How Bros Reclaims The Funny Gay Sex Scene

Contents:

• BILLY EICHNER ON HIS HISTORY-MAKG GAY ROM-COM ‘BROS’: ‘IT’S THE BT THG I’VE EVER DONE’
• HOW BROS RECLAIMS THE FUNNY GAY SEX SCENE
• BROS IS A GOOD, GAY TIMENICHOLAS STOLLER AND BILLY EICHNER'S LLABORATN BRGS LGBTQ+ ROMANCE TO THE MASTREAM WH A MERRY SPLASH.BY RICHARD LAWSONSEPTEMBER 10, 2022PHOTO: UNIVERSAL PICTURSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHAT WORRI I MIGHT HAVE HAD ABOUT THE FILM BROS, THE FIRST STUD-RELEASED ROMANTIC EDY ABOUT GAY MEN THAT STARS OUT GAY ACTORS, ARE PRETTY QUICKLY ALLAYED DIRECTOR NICHOLAS STOLLER’S CHARMG FILM. CO-WRTEN BY AND STARRG EDIAN BILLY EICHNER, BROS IS CERTALY AWARE THAT ’S TAKG SOME BIG STEPS TO THE MASTREAM AND IS GNIZANT OF THE ATTENDANT RPONSIBILY OF THAT. BUT THE FILM DON’T LET SELF BE HAMPERED BY S ACPLISHMENT. INSTEAD, BROS LEANS TO THE GIDDY LTLE REVOLUTN OF S OWN EXISTENCE, VG THE DIENCE TO A GOOD, GAY TIME THAT HASN’T EXACTLY HAPPENED, THIS WAY, BEFORE. OF URSE, TO MAKE THOSE LEAPS TO THE MULTIPLEX ESYSTEM, SOME PROMIS HAD TO BE MA. STOLLER IS STRAIGHT, UNLIKE ANDREW AHN, WHO DIRECTED THIS SUMMER’S HULU-RELEASED GAY EDY FIRE ISLAND. JUDD APATOW, A PROLIFIC PURVEYOR OF STRAIGHT-BOY EDY FOR OVER TWO S NOW, IS A PRODUCER WHOSE FLUENCE ON THE FILM IS FELT THROUGHOUT. BUT BROS NEVER FEELS LIKE A GAY MOVIE WHOSE MANDATE IS TO BE PALATABLE TO STRAIGHT PEOPLE. THE FILM IS DIRECTLY DIALOGUE WH S OWN MUNY, OR AT LEAST SOME SUBSET OF THAT AMORPHO AND EVER-EXPANDG GROUP. EICHNER PLAYS BOBBY, A POPULAR PODST HOST AND PUBLIC W WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME: HE’S PART OF A MTEE ASSEMBLED TO SIGN AND PROGRAM THE NATN’S FIRST-EVER LGBTQ+ HISTORY MM. INTY IS AT THE FORE BOBBY’S LIFE, HE’S FASHNED ALL HIS TIC AND VOLUBLE OBSERVATNS ABOUT HIS OWN QUEERNS (AND, LET’S BE HONT, THAT OF OTHERS) TO A PRODIG REER. IN ALL THAT OUTSIZED ASSERTN, BOBBY HAS ISOLATED HIMSELF. (I DON’T THK ’S AN ACCINT THAT HE SHAR A NAME WH THE LONELY NFIRMED BACHELOR OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S COMPANY.) HE’S 40 AND SGLE, OUTWARDLY WARY OF MMENT FOR VAGUELY POLIL REASONS—WHY SETTLE DOWN LIKE THE STRAIGHTS?—BUT WARDLY WRACKED WH ANXIETY. HE FIGUR HE’S TOO HAIRY, TOO LOUD, TOO FLAMBOYANT, AND CERTALY NOT BRAWNY ENOUGH TO EXIST AT THE HOT, WHE (CIDLY WHE) CENTER OF NEW YORK CY’S GAY GALAXY. THIS IS A FAIAR NCERN, ONE EXPRSED MYRIAD ARTISTIC FORMS OVER THE YEARS, ALBE MEDIA FAR LS MERCIAL THAN A MAJOR MOTN PICTURE. THE GAZE OF GRDR PRENTS A NARROW LTLE WORLD OF SPICLY MCLED HUNKS, SHIRTLSLY ENJOYG THEIR LIV WHILE EVERYONE ELSE WATCH ON, HORNY AND ACHG, OM THE SIL. THAT TENSN IS MA MANIFT BOBBY’S LIFE WHEN HE MEETS AARON (LE MACFARLANE), JT SUCH A GYM GOD WH A EP VOICE WHO, SOMEHOW, SEEMS TERTED BOBBY. AS BROS RAMBL ALONG, BOBBY AND AARON NEGOTIATE THEIR DIFFERENC, BOTH THE SUPERFICIAL AND THE MORE FOUNDATNAL. AARON ISN’T QUE A PARODY OF MASC-FOR-MASC SELF-LOATHG—BROS