: While the overturning of Hawaii's decision to legalize gay marriage would be a pretty significant event, it's highly doubtful that any California newspaper -- at least at the time that the film was made -- would run it as their front page story. Had the film been made a decade later however, odds are it'd be a much lesser example of this trope thanks to the controversy around Proposition 8.

->"''We don't need prayed for... YOU need prayed for!''"

'''Arthur:''' Well maybe it's because you're some crazy psychotic f*ck!

* GetOut: Victor enter his own apartment and suddenly finds Arthur inside. After a brief confrontation, Victor brandishes a gun and orders him out.

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Ben, Arthur, Victor, the priest at Victor's church, and the attorney]]. In fact, the only survivor who actually has any bearing on the plot is [[spoiler:Tammy, who just drops out of the movie with no explanation or followup.]] [[spoiler:The other named characters in the film that survive are treated in [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse a similar fashion]].]]

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: With the option to marry Arthur in Hawaii now gone, Ben mentions to Tammy that he and Arthur can marry in Vermont instead, as a means to dismiss Tammy's claim that "men can't get married in the United States". Vermont allowed same-sex civil unions in 2000, but same-sex marriage itself was not legal in Vermont until 2009.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary Arthur's bizarrely hypothetical speech about him being drafted and dying for a nation that won't allow him to be married doesn't make any sense, since at the time of the film's release, gay men were not allowed to serve openly in the US military under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Why exactly they felt the need to make something up, when the reality (the US Military will discriminate based on your sexual orientation) is actually much, much worse is a mystery.

** Turned UpToEleven by Victor, who is so determined to turn Arthur straight that he ends up [[spoiler:murdering the attorney, and later Ben]].

* RantInducingSlight: After Ben yells at Arthur for failing to lock up their bike, which resulted in its theft -- something which Ben ''immediately'' apologizes for doing, and admits was an overreaction -- Arthur goes on a rant at him, accusing him of being ashamed of being gay, too embarrassed to show Arthur affection in public, and that he wouldn't even care if Arthur died. Not entirely surprisingly, this provokes Ben into punching Arthur.

* ManChild: Arthur, whose demeanor is essentially that of a whiny fifteen year old girl. Notably, his first instinct upon finding out that Ben is married is to run to his room and write a whiny entry in his diary about it.

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Ben, Arthur, Victor, the priest at Victor's church, and the attorney]]. In fact, the only survivor who actually has any bearing on the plot is [[spoiler:Tammy, who just drops out of the movie with no explanation or followup.]]

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Ben, Arthur, Victor, the priest at Victor's church, and the attorney]]. In fact, the only survivor who actually has any bearing on the plot is [[spoiler:Tammy.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Several characters disappear as the film goes on, most notably Tammy (last seen being run out by Ben and losing her gun), the cop investigating [[spoiler:the initial, unsuccessful attempt on Ben's life]] (questions a few characters, then leaves), the (intern) private investigator that Victor hires (does one job, then leaves) and Victor's partner Scott (sent away after Victor decides to kill Ben and Arthur himself).

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Several characters disappear as the film goes on, most notably Tammy (last seen being run out by Ben and losing her gun), the cop investigating [[spoiler:the initial, unsuccessful attempt on Ben's life]] (questions a few characters, then leaves), and the (intern) private investigator that Victor hires (does one job, then leaves).