Ben and Arthur: Difference between revisions
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While Victor contemplates what he's done, Arthur slips away and gets a gun from he and Ben's bedroom. Dressed in a bathrobe and briefs, a hysterical Arthur-- reenacting one of the final scenes of [[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]-- propositions Victor while holding him at gunpoint, accusing him of lashing out to try and combat his own repressed homosexuality. An argument ensues, and the brothers shoot one another to death. |
While Victor contemplates what he's done, Arthur slips away and gets a gun from he and Ben's bedroom. Dressed in a bathrobe and briefs, a hysterical Arthur-- reenacting one of the final scenes of [[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]-- propositions Victor while holding him at gunpoint, accusing him of lashing out to try and combat his own repressed homosexuality. An argument ensues, and the brothers shoot one another to death. |
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===Depiction of Christianity=== |
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The film contains several glaring [[theology|theological]] and factual errors in its depiction of Christianity as a whole and [[Catholicism]] specifically. As the film is presented as a drama rather than a comedy or satire, none of the errors seem to be intentional. Notably, the Catholic church does not excommunicate members for being related to homosexuals, nor does any branch of Christianity believe in [[karma]], a belief found in [[Indian Religions]], or the concept of bodily energies, a belief of [[New Age]] religion. Neither does the Catholic church-- or any branch of mainstream Christianity-- teach that murdering a sinner redeems them and permits their soul to enter Heaven, a concept repeatedly espoused by Victor and never countered by any of the religious characters with whom he interacts. Further, when Victor prepares to baptize Arthur he claims that the Bible endorses nude baptism, a concept not found in either the Old or New Testaments.<ref>[http://www.cogwriter.com/christians-practice-naked-baptism.htm Did Christians Practice Nude Baptism?]</ref> Victor also claims that Baptism results in [[salvation]], endorsing the idea that an individual can be forcibly converted to Christianity via the sacrament, a concept not found in the Bible or held to be true by either the Catholic church or any branch of Protestant Christianity. |
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==Release== |
==Release== |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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The film has been almost universally panned by critics and audiences alike. As of February 15, 2011 the movie currently holds the #6 position on IMDb's Bottom 100 with 4,528 votes.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom?tt0364986 IMDb Bottom 100, Retrieved on July 25, 2010]</ref> [[Rotten Tomatoes]] ranked it #15 on their list of "Films So Bad They're Unmissable," stating "If [[Tommy Wiseau]]'s [[The Room]] is the over-wrought, melodramatic and self-pitying heterosexual camp classic of choice, then Sam Mraovich's Ben & Arthur is its gay equivalent." The site when on to cite the poor production values and Arthur's "hissy fits," concluding that the quality of the film was so poor that "Mraovich might as well have shot his story of homosexual persecution and fightback on a cell phone". <ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/showgirls/news/1868670/3/25_movies_so_bad_theyre_unmissable/ Movies So Bad They're Unmissable]</ref> |
The film has been almost universally panned by critics and audiences alike. As of February 15, 2011 the movie currently holds the #6 position on IMDb's Bottom 100 with 4,528 votes.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom?tt0364986 IMDb Bottom 100, Retrieved on July 25, 2010]</ref> [[Rotten Tomatoes]] ranked it #15 on their list of "Films So Bad They're Unmissable," stating "If [[Tommy Wiseau]]'s ''[[The Room]]'' is the over-wrought, melodramatic and self-pitying heterosexual camp classic of choice, then Sam Mraovich's Ben & Arthur is its gay equivalent." The site when on to cite the poor production values and Arthur's "hissy fits," concluding that the quality of the film was so poor that "Mraovich might as well have shot his story of homosexual persecution and fightback on a cell phone". <ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/showgirls/news/1868670/3/25_movies_so_bad_theyre_unmissable/ Movies So Bad They're Unmissable]</ref> |
