Fire Island Is a Trip to Gay Heaven—or Is It Hell? | Vany Fair

Contents:

• 'FIRE ISLAND' TRAILER: 'PRI AND PREJUDICE' GO GAY WH JOEL KIM BOOSTER, BOWEN YANG
• “SOMETHG SPECIAL AND UNIQUE AND GAY”: YOUR FIRST LOOK AT FIRE ISLAND
• FIRE ISLAND REVIEW – BREEZY GAY SP ON PRI AND PREJUDICE FAILS TO IGNE
• FIRE ISLAND IS A TRIP TO GAY HEAVEN—OR IS IT HELL?COMEDIAN JOEL KIM BOOSTER AND SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’S BOWEN YANG LEAD A JANE ATEN-SPIRED QUEER ROM.BY RICHARD LAWSONJUNE 2, 2022PHOTO BY JEONG PARK. COURTY OF SEARCHLIGHT PICTURSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEMY LAST TRIP TO FIRE ISLAND WAS 2019, A BUGGY, GHT WEEK DURG WHICH I FELT WOEFULLY ALIENATED OM MY HOEMAT (BY MY OWN DOG, NOT THEIRS) AND ALTOGETHER LONELY AND OLD AND GROSS AND TIRED. SUCH IS THE PERIL OF GOG TO A PLACE LIKE THAT—A GAY RETREAT THAT PROMIS THE FORTS AND EXCEMENTS OF FAIAR PANY, BUT ALSO HOLDS THE POTENTIAL FOR DIRE JAGS OF SELF-DOUBT. AT THE END OF MY TIME THERE, I GOT ON THE FERRY BACK TO LONG ISLAND AND CID I’D FALLY HAD ENOUGH. I HAD TRIED TO MAKE FIRE ISLAND WORK FOR ME, BUT I’D FAILED, TIME AND TIME AGA.IT’S A LOT EASIER TO RETURN THERE VIRTUAL FORM, NONTG AN IA OF THE PLACE OM A DIGAL DISTANCE RATHER THAN EXPERIENCG THE REAL, VODKA-SOAKED THG. WHICH IS JT WHAT THE NEW HULU FILM FIRE ISLAND (JUNE 3) OFFERS TO BOTH FIRE ISLAND VETERAN AND VIRG. DIRECTED BY ANDREW AHN AND WRTEN BY JOEL KIM BOOSTER, WHO ALSO STARS, FIRE ISLAND IS A ROMANTIC EDY OF MANNERS BASED ON JANE ATEN’S PRI AND PREJUDICE. GIVEN THE STRICT AND VEXG HIERARCHI OF FIRE ISLAND, KIM BOOSTER’S CHOICE OF TEMPLATE IS AN APT ONE. ALL OF ATEN’S Y AND PRICKLY SOCIAL MANVERG EASILY MAPS ONTO THE PARTICULAR GAY ESYSTEM PICTED THE FILM—TERPTED, OF URSE, BY VERY MORN BURSTS OF SEX AND DGS. THE GREATT ASSET OF FIRE ISLAND IS THE ISLAND SELF. MUCH OF THE FILM WAS SHOT ON LOTN THE LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL OF LAST YEAR, WHICH GIV THE FILM A CCIAL SPECIFICY. THOSE OF WHO’VE BEEN TO THE ISLAND BEFORE, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, MAY MORE POTENTLY REGNIZE THE STRANGE SIGNIFINCE OF SEEG, SAY, THE ICE PALACE LOOMG LARGE A GLOSSY, BUZZED-ABOUT MOVIE RELEASED ON A STREAMG PLATFORM OWNED BY DISNEY. BUT EVEN IF THE PLAC MEAN LTLE OR NOTHG TO A VIEWER, I’D THK THEY’LL STILL FEEL THE ENVELOPG PULL OF THE FILM’S GRANULAR TEXTURE, THE KEEN SENSE OF PLACE THAT SO MANY MOVI—FILMED ON ATLANTA SOUND STAG OR CANADIAN CI DRSED UP TO LOOK LIKE SOMETHG ELSE—SEEM TO LACK THE DAYS.AHN BATH THIS TH, SCRAGGLY LE OF SAND ACHG HU. HE AND CEMATOGRAPHER FELIPE VARA REY HAVE PTURED THE ROSY HAZE OF MAGIL SUMMER, KISSED BY WARM SUN AND FLECKED WH TWILIGHT DARKNS. (THE FILM’S WOOZY, INSTAGRAM-FILTER LOOK IS PERHAPS REMISCENT OF THE SHORT-LIVED GAY HBO SERI LOOKG—THOUGH I REALIZE THAT PARISON MAY READ AS NEGATIVE TO SOME. I MEAN A GOOD WAY.) AHN HAS SET A LOVELY STAGE FOR BUDDG ROMANCE AND FOR THE DULL PANGS OF VATN MALAISE. FIRE ISLAND PRENTS A WORLD BOTH SPRIGHTLY AND SOMBER, BEFTG OF THIS PARTY MEC WHERE EVEN A QUIET AFTERNOON BY THE POOL RRI WH AN ANX CH. KIM BOOSTER PLAYS NOAH, A HANDSOME, BED-HOPPG NURSE WHO IS MAKG AN ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO FIRE ISLAND WH HIS ART IENDS. HOWIE (BOWEN YANG) IS VISG OM SAN FRANCIS, WHERE HE HAS MPED TO FOR A JOB TECH. ZANY SIKICKS KEEGAN (TOMáS MATOS), LE (MATT ROGERS), AND MAX (TORIAN MILLER) HAVE MA THEIR WAY OUT OM THE CY, READY TO WHOOP UP AND OFFER CUTTG MENTARY. THE CHARACTERS