History Literature / Trainspotting

* ActorAllusion: Keith Allen was cast as a dealer, referencing his earlier role in ''Shallow Grave''. WordOfGod is that it is the same character, and ''Trainspotting'' takes place before ''Film/ShallowGrave''.

* ArmouredClosetGay: Begbie in the film. Robert Carlyle played him as a closeted homosexual whose bursts of rage stemmed partially from his fear of being outed, and WordOfGod agreed with the interpretation. When a girl he's getting frisky with turns out to be a man he amazingly ''doesn't'' attack the person in question, which at a glance seems [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness very out of character]]. It's also insinuated with a scene in which Begbie makes Renton put a cigarette in his mouth, which is charged with sexual tension.

* AmbiguouslyBi[=/=]EveryoneIsBi: All the main male characters that are in relationships with women, but they all also seem to be quite physically affectionate with each other, at least when they're high. [[ArmouredClosetGay Except Begbie]]. Renton speculates at one point that human beings are bi by default, and it's social pressure that causes most to conform to being heterosexual. The film celebrates the idea by starting off with a gay (if heroin-induced) snog.

* AdaptedOut: Most of the group (most noticeably Matty, Davie and Second Prize) don't appear in the film, due to the book having LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Most signficantly, Mark's older brother, who in the book serves in the Army until he is killed by terrorists in Northern Ireland, is absent from the film.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Excluding one-shot characters, let's see: [[VillainProtagonist Mark]], [[ButtMonkey Spud]], [[ManipulativeBastard Sick Boy]], [[TheAlcoholic Second Prize]], [[TheSociopath Begbie]], [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Tommy]], [[AffablyEvil Johnny Swan]], [[YoungerThanTheyLook Dianne]], [[BuxomIsBetter Lesley]], [[LoveInterest Kelly]], [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Alison]], [[JerkAss Donnelly]], [[BigFun Keezbo]], [[NiceGuy Stevie]], [[EmptyShell Matty]], [[TheEveryman Mitch]], [[TattooedCrook Nelly]], [[TheGenericGuy Dawsy]], [[FriendlyEnemy Mikey Forrester]], [[BadassBiker Seeker]], [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Alan Venters]], [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Gavin Temperley]], [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents Mark's parents]] and [[ParentalFavoritism brother]]. The cast is cut down significantly in the film to deal mostly with Renton's personal story.

* IAteWhat: In the novel, a girl jobbing in a restaurant is hit on by some drunken English {{Jerkass}} tourists. She retaliates by putting all kinds of squicky stuff in their food, from blood-soaked tampons to urine.

* ContemptibleCover: Look up the cover to ''Porno''. Go ahead. Justified in that it is also an in-universe ContemptibleCover of a porno flick in which Sick Boy takes an image of his girlfriend, tackily edits it with garish touch-ups and uses it to exploit her beauty to sell the film.

* HomageShot: The shot of Sick Boy's finger ringing Renton's doorbell in London is almost identical to a shot in ''Film/ShootThePianoPlayer''.

** The last scene with Spud getting the money in the locker is almost identical to a scene in ''Film/OnceUponATimeInAmerica''. Even the circumstances behind the scenes are very similar.

* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened to the Kitten?]]: {{Subverted}}! "The kitten was fine."

* CrotchGrabSexCheck: Begbie chats up a woman at a club and takes her to his car to get to know her better. After 'inspecting the goods' he finds out she is a transvestite and kicks her out of his ride.

** There are quite a few references to Music/TheBeatles:
*** The scene where the store detectives chase Renton down the street is reminiscent of the scene in ''Film/AHardDaysNight'' where The Beatles are pursued by fans.
*** The scene where Renton wakes up on the couch in the morning at Diane's home and says hello to someone passing through the hallway while covered with a blanket to his chin, is reminiscent of a scene in ''Film/{{Help}}'' where Music/RingoStarr is found in a trunk of a car covered up with a blanket, and upon being found, says hello.
*** The "Mother Superior's" written in the dealer house is a reference to "Happiness is a Warm Gun", a song allegedly about heroin, which has the line "mother superior jump the gun".