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The film also took particularly criticism from the gay community: The gay pop culture site Queerty called it "the worst gay movie ever," only to later retract the "gay" qualifier and simply declare it "worst. movie. ever." <ref>[http://www.queerty.com/ben-arthur-the-worst-gay-movie-of-all-time-20090220/ Ben & Arthur: The Worst Gay Movie Ever]</ref> The gay movie review site Cinemaqueer likewise indicated that it was the worst film to have ever been featured on the site, suggesting that the film was too bad to even be parodied on [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]. <ref>[http://www.cinemaqueer.com/review%20pages/9deadgayguysben.html 9 dead gay guys/ben & arthur]</ref> |
The film also took particularly criticism from the gay community: The gay pop culture site Queerty called it "the worst gay movie ever," only to later retract the "gay" qualifier and simply declare it "worst. movie. ever." <ref>[http://www.queerty.com/ben-arthur-the-worst-gay-movie-of-all-time-20090220/ Ben & Arthur: The Worst Gay Movie Ever]</ref> The gay movie review site Cinemaqueer likewise indicated that it was the worst film to have ever been featured on the site, suggesting that the film was too bad to even be parodied on [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]. <ref>[http://www.cinemaqueer.com/review%20pages/9deadgayguysben.html 9 dead gay guys/ben & arthur]</ref> |
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Revision as of 21:44, 22 February 2011
| Ben and Arthur | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sam Mraovich |
| Written by | Sam Mraovich |
| Produced by | Sam Mraovich |
| Starring | Sam Mraovich Jamie Brett Gabel Michael Haboush Bill Hindley Julie Belknap Gina Aguilar |
| Cinematography | Michael Haboush Sam Mraovich |
| Edited by | Chris Mraovich Sam Mraovich |
| Music by | Phil Garcia Michael Haboush Chris Mraovich Robert Mraovich Sam Mraovich |
| Distributed by | Ariztical Entertainment |
Release dates | January 2, 2003 (U.S.) September 9, 2002 (U.S.) |
Running time | 85 min |
| Country | Template:FilmUS |
| Language | Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. |
Ben and Arthur is a 2002 American romantic drama film written, directed, produced and starring Sam Mraovich. The film concerns a recently married homosexual couple who faces opposition from one of the partners' brother, who plots to murder them after being ostracized by his church. The film has been almost universally critically panned for its poor production quality, acting, and writing.[1]
Plot
Ben (Jamie Brett Gabel) and Arthur (Sam Mraovich) are a homosexual couple eagerly awaiting the legalization of gay marriage in Hawaii so that they may travel there for their dream wedding. After a news bulletin that a judge has made a ruling that will allow gay weddings to take place, the men purchase plane tickets and prepare to depart; however, before they leave, they discover that a challenge to the judge's ruling has resulted in a suspension of gay marriage in Hawaii, pending further judicial review. Ben takes advantage of the delay to inform Arthur that he is actually already married to a woman named Tammy (Julie Belknap), whom he wed out of societal pressure before he came to terms with his homosexuality and from whom he has been separated since before he and Arthur met. Arthur becomes angry, but decides to stay with Ben anyway. Shortly thereafter, Ben contacts Tammy, finally comes out to her, and asks her for a divorce.
After the disappointment of their near-wedding, Ben and Arthur resume their daily life, working in a small diner in San Francisco, where Ben is a dishwasher and Arthur is a waiter. Although Ben-- a former nurse who quit to pursue a music career-- enjoys the manual labor and hours, Arthur has grown impatient with servitude and putting up with needy customers. One night, Arthur decides to quit and go back to college, so that he can earn an MBA and open up his own sex shop. Although the loss of income to the household means that Ben will have to quit and return to being a nurse, he agrees to do so in order to help Arthur pursue his dream.
To finance his education, Arthur tracks down his estranged brother, Victor (Michael Haboush), whom he hasn't spoken to for seven years. Victor is a religious fanatic who believes that Arthur's homosexuality is a sign of demonic possession, and gruffly insists that Arthur turn his life around. Nonetheless, he offers to give Arthur money for college if he will bring Ben by the apartment and allow him to evangelize.
