Bros review: Billy Eichner’s gay rom is history, but also hilar - Polygon

billy eichner gay

Billy Eichner says gay rom- Bros bombed at the box office bee straight people 'didn't show up'

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OPENLY GAY BILLY EICHNER SAYS HE WAS ONCE BLD TO HOMOPHOBIA - WHO'S HIS PARTNER?

The edian and star of "Billy on the Street" is the first openly gay man to -wre and star a gay romantic edy for a major movie stud. He talks about why 's taken so long for Hollywood to produce a rom- featurg an all-LGBTQ prcipal st. * billy eichner gay *

As Entertament Weekly pots out, as a Universal property, "Bros" is the first gay romantic edy to be released by a major stud. As Variety not, a profile of Billy Eichner, he's the first openly gay man to wre and star a major stud movie, which is as excg as is shockg. Wh “Bros, ” Billy Eichner is takg a hatchet to the bumper-sticker slogan of film (streamg on Peack) stars the actor-edian, known for "Billy on the Street" and "Parks and Recreatn, " and Le Macfarlane and marks the first romantic edy om a major stud centerg on two gay men.

“(Viewers) are gettg all the lgh-out-loud moments of a Judd Apatow movie that they expect, the jok and the physil edy, but they’re also gettg a peek behd the curta at gay culture that you might thk you know om a handful of s characters you’ve seen on TV, but you don’t really know. ”'Fire Island':Hulu's gay rom- pays steamy, stormy o to 'Pri and Prejudice''Meet Cute':The profound qutn Kaley Cuo and Pete Davidson's dark rom- asks'Bros' wrtl wh 'strange pestal' of masculyManls is next to godls for Bobby and Aaron, as each stggl to live up to rigid imag of masculy their personal liv.

BROS’ PERFECTLY TUNED ROMANTIC EDY BUCKL UNR THE WEIGHT OF THE GAY ROM- TONE

Billy Eichner hop Bachelor's Colton Unrwood 'ntu to evolve' after g out as gay — exclive terview * billy eichner gay *

Throughout the film, Bobby is plagued by the secury that Aaron isn't tly attracted to him bee he don't embody the mcly Adonis type often glorified  gay culture.

“It’s fun for straight dienc to see the ways that straight relatnships and gay relatnships are siar and do overlap, and ’s also excg, fun and fascatg to see the ways which they differ, ” Eichner says.

But as a kid wh a unique clatn, he was still bld to he grew up  New York, went to Stuyvant High School, and lived life on his terms, he didn't know that people wh different orientatns uld suffer om prejudice and Billy on the Street host ghed about his opn on homophobia durg an terview wh PBS 2016. — billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 4, 2020On Playg Gay Characters As an actor, Eichner has portrayed gay characters on screen. Its release on the schled date of Augt 12, 2022, will make Eichner the first gay man to -wre and star a major stud film.

BILLY EICHNER ON HIS GAY ROM- "BROS"

* billy eichner gay *

He then mocked homophobia prent Hollywood and wrote that took only "100 years" to release a typil romance-fyg movie. "I hear people talkg about diversy and cln, but I often see gay people left out of those nversatns, " he told Variety 2019.

It’s “the first gay romantic edy om a major stud featurg an entirely LGBTQ prcipal st, ” wh Eichner beg touted as “the first openly gay man to wre and star a major stud film. Their meet-cute, amidst a swirlg vortex of vogueg club gays, feels like the proper 21st-century queer versn of a NYC love story.

BILLY EICHNER BLAM STRAIGHT PEOPLE FOR DISMAL OPENG OF GAY ROM ‘BROS’

Billy Eichner praised "Sex and the Cy" durg s 25th anniversary for reprentg gay men onscreen. * billy eichner gay *

Add a sre by Marc Shaiman and a bounty of Nat Kg Cole needle-drops, and you’d thk this Gay When Harry Met Sally would be off and nng. The moments where they s around a nference table and rotely poe queer talkg pots feel as dry and unspired as if the Senate sequenc om the Star Wars prequels took place an echo chamber of gay stereotyp.

Dpe the actor’s volatile watchabily, Bobby emerg ls as a real person than a walkg Twter rant of everythg that’s wrong wh gay culture. That clus, but is not limed to: straight actors playg gay people; the edic e of “the F slur”; the film dtry’s palizatn on queer trma; and the problematic nature of Bohemian Rhapsody beg about a gay in a straight relatnship.