Please note that it is important, where relevant, to distinguish between the film and the novel because they (and their sequels) each take the story arc, characters, setting etc in a moderately different direction [[note]]and when you look at the changes made between ''Porno'' and ''T2 Trainspotting'', by then it's more like significantly different[[/note]]. Therefore, generating confusion should be avoided when editing this article.

* OhCrap: Begbie's reaction in the movie when he discovers that the girl he just picked up [[UnsettlingGenderReveal isn't quite what she seems]]. As it comes [[MoodWhiplash shortly after a lot of extremely dark stuff]] it's [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments quite a welcome change of mood.]]

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The scene at the beginning of the film introduces the five leads acting out their {{Establishing Character Moment}}s as part of a football game: Sick Boy fouls, and shouts "What?" as if trying to look innocent; Begbie dropkicks one of the opposing team-members, wearing a delighted grin as he gets up; Spud acts as goalie, completely misses an incoming ball and gets yelled at by his own team; Tommy gets caught in a corner and tries valiantly to escape without performing a foul; finally, Renton gets hit in the head with the ball and collapses- all the while narrating sarcastically.

* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Begbie in the sequel. He's spent most of TheNineties in prison and [[TechnologyMarchesOn everyone has mobile phones when he gets out]], much to his chagrin.

* FriendlyEnemy: In contrast to his [[VitriolicBestBuds friendship with Renton]], Sick Boy has this mode of interaction with Begbie. He views Franco as a crass, vicious thug and tenapenny muscle for more dangerous scams. On Begbie's part, he's morally disgusted with Sick Boy's pimping and heroin related activities, but admires his scheming ways otherwise as it brings in money. Renton hates them both when they decide to socially gang up on him, stealing both female attention and parental affection.

* JustForPun

* SoundtrackDissonance: Music/LouReed's "Perfect Day" plays as Renton has a near-fatal heroin overdose, though the song is probably about Lou Reed's heroin addiction.
** The same footage of the group running from the police and Renton being hit by a car is used twice. Once at the start of the film with ''Lust For Life'' by Iggy Pop being used at the background music, and again with ''Sing'' by Blur taking its place. The change in soundtrack significantly changes the mood of the scene from funny and hedonistic to sad and desperate.

* UndiscriminatingAddict: Renton notes that whilst not on heroin, he and his friends are busy looking for just about anything with similar effects. After going through some of the NHS sources relied upon in lean times, he rattles off a long list of substitute opioids to be used when not in possession of real junk, including things like anti-vertigo medication.

* AmbiguouslyBi[=/=]EveryoneIsBi: All the main male characters that are in relationships are in relationships with women, but they all also seem to be quite physically affectionate with each other, at least when they're high. [[ArmouredClosetGay Except Begbie]]. Renton speculates at one point that human beings are bi by default, and it's social pressure that causes most to conform to being heterosexual. The film celebrates the idea by starting off with a gay (if heroin-induced) snog.

* InfantImmortality: Averted when Sick Boy's baby daughter Dawn dies of starvation and neglect.

* DoubleSubversion: When Renton ODs, Mother Superior asks him “perhaps sir would like me to call for a taxi?” This is followed by a shot of a speeding ambulance, giving the impression that “taxi” was a dark euphemism. Mother Superior drags an immobile Renton out onto the street, whereupon we see the ambulance sail past on an adjoining road. It turns out Mother Superior really did call for a (legally less risky) taxi to take Renton to hospital.

* JailBait: Mark Renton has sex with Diane, discovering the next morning that she is fifteen when she appears in her school uniform and her "flatmates" are actually her parents. Later, she threatens to tell the police if he does not see her again.

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Renton gets one at the end of the film. It's the closing monologue to the film that closely mirrors his opening monologue.

* UnsettlingGenderReveal: In the movie, but not the novel. One of Begbie's club hookups turns out to be packing a salami surprise. His reaction is [[OhCrap predictable]], though much less violent than might have been anticipated.