While Arthur considers Victor's offer, he and Ben hire an attorney (Gina Aguilar) to consult for advice on getting married. Despite Ben's still being legally married to Tammy, the attorney counsels them to travel to Vermont, be wed in a civil union, and then return to California and attempt to be recognized as members of a domestic partnership. The two take her advice, and are wed in a private ceremony in Vermont.
Suspicious of Arthur's lack of response to his monetary offer, Victor hires a private investigator to tail Ben and Arthur. The PI tells Victor about the mens' marriage and their attempts to get their union recognized in California. In response, Victor follows the attorney home one evening and shoots her to death in her apartment's parking garage.
Following their attorney's death, the disturbed Ben and Arthur agree to come to Victor's apartment. Rather than evangelize, Victor and another congregant from his church, Stan (Richard Hitchcock), lash out at the couple with homophobic insults and slurs. They leave angrily; in retaliation, Victor and Stan start making plans to exorcise Ben and Arthur by feeding them Holy Water that Stan has cooked in his kitchen. The plot fails, and Ben and Arthur leave town to enjoy a honeymoon in Hawaii and allow the tension with Victor to blow over. In Ben and Arthur's absence, Victor is summoned to his church, where the priest, Father Rabin (Bill Hindley), informs him that he is being excommunicated because the congregation does not want the relative of a homosexual attending church services. A dejected Victor reaches out to Stan for help, and they come to an agreement that Victor will be permitted to rejoin the church if he successfully murders Ben and Arthur. To this end, they hire a hitman named Scott (Nick Bennet), whom Father Rabin has apparently used for similar purposes in the past.
When Ben and Arthur return from Hawaii, Ben is gay bashed by Victor and Scott; the attack fails to kill him, and Ben is hospitalized. Suspecting his brother's involvement, Arthur breaks into Victor's apartment and taps his phone. After intercepting a call implicating Victor and Father Rabin, Arthur goes to Victor's church, chloroforms Father Rabin, and then murders him by burning the church down with Rabin still inside.
After Ben has sufficiently recovered, Arthur takes him back home to their apartment. Deciding that the next attempt on the mens' lives must be more drastic, Victor and Scott go Ben and Arthur's apartment with guns; at the last minute, Victor tells Scott that he wants to kill them himself and sends him away. Victor rings the apartment's doorbell, and when Ben answers, he fatally shoots him. He then forces Arthur to strip naked at gunpoint and performs an impromptu baptism in the bathtub.
While Victor contemplates what he's done, Arthur slips away and gets a gun from he and Ben's bedroom. Dressed in a bathrobe and briefs, a hysterical Arthur-- reenacting one of the final scenes of Scarface-- propositions Victor while holding him at gunpoint, accusing him of lashing out to try and combat his own repressed homosexuality. An argument ensues, and the brothers shoot one another to death.
Release
The film premièred at the Sunset 5 theatre in West Hollywood. It was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States in early 2003.
Reception
The film has been almost universally panned by critics and audiences alike. As of February 15, 2011 the movie currently holds the #6 position on IMDb's Bottom 100 with 4,528 votes.[2] Rotten Tomatoes ranked it #15 on their list of "Films So Bad They're Unmissable," stating "If Tommy Wiseau's The Room is the over-wrought, melodramatic and self-pitying heterosexual camp classic of choice, then Sam Mraovich's Ben & Arthur is its gay equivalent." The site when on to cite the poor production values and Arthur's "hissy fits," concluding that the quality of the film was so poor that "Mraovich might as well have shot his story of homosexual persecution and fightback on a cell phone". [3]
The film also took particularly criticism from the gay community: The gay pop culture site Queerty called it "the worst gay movie ever," only to later retract the "gay" qualifier and simply declare it "worst. movie. ever." [4] The gay movie review site Cinemaqueer likewise indicated that it was the worst film to have ever been featured on the site, suggesting that the film was too bad to even be parodied on Mystery Science Theater 3000. [5]