IS, ALL S ARCH VERVE, TOO HUMANE A FILM FOR THAT—BUT THERE’S AN UNEASS AT HIS CENTER THAT ULD BE TERPRETED AS NIAL. BOBBY, MEANWHILE, HAS BEE RIGID ALL HIS SUPPOSED BIG-MD UNRSTANDG; HE’S SO NVCED HE HAS FIGURED OUT THE GAY FORT THAT HE KEEPS MISSG S TRE. ANYONE FAIAR WH EICHNER’S LOOPY TELEVISN SERI BILLY ON THE STREET WILL REGNIZE THE PARTICULAR BRAND OF REFERENCE-Y, BG HUMOR THAT GIV BROS S ACERBIC PEP. WHAT’S NEW IS A LAYER OF SWEETNS AND TROSPECTN, AN APATOVIAN WISTFULNS THAT ROUNDS OUT THE FILM’S PRICKLY EDG. EICHNER PROV AS APT AT SEMI-SERNS AS HE IS AT EDY. MAYBE EVEN MORE SO—SOME OF MY FAVORE MOMENTS THE FILM ARE WHEN BOBBY (AND, PROBABLY, BILLY) TAK A BREAK OM HIS ROUTE TO SCERELY EXPLA HIMSELF, TO EXPOUND ON HIS OWN NATURE A RARE EXPRSN OF VULNERABILY. BROS JUGGL S TRA-SOCIAL POLICS WELL. SURE, THE FILM MAY BE A B LOPSID TOWARD BOBBY’S PERSPECTIVE ON THGS, BUT SUCH IS THE PERHAPS NECSARY IMBALANCE OF A ROMANTIC EDY LIKE THIS. AARON IS GIVEN HIS FAIR DUE, BUT THIS IS REALLY BOBBY’S STORY, ONE THAT SEEKS TO MERELY REGNIZE AND MULL OVER THE VAGARI OF GAY LIFE RATHER THAN SOLVE THEM. BROS DO SO WH APPEALG BR, DISCURSIVE AND SILLY AND, WHERE REALLY UNTS, SEXY. WHICH ISN’T TO SAY THAT THE FILM WILL SATISFY EVERYONE. THERE’S MUCH TO BE PICKED APART HERE, ANALYZED FOR FLTS REASON AND ARGUMENT, LAMENTED FOR A LACK OF THIS AND THAT. TO THE FILM’S CRED, THOUGH, BROS SEEMS TO WELE THAT DISURSE; THERE’S A SELF-EFFACG QUALY TO EICHNER’S WRG THAT ACKNOWLEDG S LIMS AND ENURAG MORE DIALOGUE, MORE AND VARIED NARRATIV THE FUTURE. IT’S MOSTLY A GOOD TIME, THOUGH, CHEEKY AND CLEVER. A BEVY OF WELE MEOS OM GAY POP-CULTURE INS ADDS WSOME PEPPER, WHILE EICHNER AND MACFARLANE’S SIWAYS CHEMISTRY OFFERS PLENTY TO SWOON OVER AS THEY STROLL AND CHAT A GRACLY FILMED MANHATTAN AND, FOR A BRIEF BUT NO DOUBT EXPENSIVE JNT, PROVCETOWN. EICHNER HAS GLEEFULLY ACCEPTED THE LARGSE OF A MAJOR STUD AND MA SOMETHG THAT IS PARTICULARLY HIS. WHAT HE DON’T DO, THANKFULLY, IS CLOSE THGS OFF AT THE END. THERE IS LTLE SENSE OF FIVENS HERE; BROS MAY BE SOME KD OF TRAILBLAZER PENDG ON WHICH METRIC YOU’RE G, BUT ’S NOT SMUG ABOUT THAT STAT. ITS HAPPY BLARE IS ONLY GETTG THE PARTY STARTED—OR, MAYBE MORE ACCURATELY, KEEPG GOG.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWMORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRHOW FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE REALYEXCLIVE NEW DETAILS ABOUT MEGHAN MARKLE’S WEDDG DRSA BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF EVERYTHG HAPPENG AT THIS FALL’S FILM FTIVALS—WHOUT THE STARSA SER SETBACK FOR TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELFMEET KYLE DCHANEL, THE PRETEND PLAYBOY WHO SEEMS TO HAVE FOOLED HALF OF MANHATTANTHE ULTIMATE GUI TO FALL MOVIFROM THE ARCHIVE: A FATHER’S ACUNT OF THE TRIAL OF HIS DGHTER’S KILLEREND-OF-SUMMER SALE! TAKE 25% OFF AT THE VF SHOPMOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANORICHARD LAWSON

