Bunny and the Bull

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Bunny and the Bull is a 2010 film, notable for being written and directed by Paul King, who also directed The Mighty Boosh. It stars Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby, with Richard Ayodade as a tour guide, Verónica Echegui as the love interest, Eloisa, a superstitious Spanish Waitress, and has Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt in cameos.

The plot is somewhat non-linear, however a brief rundown goes like this: Stephen (Edward Hogg) has not left his apartment for a year, and survives on television and frozen vegetarian meals. He is strongly implied to have both Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and (apparently) strangers simply come and go into his house whenever they please. One day, his best friend Bunny (Simon Farnaby) messes up his perfectly ordered house and forces him to recall the memories of a road trip taken the year before. Bunny had taken Stephen on a journey in an attempt to get him laid; and things seem to be going well when Stephen meets Eloisa and falls hopelessly in love with her, but before Stephen can act on his feelings, Bunny seduces Eloisa.

From here, the film takes a far sadder and more grim twist that the trailers would have you think. The film is not as sweet and whimsical as advertising suggested; there's a few really, really heartbreaking scenes, as well as some laugh out loud moments, and, naturally, the film is brimming with Ho Yay.

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Tropes used in Bunny and the Bull include:

• Almost Kiss: Between Stephen and Eloisa near the end. Also, Bizarrely, between Stephen and Bunny. While Bunny is lying on top of him. inches away
• Anachronic Order: This can get a little confusing. The film opens at the point in which all the main events of the film have already occurred.
• Billing Displacement: Noel Fielding and Julian Barrat get top billing alongside Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby, despite only appearing in a couple of scenes each
• Chekhov's Gun: Pretty much all of the items that Stephen has in his house qualify. Including his frozen meals.
• The Chew Toy: Stephen, and how. Eloisa even physically attacks him for something he clearly didn't do
• Dead All Along: Bunny. He dies at the end of the road trip, but there's only subtle indications that the Bunny we see in the apartment is dead. Interestingly, Stephen sees all the hallucinations of people who have died; this means at least half the cast died during the movie.
• Downer Ending: All of the main cast end up separated, with Bunny Dead, the russian tramp dead, and everyone else unaccounted for. We Might see Stephen attempt to leave the house, but then again it was suggested earlier that he'd tried to do this dozens of times before and never succeeded.
  • Possibly more of a Bittersweet Ending: Stephen is shown getting rid of his hoarded things, indicating that he's recovering from his illness. While we don't find out if succeeds in getting out of the house, it is strongly implied that this is the case. He at least gets further than the attempt earlier in the film. Finally, the disappearance of the Bunny hallucination suggests that Stephen has finally come to terms with his loss and is ready to move on.
• Did Not Get the Girl: Stephen.
  • Although the ending shows Stephen setting off to win her back. We don't know if this will succeed.
• Expy: Averted. Stephen and Bunny vaguely resemble two much more famous characters looks wise, but in terms of personality the characters could not be more different.
• Fan Service: Bunny spends a LOT of time with his shirt off, or unbuttoned, he even appears naked once or twice. Played for laughs, though.
• Friends with Benefits: Bunny and Eloisa. Stephen fails to understand this.
• Heterosexual Life Partners: Bunny and Stephen. The two have an extremely intense relationship, making The ending even more tragic. There's also some doubt on the heterosexual part, at least for Bunny
• Hollywood Sex: Totally subverted. When Eloisa and Stephen do have sex, it's terribly awkward and unromantic, but somehow still endearing
• Ho Yay: Oh so much. It's suggested a couple of times that Bunny is a bit attracted to Stephen, he calls him 'Gorgeous,' suggests they make out and, lies naked on top of Stephen with his face inches from his, and seems about to kiss him, and Stephen doesn't push him off until the very last second; it's implied more would have happened if Stephen has not pushed him off.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Bunny is crass, rude and constantly sleeps with different women, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about Stephen. Probably half of his hijinks are to help break Stephen out of his shell.
• Love At First Sight: Stephen for Eloisa, probably. It's later vaguely hinted that she felt the same, but it doesn't stop the movie from implying that they aren't right for each other
• Manic Pixie Dream Girl: deconstructed with Eloisa
• Museum of Boredom: The Polish National Shoe Museum, complete with interminable tour guide.
• Neat Freak: Stephen.
• Never Trust a Trailer: The trailer presented this film as far happier and cheerful than it actually is, and eliminated the whole 'Mental illness' thing.
• Non-Action Guy: Stephen, until the end.
• One-Scene Wonder: Noel Fielding as Javier.
  • Julian Barrett as the Russian tramp and Richard Ayoade as the curator of the Polish National Museum of Shoes.
• Oblivious to Love: Quite a sad example. Eloisa is initially oblivious to Stephen's love for her. As Stephen becomes more and more depressed and finally gives up, it is switched and Stephen becomes oblivious to Eloisa's love for him
• Only Known by Their Nickname: we never find out Bunny's real name
• Road Movie: Albeit an unconventional one.
• Shallow Love Interest: Subverted with Eloisa; she appears shallow at first, but it becomes apparent later on that she has some major issues.
• Shrinking Violet: Stephen, a rare male example
• Single-Target Sexuality: Stephen can't see anyone except Eloisa. It's hinted, too, that this may be the case in regards to Bunny for Stephen; sure he sleeps with women but it's suggested that Bunny has feelings for Stephen, and outright stated that he's the only person Bunny real cares about
• Subtext: Between Bunny and Stephen
• Unreliable Narrator Being extremely ill Stephen's idea of what really happened can't be assumed to be 100 percent factual.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between Stephen and Eloisa, although it's arguable that there was even more between Stephen and Bunny
• Word of God: Paul King confirmed in the dvd extras that Stephen and Bunny have feelings for each other as well as Eloisa