BILLY EICHNER ‘HAD NO IA’ ABOUT COLTON UNRWOOD’S SEXUALY DPE VIRAL ‘GAY BACHELOR’ CLIP: ‘I’M HAPPY FOR HIM’

The edian and star of "Billy on the Street" is the first openly gay man to -wre and star a gay romantic edy for a major movie stud. He talks about why 's taken so long for Hollywood to produce a rom- featurg an all-LGBTQ prcipal st. * billy eichner gay *

You n easily image the one-note meathead Aaron uld be, but Macfarlane really plays the pathos of this guy who’s lived a life straddlg his privilege as a straight-passg mascule gay man wh his sire to feel ls like an outsir to gay culture. He’s easily the most plete and pellg character the st, and his loss and victori are the emotnal high pots of a film that’s at s bt when ’s playg out the classic rom- beats om a gay perspective. It’s a satisfyg endg, and one that reveals Eichner’s ultimate amg of this film as a long-awaed troductn om queer culture to mastream cema, a Gay Rey handg off a rabow-lored lightsaber to Le Skywalker.

While Bros often feels overstuffed wh ias, a treatise on Why Gay People Derve To Be a Rom-Com rather than jt a really good rom- wh gay people, also feels exactly le wh Bobby’s-slash-Billy’s chief goal: “I wanted to wre about my world, my life, my iends. Wh director and -wrer Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow (no strangers to rom-s themselv), Eichner has -wrten and stars what's beg billed as the first gay romantic edy ever released by a major film stud, and also the first to feature an all-LGBTQ prcipal st. Corrponnt Jonathan Vigltti said, "I went to the screeng wh my hband and halfway through, we had this moment where we looked at each other, regnizg that this was the first time we had seen ourselv reprented: two gay men ontg a romantic edy on the big screen.

BILLY EICHNER SAYS GAY ROM- BROS BOMBED AT THE BOX OFFICE BEE STRAIGHT PEOPLE 'DIDN'T SHOW UP'

"Vigltti asked, "Why do you thk 's taken this long for a movie like this – two gay men a romantic edy – fally beg on the big screen? For example, 2006 (five years before his breakthrough edy game show "Billy on the Street") Eichner said his manager brought talent agents to see one of his live edy shows: "And asked me if I uld make the show 'ls gay' that month. Billy Eichner has plaed that straight people “jt didn’t show up” to his new gay romantic edy after bombed at the box office on openg weekend.

BILLY EICHNER FORAW COLTON UNRWOOD BEG 'FIRST GAY BACHELOR' IN 2019

“Bros” — which is produced by Judd Apatow and reportedly st $22 ln to make — garnered buzz for beg the first gay romantic edy om a major stud, but brought a paltry $4. What’s also te is that at one pot a theater cha lled Universal [the stud behd the movie] and said they were pullg the trailer bee of the gay ntent.

Eichner subsequently implored that “everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo” go to a cema to see ‘Bros’ as soon as possible. However, the edian was quickly blasted by gay and straight Twter ers alike, many of whom acced him of “shamg” people for not seeg the film. Many add that other films about gay men — cludg “The Birdge” and “Brokeback Mounta” — performed strongly at the box office and sisted that “Bros” simply didn’t look like an enjoyable movie.

“Hollywood has often been very acceptg on the surface but very homophobic unrneath the surface and very hypocril, ” he told Page Six at the MTV Movie and TV Awards June. The Ln Kg star was featured as a gut host on a group date — and ma a joke about Unrwood possibly beg “the first gay Bachelor.

BILLY EICHNER PRAIS ‘SEX AND THE CY’ FOR ‘MORE AUTHENTIC’ AND ‘RADIL’ PORTRAYALS OF GAY MEN

“Gay was always affiliated wh a nnotatn of negativy and I thk there’s a lot of thgs when I look back, I’m like, ‘No wonr I held , '” Unrwood said at the time. Billy Eichner VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Imag It was a no-go for Bros at the box office this gay romantic edy starrg Billy Eichner flopped s domtic but, only grossg $4.

’”“Until very recently, if Hollywood was willg to put a gay character anythg, was often to be some versn of a live-actn rtoon, ” Billy Eichner Pfluger for The New York TimSept. Later, after a move to New York, Eichner watched films like “All Over the Guy, ” “The Broken Hearts Club, ” and “Another Gay Movie” at the Quad. Wh most romantic edi, the qutn is whether the central uple will ever get together, but the morn gay men quickly tumble to bed wh each other (and sometim wh gut stars).