BILLY EICHNER ON HIS HISTORY-MAKG GAY ROM-COM ‘BROS’: ‘IT’S THE BT THG I’VE EVER DONE’

Bros is the first gay romantic edy wh a mostly LGBTQ st to be given a wi release by a major stud. Billy Eichner took to Twter this weekend to share his thoughts on the disappotg receptn his gay rom- Bros received at the natn's cemas. " Based on enthiastic cril reactn at the Toronto Internatnal Film Ftival, and robt social media attentn, Universal Pictur had expected Bros – which is the first gay romantic edy wh a mostly LGBTQ st to be given a wi release by a major stud — to open the range of $8-10 ln.

Eichner hted at broar acceptance issu, tweetg that at one pot a theater cha had "lled Universal and said they were pullg the trailer bee of the gay ntent.

"Everyone who ISN'T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! Bros: Official Clip - Gay Trma Ri. Bros: Official Clip - Gay Dner.

HOW BROS RECLAIMS THE FUNNY GAY SEX SCENE

Universal Pictur proudly prents the first romantic edy om a major stud about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumblg towards love. At the begng of “Bros, ” a popular podster named Bobby (Billy Eichner) tells his listeners that he was recently asked for feedback on a gay romantic edy — one that was pched to him as a sweet, funny, accsible movie that would appeal to straight and gay dienc alike. Gay and straight experienc aren’t terchangeable, he says, and ’s ridiculo to expect the former to nform to Hollywood’s monogamy-md feel-good imperativ.

They’re at a lnch party for a gay datg app (the name of which alone is worth the price of admissn), though neher Bobby nor Aaron is really lookg for actn, let alone somethg more ser. ”) But the movie, takg s cu om Bobby’s expertise, mov past breezy Apatovian allivens to a realm of media cricism as snarky as is are jok about a TV work’s cynil explosn of queer-themed output (“A Holly, Poly Christmas” is one of the better on) and affectnate eye rolls at the sanized, sentimentalized pictns of gay men on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Scht’s Creek. ” There are also jabs at prtige dramas like “Brokeback Mounta” and “Milk, ” maly for their Osr-iendly practice of stg straight actors as gay characters sted for tragedy.

Though hardly the only gay romantic edy of note to emerge recent months (like Hulu’s “Fire Island, ” whose Bowen Yang pops up here as a lofty Provcetown lnaire), do boast the notable big-stud precent of an entirely LGBTQ prcipal st, albe one whose racial and sexual diversy happens to prop up a love story between two whe, cisgenr, gay men — somethg the movie acknowledg wh both a wk and a wce. It’s the first gay rom- ever ma* (*by a major stud).