ARE, AS THEY MIGHT BE A NOVEL, TAILED FOR BY NOAH’S NARRATN, WHICH ALSO GIV THE UNIATED A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE LAY OF THE LAND—A B OF PROBABLY NECSARY EXPOSN GIVEN THAT FIRE ISLAND IS NOT AN ACCSIBLE PLACE FOR MOST PEOPLE, GEOGRAPHILLY AND FANCIALLY. MONEY IS ONE OF THE FILM’S PERSISTENT NCERNS. THE BOYS’ HOST, EARTHY-KOOKY LBIAN ER (MARGARET CHO), WILL HAVE TO SELL HER BELOVED HOE AFTER LOSG MOST OF HER MONEY BY VTG QUIBI. (A FUNNY EVOTN OF THE DOOMED STREAMER THAT WAS ONCE MEANT TO BE THE HOME OF A TV SERI THAT LATER BEME THIS FILM.) THAT PUTS THE IENDS STARK NTRAST TO THE RICH GUYS ON THE OCEANONT SI OF THE ISLAND, SNOOTY MCLE GODS WHO ARE, THE FILM POTEDLY REGNIZ, ALMOST UNIFORMLY WHE. AS ASIAN MEN ON AN ISLAND—AND WH A BROAR MUNY—THAT IS OFTEN NOXLY PREJUDICED AGAST THEM, NOAH AND HOWIE MT NTEND WH BEG OSTRACIZED A PLACE THAT IS, OSTENSIBLY, SUPPOSED TO BE A WELG HAVEN. THE PA AND TRATN OF THAT IS SPOKEN ALOUD THE FILM, BUT KIM BOOSTER ALSO LETS HOVER QUIETLY, BUT SISTENTLY, THE SUBTEXT OF MANY OTHER LOAD NVERSATNS. FIRE ISLAND IS NOT MEANT TO BE A PANACEA FOR THIS PROBLEM— IS, AFTER ALL, NOT NOAH AND HOWIE’S, NOR AHN’S AND KIM BOOSTER’S, PROBLEM TO SOLVE. THE FILM IS STEAD A NARRATIVE ABOUT PEOPLE NAVIGATG A DIFFICULT REALY, TRYG TO WRTLE A GOOD, FULFILLG TIME OUT OF A CIRCUMSTANCE THAT SOMETIM SEEMS TERMED TO PRIVE THEM OF THAT. THAT SERNS IS TERTG DIALOGUE, IF NOT ALWAYS PERFECT BALANCE, WH THE FILM’S BAWDIER, RNCHIER DIMENSNS. MOST 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 ARIANOTHERE ARE ALSO TENSNS WH HOWIE AND NOAH’S IENDSHIP TO BE ALT WH. HOWIE IS SECURE ABOUT HIS BODY AND HIS NERDY AWKWARDNS, SO UN-REFLECTED NOAH’S RIPPLED AME AND SEX-HAPPY JOIE VIVRE. WE GET THE IMPRSN THAT NOAH’S GROOVE IS A LTLE B NEW—ONCE, MAYBE, HOWIE SAW THEM MORE AS PEERS. THAT SAD DYNAMIC, ONE THAT MANY GAY MEN (AND OTHER PEOPLE, OF URSE) WILL FD ALL TOO RELATABLE, IS SHARPLY ADDRSED THE FILM. THOUGH, I WISH THAT FIRE ISLAND SPENT EVEN MORE TIME VTIGATG THE AILG MECHANICS OF THIS VAL IENDSHIP. THE MOMENTS OF NFSN AND ARGUMENT ARE WHEN FIRE ISLAND FEELS MOST PERSONAL, MOST TIMATE. BUT BEFORE LONG, ALAS, THE BS, AND BYNS, OF THE FILM’S PLOT MT BE ATTEND TO. LOVE TERTS POP UP AT TEA DANC, AS THEY’RE WONT TO DO. FOR NOAH THERE IS THE FILM’S MR. DARCY, WILL (CONRAD RIMORA), A STERN AND HUNKY LAWYER WHOSE CHILLY REACTN TO NOAH’S VERVE DO, OF URSE, MASK A DAWNG ATTRACTN. FOR HOWIE THERE IS THE BABY-FACED CHARLIE (JAM SCULLY), WHOSE MEAN-GIRL IENDS AND OBNOX EX-BOYIEND NTUALLY THWART HIS FLIRTATNS WH HOWIE. SATISFYG NCLNS TO THE ROMANTIC TRAVAILS ARE REACHED BY THE END, AS THEY MT BE, WHILE ALONG THE WAY THERE IS SOME TRIGUE WH A SOLICO INSTAGAY, DEX (ZANE PHILLIPS), WHO’S UP TO NO GOOD, AND A FEW PS FOR HIGH-EDY ANTICS OM KEEGAN AND LE. THOSE MANY MOVG PARTS ARE JUGGLED WELL ENOUGH BY AHN AND KIM BOOSTER—THOUGH, THROUGHOUT THE FILM THEY SEEM UNCERTA IF THEY WANT THIS TO BE A PROBG SOCIAL EDY OR A GALS-ON-VAY LARK. IT N BE BOTH, SURELY, BUT FIRE ISLAND HAS TROUBLE BLENDG THOSE HALV TO A HIVE WHOLE. THAT SAID, ’S MENDABLE THAT THE FILM SO ANKLY, SO AIRILY, PICTS THE ISLAND’S RNAL DULGENC. MAYBE ALL OF THAT STG SOMEWHAT DISRDANTLY ALONGSI THE MHIER, GENTLER STUFF IS A WORTHY APPROXIMATN OF WHAT IS TO BE ON FIRE ISLAND: HORNED UP AND MELANCHOLY, ADDLED BY BOTH CHEMILS AND RELENTLS HEAV OF EMOTN. IN THAT ASPECT, FIRE ISLAND GETS JT ABOUT RIGHT—M THE MOSQUO.MORE 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 SHOPRICHARD LAWSON