“I thk until very recently, if Hollywood was willg to put a gay character anythg, was often to be some versn of a live-actn rtoon, ” Eichner told me recently over dner Los Angel. ” I always thought there was somethg there to further explore about gay men, at least those of my generatn — I n’t speak to the younger on, I don’t thk they’re as foced on this issue of masculy.

BILLY EICHNER SAYS 'BROS' GAY SEX SCEN WILL BE 'EYE-OPENG FOR CERTA PEOPLE'

I liked the irony of , that this big mastream gay rom- would be lled “Bros, ” but also when people see the movie, they’ll realize actually is tied to one of the would you fe that theme? I thk that for gay men of my generatn, was ls of an issue to simply be gay — many of were OK wh that, for the most part — but we wanted to be mascule, and we were attracted to this very old-fashned sense of masculy.

When I was my 20s, you would go to the gay bar wh your iends and we always talked about how we’re gay, but we’re not that gay. He would brg his gay iends to see my live show, where I was so outrageo, and they would look at me like, “Who is that person?

I never really played Rivelli/Universal PicturWhen gay men ll themselv jocks, I don’t thk has anythg to do wh, of urse don’t. I did polely ph back on that and I said, “Guys, I know that we have a movie to sell here, but this is not a gay weddg movie. Billy Eichner ngratulated former Bachelor Colton Unrwood on Wednday for g out as gay wh a cheeky and eerily prophetic throwback clip.

IS BILLY EICHNER MARRIED: IS BILLY EICHNER A GAY MAN? IS HE WH SOMEONE? DISVER MORE ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE

Number one, pop culture now sometim mak seem like every 14 year old gay boy is flyg out of the closet whout a re the world. To mark the 25th anniversary of the “SATC” premiere, Eichner spoke wh People magaze about the impact of seeg real gay bars onscreen the New York Cy-based HBO seri.

TIFF: BILLY EICHNER ON HOLLYWOOD EMBRACG A GAY ROM-COM: “WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?”

It was one of the only shows that created what, at that time, felt like a more thentic — not perfectly thentic — look at gay men and our relatnships wh women. “You did not see many shows at that pot that had scen at gay bars, let alone wh guys standg their unrwear for Unrwear Night.

“I immediately knew, bee I’d been there several tim, was shot at an actual gay bar Chelsea New York lled Barracuda, which is still there. This is before textg, but I remember llg my iends — both my girliends and my gay iends — and sayg, ‘You guys have to watch this show.