BROS IS A GOOD, GAY TIMENICHOLAS STOLLER AND BILLY EICHNER'S LLABORATN BRGS LGBTQ+ ROMANCE TO THE MASTREAM WH A MERRY SPLASH.BY RICHARD LAWSONSEPTEMBER 10, 2022PHOTO: UNIVERSAL PICTURSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHAT WORRI I MIGHT HAVE HAD ABOUT THE FILM BROS, THE FIRST STUD-RELEASED ROMANTIC EDY ABOUT GAY MEN THAT STARS OUT GAY ACTORS, ARE PRETTY QUICKLY ALLAYED DIRECTOR NICHOLAS STOLLER’S CHARMG FILM. CO-WRTEN BY AND STARRG EDIAN BILLY EICHNER, BROS IS CERTALY AWARE THAT ’S TAKG SOME BIG STEPS TO THE MASTREAM AND IS GNIZANT OF THE ATTENDANT RPONSIBILY OF THAT. BUT THE FILM DON’T LET SELF BE HAMPERED BY S ACPLISHMENT. INSTEAD, BROS LEANS TO THE GIDDY LTLE REVOLUTN OF S OWN EXISTENCE, VG THE DIENCE TO A GOOD, GAY TIME THAT HASN’T EXACTLY HAPPENED, THIS WAY, BEFORE. OF URSE, TO MAKE THOSE LEAPS TO THE MULTIPLEX ESYSTEM, SOME PROMIS HAD TO BE MA. STOLLER IS STRAIGHT, UNLIKE ANDREW AHN, WHO DIRECTED THIS SUMMER’S HULU-RELEASED GAY EDY FIRE ISLAND. JUDD APATOW, A PROLIFIC PURVEYOR OF STRAIGHT-BOY EDY FOR OVER TWO S NOW, IS A PRODUCER WHOSE FLUENCE ON THE FILM IS FELT THROUGHOUT. BUT BROS NEVER FEELS LIKE A GAY MOVIE WHOSE MANDATE IS TO BE PALATABLE TO STRAIGHT PEOPLE. THE FILM IS DIRECTLY DIALOGUE WH S OWN MUNY, OR AT LEAST SOME SUBSET OF THAT AMORPHO AND EVER-EXPANDG GROUP. EICHNER PLAYS BOBBY, A POPULAR PODST HOST AND PUBLIC W WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME: HE’S PART OF A MTEE ASSEMBLED TO SIGN AND PROGRAM THE NATN’S FIRST-EVER LGBTQ+ HISTORY MM. INTY IS AT THE FORE BOBBY’S LIFE, HE’S FASHNED ALL HIS TIC AND VOLUBLE OBSERVATNS ABOUT HIS OWN QUEERNS (AND, LET’S BE HONT, THAT OF OTHERS) TO A PRODIG REER. IN ALL THAT OUTSIZED ASSERTN, BOBBY HAS ISOLATED HIMSELF. (I DON’T THK ’S AN ACCINT THAT HE SHAR A NAME WH THE LONELY NFIRMED BACHELOR OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S COMPANY.) HE’S 40 AND SGLE, OUTWARDLY WARY OF MMENT FOR VAGUELY POLIL REASONS—WHY SETTLE DOWN LIKE THE STRAIGHTS?—BUT WARDLY WRACKED WH ANXIETY. HE FIGUR HE’S TOO HAIRY, TOO LOUD, TOO FLAMBOYANT, AND CERTALY NOT BRAWNY ENOUGH TO EXIST AT THE HOT, WHE (CIDLY WHE) CENTER OF NEW YORK CY’S GAY GALAXY. THIS IS A FAIAR NCERN, ONE EXPRSED MYRIAD ARTISTIC FORMS OVER THE YEARS, ALBE MEDIA FAR LS MERCIAL THAN A MAJOR MOTN PICTURE. THE GAZE OF GRDR PRENTS A NARROW LTLE WORLD OF SPICLY MCLED HUNKS, SHIRTLSLY ENJOYG THEIR LIV WHILE EVERYONE ELSE WATCH ON, HORNY AND ACHG, OM THE SIL. THAT TENSN IS MA MANIFT BOBBY’S LIFE WHEN HE MEETS AARON (LE MACFARLANE), JT SUCH A GYM GOD WH A EP VOICE WHO, SOMEHOW, SEEMS TERTED BOBBY. AS BROS RAMBL ALONG, BOBBY AND AARON NEGOTIATE THEIR DIFFERENC, BOTH THE SUPERFICIAL AND THE MORE FOUNDATNAL. AARON ISN’T QUE A PARODY OF MASC-FOR-MASC SELF-LOATHG—BROS IS, ALL S ARCH VERVE, TOO HUMANE A FILM FOR THAT—BUT THERE’S AN UNEASS AT HIS CENTER THAT ULD BE TERPRETED AS NIAL. BOBBY, MEANWHILE, HAS BEE RIGID ALL HIS SUPPOSED BIG-MD UNRSTANDG; HE’S SO NVCED HE HAS FIGURED OUT THE GAY FORT THAT HE KEEPS MISSG S TRE. ANYONE FAIAR WH EICHNER’S LOOPY TELEVISN SERI BILLY ON THE STREET WILL REGNIZE THE PARTICULAR BRAND OF REFERENCE-Y, BG HUMOR THAT GIV BROS S ACERBIC PEP. WHAT’S NEW IS A LAYER OF SWEETNS AND TROSPECTN, AN APATOVIAN WISTFULNS THAT ROUNDS