'FIRE ISLAND' TRAILER: 'PRI AND PREJUDICE' GO GAY WH JOEL KIM BOOSTER, BOWEN YANG

A morn take on the classic Jane Aten novel “Pri and Prejudice, ” “Fire Island” foc on two gay bt iends, Noah (Booster) and Howie (Yang), who take a trip to the P, a hamlet on New York’s Fire Island that’s a hotspot for queer culture. “I want people — pecially gay men, pecially queer people — to walk away om the movie happy that they’re gay, ” Booster told Vany Fair. “I thk that there are so many movi about the gay experience that are ght wh people who are unsure if they’re happy beg gay or stgglg wh g out… I want people to e away om this movie feelg the joy of our experienc and that ’s not all tragic.

The romantic edy follows a tight-kn group of queer iends over the urse of a weeklong sojourn on Fire Island, a legendary gay holiday statn. “Especially a place like Fire Island, where sudnly there are no straight people around to opprs and we have to fd ways to opprs one another, we recreate the artificial class systems and other hierarchi that exist the rt of the world but are jt magnified and felt so much more viscerally a place where ’s only gay people. “The movie talks about how Fire Island has been this place where gay men have historilly gone to feel safe, and asks what you do when you feel unsafe there, among your ‘own kd, ’” she said.