BILLY EICHNER’S VERY GAY ‘BROS’ TRAILER HAS RADILIZED METHE DAILY BEAST’S OBSESSEDEVERYTHG WE N’T STOP LOVG, HATG, AND THKG ABOUT THIS WEEK POP CULTURE.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED AUG. 05, 2022 1:28PM EDT UNIVERSALTHIS IS A PREVIEW OF OUR POP CULTURE NEWSLETTER THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED, WRTEN BY SENR ENTERTAMENT REPORTER KEV FALLON. TO RECEIVE THE FULL NEWSLETTER YOUR BOX EACH WEEK, SIGN UP FOR HERE.THIS WEEK:CRYG WH THE CRAWLEYS.BOWG DOWN TO BILLY EICHNER.ALL- ON WHATEVER MDY KALG’S DOG.A PERFECT VIO.A TERRIBLE TWEET.I CAN’T STOP WATCHG THE BROS TRAILERTHERE IS SOMETHG THAT HAPPENS EVERY TIME A NEW TRAILER FOR A ROM- OR ROMANTIC FILM OR TV SERI WH GAY LEADS OUT. I CHEER. OBNOXLY. I TWEET ABOUT AND WRE ABOUT AND SG S PRAIS AS IF I’M JENNIFER HOLLIDAY UNHGG HER JAW TO BELT OUT THE FAL RIFFS OF “AND I AM TELLG YOU I’M NOT GOG.” THIS IS AMAZG! THIS IS IMPORTANT! THIS SERV OUR PRAISE! I WOULD NEVER TAKE ANY OF THAT BACK, PECIALLY AFTER OBSERVG HOW, RECENT YEARS, EACH OF THOSE PROJECTS WOULD BE MET WH AN EQUALLY PASSNATE AND IMPRSIVELY VOL—THK, THIS SE, JENNIFER HUDSON UNHGG HER JAW TO BELT OUT THE FAL RIFFS OF “AND I AM TELLG YOU I’M NOT GOG”—CRICISM.IT’S NOT JT THE EXPECTED BACKLASH OM NSERVATIV AND HOMOPHOB, BUT ATTACKS OM WH THE LGBT MUNY OM PEOPLE WHO ARE TRATED THAT THE CHARACTERS MIGHT NOT REPRENT A KD OF QUEERNS THEY INTIFY WH, A DIVERSY THAT REFLECTS REALY, OR FALLS TO TRAPS LIKE RELYG ON THE TRMA OF A G-OUT NARRATIVE OR BEG TOO CHASTE, A PROMISE OFTEN MA TO BE MORE “PALATABLE.”THOSE ARE ALL VALID ISSU TO TAKE WH ANY PROJECT. I’M THE FIRST TO ADM THAT I TEND TO BE OVERLY EXCED MY CHEERLEADG OF THE SHOWS AND MOVI, BEE I DO SEE SUCH VALUE THEIR EXISTENCE, EVEN IF THEY’RE IMPERFECT. BUT THE BROS TRAILER RADILIZED ME.BILLY EICHNER’S HISTORIC FILM, THE FIRST GAY ROM- OM A MAJOR STUD, LEFT ME SLACK-JAWED.IT’S NOT JT THAT ’S RNCHY AND ANK ABOUT WHAT GAY DATG LIFE IS LIKE FOR A CERTA KD OF MAN, BUT ABOUT THE SEX ASPECT AS WELL. IT’S NOT JT THAT STARS ACTUAL OUT GAY ACTORS; FACT, THE ENTIRE PRCIPAL ST, EVEN THOSE WHO ARE PLAYG HETEROSEXUAL CHARACTERS, ARE ACTORS WHO INTIFY AS LGBT. IT’S NOT JT THAT THE WORD “BUTT-FUCKED” IS SUALLY TOSSED OFF A MOVIE TRAILER.IT’S THE SHREWD META NSTCTN OF EVERYTHG I HAD BEEN SCRIBG BEFORE THAT SEEMS TO DRIVE THE NARRATIVE. EICHNER’S CHARACTER IS ASKED TO PEN A MOVIE SCRIPT ABOUT TWO GAY MEN FALLG LOVE, BUT IS ASKED TO MAKE , AS HE SURMIS, “SOMETHG A STRAIGHT GUY MIGHT LIKE.”IT’S A FILM THAT IS THE PRODUCT OF YEARS OF BOTTLED-UP EXASPERATN. EVEN IF I PROBABLY WON’T BE ABLE TO SHAKE MY SISTENCE ON SCREAMG OM THE RAFTERS HOW GREAT ANY PIECE OF GAY NTENT IS, EVEN IF MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT BROS IS EXPOSG, I FEEL AWAKE TO NOW.OR MAYBE THIS IS JT ME DOG THE SAME THG AGA: BEG OVERLY EFFIVE OVER A GAY ROM- THAT SEEMS LIKE ULD BE EXCG. WHATEVER. AT THE VERY LEAST, ’S A GOOD TRAILER, Y’ALL. WATCH HERE.WHAT THE WORLD IS GOG ON WH MDY KALG’S VELMA?IT IS “UPONTS” WEEK, WHICH THE TV DTRY MEANS ’S THE TIME WHEN WORKS AND STREAMERS MAKE CISNS ABOUT RENEWALS AND NCELLATNS AND MAKE SPLASHY PRENTATNS TO ADVERTISERS ATTEMPTG TO SELL THE NEW SHOWS THEY’RE ANNOUNCG.THAT’S WHY THERE WAS A PILE-UP OF NEWS SURROUNDG THE NCELLATN OF, WELL, JT ABOUT EVERYTHG ON THE CW AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A FAL SEASON OF RIVERDALE. IT’S ALSO WHY THERE SEEMED TO BE AN AVALANCHE OF PRS RELEAS TOUTG NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE BEG GREENL, LIKE A CBS TV ADAPTATN OF TE LI, YET ANOTHER YELLOWSTONE SPOFF (STARRG HARRISON FORD AND HELEN MIRREN?!?), AND WHATEVER GOD’S NAME THIS NEW VELMA ANIMATED SERI IS OM MDY KALG, WHICH THROUGH ONE PHOTO