OUT THE FILM’S PRICKLY EDG. EICHNER PROV AS APT AT SEMI-SERNS AS HE IS AT EDY. MAYBE EVEN MORE SO—SOME OF MY FAVORE MOMENTS THE FILM ARE WHEN BOBBY (AND, PROBABLY, BILLY) TAK A BREAK OM HIS ROUTE TO SCERELY EXPLA HIMSELF, TO EXPOUND ON HIS OWN NATURE A RARE EXPRSN OF VULNERABILY. BROS JUGGL S TRA-SOCIAL POLICS WELL. SURE, THE FILM MAY BE A B LOPSID TOWARD BOBBY’S PERSPECTIVE ON THGS, BUT SUCH IS THE PERHAPS NECSARY IMBALANCE OF A ROMANTIC EDY LIKE THIS. AARON IS GIVEN HIS FAIR DUE, BUT THIS IS REALLY BOBBY’S STORY, ONE THAT SEEKS TO MERELY REGNIZE AND MULL OVER THE VAGARI OF GAY LIFE RATHER THAN SOLVE THEM. BROS DO SO WH APPEALG BR, DISCURSIVE AND SILLY AND, WHERE REALLY UNTS, SEXY. WHICH ISN’T TO SAY THAT THE FILM WILL SATISFY EVERYONE. THERE’S MUCH TO BE PICKED APART HERE, ANALYZED FOR FLTS REASON AND ARGUMENT, LAMENTED FOR A LACK OF THIS AND THAT. TO THE FILM’S CRED, THOUGH, BROS SEEMS TO WELE THAT DISURSE; THERE’S A SELF-EFFACG QUALY TO EICHNER’S WRG THAT ACKNOWLEDG S LIMS AND ENURAG MORE DIALOGUE, MORE AND VARIED NARRATIV THE FUTURE. IT’S MOSTLY A GOOD TIME, THOUGH, CHEEKY AND CLEVER. A BEVY OF WELE MEOS OM GAY POP-CULTURE INS ADDS WSOME PEPPER, WHILE EICHNER AND MACFARLANE’S SIWAYS CHEMISTRY OFFERS PLENTY TO SWOON OVER AS THEY STROLL AND CHAT A GRACLY FILMED MANHATTAN AND, FOR A BRIEF BUT NO DOUBT EXPENSIVE JNT, PROVCETOWN. EICHNER HAS GLEEFULLY ACCEPTED THE LARGSE OF A MAJOR STUD AND MA SOMETHG THAT IS PARTICULARLY HIS. WHAT HE DON’T DO, THANKFULLY, IS CLOSE THGS OFF AT THE END. THERE IS LTLE SENSE OF FIVENS HERE; BROS MAY BE SOME KD OF TRAILBLAZER PENDG ON WHICH METRIC YOU’RE G, BUT ’S NOT SMUG ABOUT THAT STAT. ITS HAPPY BLARE IS ONLY GETTG THE PARTY STARTED—OR, MAYBE MORE ACCURATELY, KEEPG GOG.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWMORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRHOW FOUR BILLNAIRE TECHNO-OLIGARCHS ARE CREATG AN ALTERNATE REALYEXCLIVE NEW DETAILS ABOUT MEGHAN MARKLE’S WEDDG DRSA BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF EVERYTHG HAPPENG AT THIS FALL’S FILM FTIVALS—WHOUT THE STARSA SER SETBACK FOR TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELFMEET KYLE DCHANEL, THE PRETEND PLAYBOY WHO SEEMS TO HAVE FOOLED HALF OF MANHATTANTHE ULTIMATE GUI TO FALL MOVIFROM THE ARCHIVE: A FATHER’S ACUNT OF THE TRIAL OF HIS DGHTER’S KILLEREND-OF-SUMMER SALE! TAKE 25% OFF AT THE VF SHOPMOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANORICHARD LAWSON

It’s the first movie* (*at a major stud) to star and be wrten by an openly gay man.

It’s not some die or “some streamg thg which feels disposable, ” as he said to Variety, words he then clarified after they were terpreted as a slight agast fellow gay rom- Fire Island, which premiered on Hulu June. Also, ’s about 40-year-olds who fuck, not a g-out story about someone fumblg their first kiss, like roughly 90 percent of gay stori onscreen are, he clared to GQ. Eichner has done so much work to load down Bros wh qualified historil signifince, and to sist that ’s not like those other gay movi, that ’s a pleasant surprise to fally watch the thg and fd to be sexy, msy, and joyful, and rmed ls by a sense of s own importance than by a vague uncertaty that may have arrived too late to the party.