“SOMETHG SPECIAL AND UNIQUE AND GAY”: YOUR FIRST LOOK AT FIRE ISLAND

Part of s power is that skillfully balanc the more ser them wh a distctly gay sense of humor: Be on the lookout for a hysteril scene volvg the game Heads Up!

Andrew Ahn: I thk that there’s somethg about the way Jane Aten scrib judgment and asssment that feels really gay.

Especially a place like Fire Island, where sudnly there are no straight people around to opprs and we have to fd ways to opprs one other, we recreate the artificial class systems and other hierarchi that exist the rt of the world but are jt magnified and felt so much more viscerally a place where ’s only gay people.

FIRE ISLAND REVIEW – BREEZY GAY SP ON PRI AND PREJUDICE FAILS TO IGNE

Margaret Cho: I thk that even the tle, “Pri and Prejudice, ” uld be “Gay Pri and Gay Prejudice. Our class stctur, our ias about race, genr, homophobia – all of those are very rigid, almost as rigid as Regency England. I ma a very small, gay Korean Amerin movie lled “Spa Night” back 2016, and I jt assumed that the pennt film world would be where I’d stay for my entire reer bee of the typ of stori I want to tell.

But also, ’s not lost on me that our three lead executiv at Searchlight are two Asian Amerin women and a gay Latx man.

Cho: The movie talks about how Fire Island has been this place where gay men have historilly gone to feel safe, and asks what you do when you feel unsafe there, among your “own kd.