ALONE HAS ALREADY BEE MY FAVORE TV SHOW OF ALL TIME.THE NEWS SELF IS EXCG, BUT NOT LIFE-CHANGG. KALG, WHOSE RECENT PROJECTS NEVER HAVE I EVER AND THE SEX LIV OF COLLEGE GIRLS ARE SO EAKG GOOD, IS GOG TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE AND STAR AS THE VOICE OF VELMA A SPOFF ANIMATED SERI OF THE SOBY-DOO RTOONS FOR HBO MAX.I’M TO ! THEN I SAW THE PHOTO OF KALG PRENTG THE SERI AT UPONTS, WHICH CLUD A MASSIVE STILL OF A SCENE WHICH RTOON VELMA WALKS ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE A WOMAN WH THE TOP OF HER HEAD CHOPPED OFF BLEEDG OUT ON THE FLOOR OF A LOCKER ROOM WHILE NAKED WOMEN GAWK OM BEHD HER, SOAP BUBBL ALL THE RIGHT PLAC FOR (RTOON) MOSTY. SCREENSHOT “WHAT THE WORLD?” IS A PHRASE THAT WAS CRAFTED SPECIFILLY FOR THIS. I HAVEN’T THE SLIGHTT IA WHAT’S GOG ON, BUT ’S ENTIRELY UNEXPECTED AND I NNOT WA.THE MOST DELIGHTFUL THG YOU WILL EVER WATCHBY SOME MIRACLE—A BLSG OM GOD RETURN FOR A GOOD ED I HADN’T EVEN KNOWN I’D MTED—A VIO OF PATRICK SWAYZE AND JENNIFER GREY DOG THE FAL DANCE OM DIRTY DANCG WAS TWEETED TO MY TIMELE THIS WEEK. INSTEAD OF “(I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE,” THE MIC IS REPLACED WH THE THEME SONG OM THE MUPPET SHOW.WATCH HERE. GIPHY I KNOW WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LIKE TWTER ANYMORE. WHILE I WAS WRG THIS NEWSLETTER, EVEN MORE UPSETTG ELON MK NEWS BROKE.BUT…AND HEAR ME OUT…WHAT IF A SE WHERE A VIO WHICH THE FAL DANCE OM DIRTY DANCG IS POSTED BUT ’S THE MUPPET SHOW THEME SONG STEAD IS ACTUALLY THE GREATT PLACE ON EARTH AND WE SHOULD MAKE SURE LASTS FOREVER?THE WEEK’S MOST INPREHENSIBLE NEWSSHORTLY AFTER WRG THAT ENDORSEMENT, I READ A TWEET THAT SAID, “TOM CISE TRODUCED A SERI OF PERFORMANC AT THE FALE OF A HORSE SHOW THAT KICKED OFF CELEBRATNS TO MARK THE PLATUM JUBILEE CELEBRATNS OF BRA’S QUEEN ELIZABETH,” AND CHANGED MY MD. GIPHY I ULD HAVE THE BED BRA TST OF NASA, NATO, AND EVERY NOBEL WNER OF THE LAST 20 YEARS, AND I STILL WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO PREHEND OR MAKE SENSE OF THAT TWEET. BURN ALL DOWN. NOT WORTH .WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK:DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA: A LIGHTFUL TIME. DON’T OVERTHK . (FRI. THEATERS)MEXIN PIZZA: THE MIL: THE DOLLY PARTON TA BELL MEXIN PIZZA TIKTOK MIL IS REAL. CAN SOMEONE TEACH ME HOW TO E TIKTOK? (THURS. ON TIKTOK)RUPL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS: EVERYONE’S A WNER! NO REALLY, THAT’S THE NCE—’S ALL PAST WNERS. (FRI. ON PARAMOUNT+)MEN: NOTHG SRIER THAN MEN. (FRI. THEATERS)WHAT TO SKIP THIS WEEK:2000 MUL: D*N*SH D’S**Z*’S NEW MOVIE AND LET’S NOT GIVE ATTENTN. (FRI. THEATERS) NEWSLETTERSTHE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSEDEVERYTHG WE N’T STOP LOVG, HATG, AND THKG ABOUT THIS WEEK POP CULTURE.SUBSCRIBEBY CLICKG "SUBSCRIBE" YOU AGREE TO HAVE READ THE TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY KEV FALLON

"To watch a trailer for "Bros" click on the vio player below:Corrponnt Jonathan Vigltti said, "I went to the screeng wh my hband and halfway through, we had this moment where we looked at each other, regnizg that this was the first time we had seen ourselv reprented: two gay men ontg a romantic edy on the big screen. ""That monologue on the beach was spired by real experienc, " said example, 2006 (five years before his breakthrough edy game show "Billy on the Street") Eichner said his manager brought talent agents to see one of his live edy shows: "And asked me if I uld make the show 'ls gay' that month.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* BILLY EICHNER GAY

Billy Eichner’s Very Gay ‘Bros’ Trailer Has Radilized Me .

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