Line #8 Film/BillionaireBoysClub


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/billionaire_boys_club.jpg]]
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3	''Billionaire Boys Club'' is an American biographical crime drama film directed by James Cox and co-written with Captain Mauzner. The film is based on the real-life Billionaire Boys Club, who were active in Southern California during the 1980s. The film was released through video-on-demand and limited release in 2018, but was filmed in late 2015 to early 2016.
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5	The film stars Creator/AnselElgort, Creator/TaronEgerton, Creator/EmmaRoberts, Creator/SukiWaterhouse, Thomas Cocquerel, Ryan Rottman, Creator/JeremyIrvine, Creator/BillieLourd and Creator/KevinSpacey. Rosanna Arquette, Creator/CaryElwes and Creator/JuddNelson additionally cameo.
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7	The film follows a group of wealthy boys in 1980s Los Angeles, led by their fellow preppie friend Joe Hunt (Elgort), who come up with a plan to get-rich-quick with a Ponzi scheme. The plan ends badly for all involved when Hunt and friend Tim Pitt end up murdering investor and con-man, Ron Levin.
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9	!!This film provides examples of:
10	* AdaptationDeviation: The 1980s tv movie / miniseries based on the same events depicts Joe as the bloodthirsty ringleader and Dean as more on the spineless side. In this remake, Joe's interpreted as a nerdy, unassuming genius and Dean as a charismatic but deeply ManipulativeBastard.
11	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Q and Dean's relationship. The girls who've known Dean longer are wary of his reputation as "Mean Dean," but the English outsider Q has no such problem. It's strongly implied that she's quite aware her boyfriend is far from a saint, but simply doesn't care.
12	-->'''Q''': [after performing a striptease for him] Have you been a good boy this year?
13	-->'''Dean''': [[BlatantLies Yeah, very.]]
14	-->'''Q''': I find that hard to believe.
15	* AmbiguousInnocence: Joe and Dean [[InvokedTrope Invoke]] this with "the paradox philosophy," which in their hands essentially becomes a justification for every unsavory deed they do. It's never revealed whether Dean actually burned down the game room in third grade either.
16	* AmbitionIsEvil: BBC's unlawful spiral is more or less the result of Dean resenting his [[SubUrbia suburban]] origins. (To him, the "opposite" of rich is middle-class.) He brings out Joe's distaste for his own lack of wealth, and it goes to hell.
17	* BasedOnATrueStory: [[spoiler:Although the plot twist of Dean turning out to be a major antagonist delves into conspiracy theory, VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory territory.]]
18	* BromanticFoil: Dean is the charming, manipulative, and much more dishonorable {{Foil}} to Joe's nerdy NiceGuy. To illustrate: Joe gets cold feet when he first tries to give his wealthier former schoolmates a sales pitch and was an outcast among them. On the other hand, Dean is clearly shown at various points (including his introduction) to have been popular and friends with the rich students already.
19	* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Pretty much all of the significant female [[LoveInterest Love Interests]] shown are white blondes.
20	* EvilIsPetty: Aside from being evil, Dean is supposedly also outright ''mean''. Sydney believes he burned down a camp game room in third grade and blamed her cousin Jake for it, causing Jake to be sent home all summer, just so he could win the tennis championship. [[spoiler: He offers to do some "old-fashioned explaining" to Izzy's Dad when he refuses to cooperate with one of their dubious plans (using a shovel). Prior, he initiates a discussion among the BBC about how much he'd love to [[KickTheDog torture Levin's pet dog]], because he finds the mutt annoying.]]
21	-->'''Joe's writing''': ''KILL DOG''
22	-->''KILL DOG''
23	-->''KILL DOG''
24	* DownerEnding: In the end, Hunt is given the blame for murdering Ron, and is sentenced to life in prison without parole. This leaves all the memories the boys had to go to waste.
25	* FalseFriend: Dean, a longtime friend and Joe's ''only'' friend growing up. Joe's trust in him does falter, but Dean always manipulates Joe into trusting him again, [[spoiler: to the point that when Dean completely betrays him, Joe apparently never even saw it coming.]]
26	* FreudianExcuse: Not that it excuses any of his actions, but it's left as a real possibility that Dean never actually burned down the game room and blamed Sydney's cousin in third grade. Nonetheless, his rich schoolmates slapped the nickname "[[TheBully Mean Dean]]" on him and it follows him into [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp adulthood]].
27	* FunctionalAddict: Dean, although the audience is increasingly privy to the toll drug addiction takes on him.
28	* ImprobableAge: As {{Lampshaded}} by Joe, the ridiculously successful BBC business was started by young men of only 23 and 24 years old. The more experienced, older businesspeople own up to how it scares them. Of course, the BBC is fraudulent and nowhere near as successful as advertised by Joe and co.
29	* JerkJock: Dean is a tennis pro who lives up to his reputation as a {{Jerkass}}. Even present in his VillainousBreakdown speech.
30	--> '''Sydney''': Joe could've been anything in the world, but you fucking ruined him!
31	--> '''Dean''': No, Joe was locker-fodder before he met me — a geek you never would've spread your fucking legs for.
32	* KickTheDog: An incredibly dark real life example, when Hunt plans to intimidate Levin by killing his dog. Hunt even literally wrote this down on his todo list against Levin.
33	* NobleMaleRoguishMale: Downplayed, but is the general dynamic between Joe (Noble) and Dean (Roguish). Joe is himself very much a lying criminal, but is presented as the book-brilliant, incredibly timid, substantially less guileful protagonist who was victimized by a ToxicFriendInfluence more than anything. Dean is the ToxicFriendInfluence in question; although he isn't dumb, his smarts certainly differ from the scholarly Joe's. Dean is blatantly the athletic, "cooler," more socially adept ManipulativeBastard {{Foil}} to Joe.
34	* OneGenderSchool: The titular Club consists of alumni from Harvard School for Boys.
35	* RealMenWearPink: Dean goes to a costume party as [[WholesomeCrossdresser dressed as Nancy Reagan]] in one scene, and zero fuss is made about it. He's unmistakably a man even in costume. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin He also wears pink clothes at various points.]]
36	* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: In contrast to Q, Sydney hates Dean for his immorality and falls for Joe on the basis of her belief that he's a good man. When the BBC's crimes start to unravel, Sydney wails about how Joe was a good man corrupted.
37	* ToxicFriendInfluence: Dean to Joe, to felony-involving levels.
38	* TroubledButCute: Dean summarizes it best himself. "I am the charming, handsome, lovely idiot that you cannot resist." Q certainly does fail to resist. [[spoiler: Too bad he's the "irrecoverably deep into crime" sort of troubled.]]

Context Film / BillionaireBoysClub