FIRE ISLAND IS A TRIP TO GAY HEAVEN—OR IS IT HELL?COMEDIAN JOEL KIM BOOSTER AND SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’S BOWEN YANG LEAD A JANE ATEN-SPIRED QUEER ROM.BY RICHARD LAWSONJUNE 2, 2022PHOTO BY JEONG PARK. COURTY OF SEARCHLIGHT PICTURSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEMY LAST TRIP TO FIRE ISLAND WAS 2019, A BUGGY, GHT WEEK DURG WHICH I FELT WOEFULLY ALIENATED OM MY HOEMAT (BY MY OWN DOG, NOT THEIRS) AND ALTOGETHER LONELY AND OLD AND GROSS AND TIRED. SUCH IS THE PERIL OF GOG TO A PLACE LIKE THAT—A GAY RETREAT THAT PROMIS THE FORTS AND EXCEMENTS OF FAIAR PANY, BUT ALSO HOLDS THE POTENTIAL FOR DIRE JAGS OF SELF-DOUBT. AT THE END OF MY TIME THERE, I GOT ON THE FERRY BACK TO LONG ISLAND AND CID I’D FALLY HAD ENOUGH. I HAD TRIED TO MAKE FIRE ISLAND WORK FOR ME, BUT I’D FAILED, TIME AND TIME AGA.IT’S A LOT EASIER TO RETURN THERE VIRTUAL FORM, NONTG AN IA OF THE PLACE OM A DIGAL DISTANCE RATHER THAN EXPERIENCG THE REAL, VODKA-SOAKED THG. WHICH IS JT WHAT THE NEW HULU FILM FIRE ISLAND (JUNE 3) OFFERS TO BOTH FIRE ISLAND VETERAN AND VIRG. DIRECTED BY ANDREW AHN AND WRTEN BY JOEL KIM BOOSTER, WHO ALSO STARS, FIRE ISLAND IS A ROMANTIC EDY OF MANNERS BASED ON JANE ATEN’S PRI AND PREJUDICE. GIVEN THE STRICT AND VEXG HIERARCHI OF FIRE ISLAND, KIM BOOSTER’S CHOICE OF TEMPLATE IS AN APT ONE. ALL OF ATEN’S Y AND PRICKLY SOCIAL MANVERG EASILY MAPS ONTO THE PARTICULAR GAY ESYSTEM PICTED THE FILM—TERPTED, OF URSE, BY VERY MORN BURSTS OF SEX AND DGS. THE GREATT ASSET OF FIRE ISLAND IS THE ISLAND SELF. MUCH OF THE FILM WAS SHOT ON LOTN THE LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL OF LAST YEAR, WHICH GIV THE FILM A CCIAL SPECIFICY. THOSE OF WHO’VE BEEN TO THE ISLAND BEFORE, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, MAY MORE POTENTLY REGNIZE THE STRANGE SIGNIFINCE OF SEEG, SAY, THE ICE PALACE LOOMG LARGE A GLOSSY, BUZZED-ABOUT MOVIE RELEASED ON A STREAMG PLATFORM OWNED BY DISNEY. BUT EVEN IF THE PLAC MEAN LTLE OR NOTHG TO A VIEWER, I’D THK THEY’LL STILL FEEL THE ENVELOPG PULL OF THE FILM’S GRANULAR TEXTURE, THE KEEN SENSE OF PLACE THAT SO MANY MOVI—FILMED ON ATLANTA SOUND STAG OR CANADIAN CI DRSED UP TO LOOK LIKE SOMETHG ELSE—SEEM TO LACK THE DAYS.AHN BATH THIS TH, SCRAGGLY LE OF SAND ACHG HU. HE AND CEMATOGRAPHER FELIPE VARA REY HAVE PTURED THE ROSY HAZE OF MAGIL SUMMER, KISSED BY WARM SUN AND FLECKED WH TWILIGHT DARKNS. (THE FILM’S WOOZY, INSTAGRAM-FILTER LOOK IS PERHAPS REMISCENT OF THE SHORT-LIVED GAY HBO SERI LOOKG—THOUGH I REALIZE THAT PARISON MAY READ AS NEGATIVE TO SOME. I MEAN A GOOD WAY.) AHN HAS SET A LOVELY STAGE FOR BUDDG ROMANCE AND FOR THE DULL PANGS OF VATN MALAISE. FIRE ISLAND PRENTS A WORLD BOTH SPRIGHTLY AND SOMBER, BEFTG OF THIS PARTY MEC WHERE EVEN A QUIET AFTERNOON BY THE POOL RRI WH AN ANX CH. KIM BOOSTER PLAYS NOAH, A HANDSOME, BED-HOPPG NURSE WHO IS MAKG AN ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO FIRE ISLAND WH HIS ART IENDS. HOWIE (BOWEN YANG) IS VISG OM SAN FRANCIS, WHERE HE HAS MPED TO FOR A JOB TECH. ZANY SIKICKS KEEGAN (TOMáS MATOS), LE (MATT ROGERS), AND MAX (TORIAN MILLER) HAVE MA THEIR WAY OUT OM THE CY, READY TO WHOOP UP AND OFFER CUTTG MENTARY. THE CHARACTERS ARE, AS THEY MIGHT BE A NOVEL, TAILED FOR BY NOAH’S NARRATN, WHICH ALSO GIV THE UNIATED A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE LAY OF THE LAND—A B OF PROBABLY NECSARY EXPOSN GIVEN THAT FIRE ISLAND IS NOT AN ACCSIBLE PLACE FOR MOST PEOPLE, GEOGRAPHILLY AND FANCIALLY. MONEY IS ONE OF THE FILM’S PERSISTENT NCERNS. THE BOYS’ HOST, EARTHY-KOOKY LBIAN ER (MARGARET CHO), WILL HAVE TO SELL HER BELOVED HOE AFTER LOSG MOST OF HER MONEY BY VTG QUIBI. (A FUNNY EVOTN OF THE DOOMED STREAMER THAT WAS ONCE MEANT TO BE THE HOME OF A TV SERI THAT LATER BEME THIS FILM.) THAT PUTS THE IENDS STARK NTRAST TO THE RICH GUYS ON THE OCEANONT SI OF THE ISLAND, SNOOTY MCLE GODS WHO ARE, THE FILM POTEDLY REGNIZ, ALMOST UNIFORMLY WHE. AS ASIAN MEN ON AN ISLAND—AND WH A BROAR MUNY—THAT IS OFTEN NOXLY PREJUDICED AGAST THEM, NOAH AND HOWIE MT NTEND WH BEG OSTRACIZED A PLACE THAT IS, OSTENSIBLY, SUPPOSED TO BE A WELG HAVEN. THE PA AND TRATN OF THAT IS SPOKEN ALOUD THE FILM, BUT KIM BOOSTER ALSO LETS HOVER QUIETLY, BUT SISTENTLY, THE SUBTEXT OF MANY OTHER LOAD NVERSATNS. FIRE ISLAND IS NOT MEANT TO BE A PANACEA FOR THIS PROBLEM— IS, AFTER ALL, NOT NOAH AND HOWIE’S, NOR AHN’S AND KIM BOOSTER’S, PROBLEM TO SOLVE. THE FILM IS STEAD A NARRATIVE ABOUT PEOPLE NAVIGATG A DIFFICULT REALY, TRYG TO WRTLE A GOOD, FULFILLG TIME OUT OF A CIRCUMSTANCE THAT SOMETIM SEEMS TERMED TO PRIVE THEM OF THAT. THAT SERNS IS TERTG DIALOGUE, IF NOT ALWAYS PERFECT BALANCE, WH THE FILM’S BAWDIER, RNCHIER DIMENSNS. MOST 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 ARIANOTHERE ARE ALSO TENSNS WH HOWIE AND NOAH’S IENDSHIP TO BE ALT WH. HOWIE IS SECURE ABOUT HIS BODY AND HIS NERDY AWKWARDNS, SO UN-REFLECTED NOAH’S RIPPLED AME AND SEX-HAPPY JOIE VIVRE. WE GET THE IMPRSN THAT NOAH’S GROOVE IS A LTLE B NEW—ONCE, MAYBE, HOWIE SAW THEM MORE AS PEERS. THAT SAD DYNAMIC, ONE THAT MANY GAY MEN (AND OTHER PEOPLE, OF URSE) WILL FD ALL TOO RELATABLE, IS SHARPLY ADDRSED THE FILM. THOUGH, I WISH THAT FIRE ISLAND SPENT EVEN MORE TIME VTIGATG THE AILG MECHANICS OF THIS VAL IENDSHIP. THE MOMENTS OF NFSN AND ARGUMENT ARE WHEN FIRE ISLAND FEELS MOST PERSONAL, MOST TIMATE. BUT BEFORE LONG, ALAS, THE BS, AND BYNS, OF THE FILM’S PLOT MT BE ATTEND TO. LOVE TERTS POP UP AT TEA DANC, AS THEY’RE WONT TO DO. FOR NOAH THERE IS THE FILM’S MR. DARCY, WILL (CONRAD RIMORA), A STERN AND HUNKY LAWYER WHOSE CHILLY REACTN TO NOAH’S VERVE DO, OF URSE, MASK A DAWNG ATTRACTN. FOR HOWIE THERE IS THE BABY-FACED CHARLIE (JAM SCULLY), WHOSE MEAN-GIRL IENDS AND OBNOX EX-BOYIEND NTUALLY THWART HIS FLIRTATNS WH HOWIE. SATISFYG NCLNS TO THE ROMANTIC TRAVAILS ARE REACHED BY THE END, AS THEY MT BE, WHILE ALONG THE WAY THERE IS SOME TRIGUE WH A SOLICO INSTAGAY, DEX (ZANE PHILLIPS), WHO’S UP TO NO GOOD, AND A FEW PS FOR HIGH-EDY ANTICS OM KEEGAN AND LE. THOSE MANY MOVG PARTS ARE JUGGLED WELL ENOUGH BY AHN AND KIM BOOSTER—THOUGH, THROUGHOUT THE FILM THEY SEEM UNCERTA IF THEY WANT THIS TO BE A PROBG SOCIAL EDY OR A GALS-ON-VAY LARK. IT N BE BOTH, SURELY, BUT FIRE ISLAND HAS TROUBLE BLENDG THOSE HALV TO A HIVE WHOLE. THAT SAID, ’S MENDABLE THAT THE FILM SO ANKLY, SO AIRILY, PICTS THE ISLAND’S RNAL DULGENC. MAYBE ALL OF THAT STG SOMEWHAT DISRDANTLY ALONGSI THE MHIER, GENTLER STUFF IS A WORTHY APPROXIMATN OF WHAT IS TO BE ON FIRE ISLAND: HORNED UP AND MELANCHOLY, ADDLED BY BOTH CHEMILS AND RELENTLS HEAV OF EMOTN. IN THAT ASPECT, FIRE ISLAND GETS JT ABOUT RIGHT—M THE MOSQUO.MORE 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 SHOPRICHARD LAWSON

And flip out over Marisa Tomei is a perfect distillatn of the protectivens that many gay men have over cult ins. It remds me of the time I was at a party and a gay guy beme fur when another gay guy fot that Elizabeth Berkley is “Showgirls. And ’s always so heated bee I thk that, as gay men, we often assume that we’re all nsumg the same culture, and that’s actually not te.

I know that I share that experience wh you and wh many other queer people, and I jt wanted to take a moment to honor the gay clatn for diva worship.