Bros Is a Good, Gay Time | Vany Fair

Contents:

• CRAFTG A ROM-COM THAT’S TE TO 21ST-CENTURY GAY LIFE
• LE MACFARLANE ‘BROS’: THE HOTTT MOVIE STAR OF THE YEAR IS A GAY MAN. FALLY!
• WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT 'BROS,' THE FIRST GAY ROM- PRODUCED BY A MAJOR STUD
• BROS REVIEW: A BIG GAY ROM THAT’S A BIG OLD MS
• COMMENTARY: THE REAL LSON OF ‘BROS’: IT’S OK TO LET GAY ART BOMB
• 'BROS' TRAILER: BILLY EICHNER TO LEAD FIRST GAY ROM- 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 FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE GILD AGE WILL GET A LOT MORE OPERATIC SEASON 2BY RICHARD LAWSONRICHARD LAWSON
• ‘BROS’ IS A LANDMARK GAY FILM, BUT ALSO AN ACTUALLY FUNNY (AND SURPRISGLY EMOTNAL) ROM-COM

CRAFTG A ROM-COM THAT’S TE TO 21ST-CENTURY GAY LIFE

”The scene ntued, as Bobby walked through the exhib, liverg a lecture that enpassed homophobia, Nazis and, eventually, AIDS.

LE MACFARLANE ‘BROS’: THE HOTTT MOVIE STAR OF THE YEAR IS A GAY MAN. FALLY!

It isn’t exactly the first major-stud gay rom-, that rabow lrel probably go to 2018’s “Love Simon, ” distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Which means that the movie shoulrs two rponsibili: to liver a edy as r and rnchy as fans of Stoller, and Judd Apatow, a producer, would expect, and to te viewers, gay and straight, on the past and prent of queer liv and relatnships. ”But two s the entertament dtry had tght him that as a gay man, the Tom Hanks rol were not available to him.

And that even gay rol — “In & Out, ” say, or “The Birdge, ” or “Brokeback Mounta, ” which “Bros” briefly satiriz — were often played by straight actors. Universal Pictur“That’s not reflective of how gay relatnships functn, at least the on that my iends have, at least the on that I’ve had, ” Eichner said.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT 'BROS,' THE FIRST GAY ROM- PRODUCED BY A MAJOR STUD

) But “Bros” felt different, he said, that he was hired bee he is gay and not spe of Rivelli/Universal Pictur“This wasn’t jt another character, ” he said. But Apatow, who mentned the recently passed Florida tn law, nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay, ” felt that would arrive at a particularly urgent moment. How we handle rrectnsA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn AR, Page 21 of the New York edn wh the headle: Beg Te to Gay Life, a Rom-Com.

Universal Pictur proudly prents the first romantic edy om a major stud about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumblg towards love. The LGBTQ romantic edy stars Eichner and Le Macfarlane as a gay uple navigatg the plited onle datg world, wh a few obstacl — and people — thrown along the way.

Given what we’re discsg—the explic sex scen and filthy, flirty dialogue between gay men that happens the new movie Bros— the next words that e out of his mouth are unexpected: “I’ve kissed a lot of women on Hallmark. And I hope that that sort of crossover between gay and straight be easier for for queer actors movg forward. ”Here Macfarlane and I are, talkg about how he beme part of one of Hollywood’s gayt movi to ever h the big screen, and hs me jt how much his succs means.

BROS REVIEW: A BIG GAY ROM THAT’S A BIG OLD MS

And means jt lettg an actor be an is remarkable about Bros—and remarkable still feels silly to say—is that there is gay sex . ”Those gay men don’t have to take a tra to New York Cy’s Wt Village to see this scene, or the movie, at the one pennt cema where Bros is playg.

Macfarlane regniz how far he’s e om then, though—as well as how far media has e, terms of offerg gay men like himself somethg to pe serv up way more lectable optns for LGBTQ folks to sk their teeth to than Donahue did. As such, I n only speak as a gay man, who has both celebrated and been entirely pissed off by different exampl of LGBTQ reprentatn mastream culture, gay and of the time, the attempts lean too much to clich about promiscuy.

COMMENTARY: THE REAL LSON OF ‘BROS’: IT’S OK TO LET GAY ART BOMB

”Billy Eichner’s Gay Rom-Com ‘Bros’ Is as Hilar as It Is HistoricBut the stg asi, there’s somethg different about Bros, at least om my own experience watchg, I intified more wh the two romantic leads than I ever had wh any rom- character I’ve ever watched my life—and I nsir myself a historian on all matters Ephron-Meyers-Marshall (my Holy Try). Universal PicturAbout a ago, he explas, he starred the Broadway productn of The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer, a screed about the way gay men were emed expendable by a ernment that let them die of AIDS, rather than fund life-savg rearch. Billy Eichner, Le Macfarlane, and Bros director Nicholas Stoller exclively tell EW how they vised their groundbreakg gay sex scene Universal's romantic edy, and volved a lot of improvisatn, lghs, but also reful nsiratn of how to prent a tenr, extremely specific, and kk-iendly moment to the mass.

'Renée Zellweger 'loved the joke' of Billy Eichner namg a fake gay app after her  BrosBilly Eichner got emotnal filmg Bros gay rom- scen 'the way Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan' didBilly Eichner 'actively pursued' Symone for her Bros role after seeg her talents on RuPl's Drag RaceBilly Eichner's LGBTQ+ st shatters rom- history  Bros trailer: 'Love is love… that is bulls---! ' Bros Bros Billy Eichner leads a predomantly LGBTQ st Universal's groundbreakg gay rom- about two men fdg love unexpected plac. Hollywood has ma untls romance movi by now — but the first-ever gay rom- two produced by a major motn picture is only g out this year.

The movie was wrten by edian Billy Eichner, who is also the first openly gay man to go-wre and star his own film. The movie also stars SNL st member Bowen Yang, who recently appeared Hulu’s “Fire Island, ” a “Pri and Prejudice” rx set the inic gay vatn large supportg st clus Dot-Marie Jon (“Glee”), Jim Rash, Ts Madison, Miss Lawrence, Guillermo Diaz, Moni Raymund, Symone, Peter Kim, Beno Skner, Bec Blackwell, Jim Rash, Guy Branum, Harvey Fierste and Eve only non-LGBTQ members of the st are Debra Msg and Krist Chenoweth, acrdg to the New York first full-length trailer shows the meet-cuteThe movie’s first full-length trailer dropped on Thursday, Eichner took to Twter to exprs his excement.

'BROS' TRAILER: BILLY EICHNER TO LEAD FIRST GAY ROM- BY A MAJOR STUD

"The major Hollywood studs lerally ma 300 movi about DINOSAURS before they ma ONE rom about two gay guys fallg love. To paraphrase an early episo of Law & Orr, Bros didn’t fail at the box office bee was a gay theatril live-actn rom-. Eichner took some grief onle when he discsed the film as the first gay rom-, revisg his statement to the first mastream, major stud theatril rom-.

Universal would have had to fend off accatns of homophobia had they nied the film a theatril release. After the much-hyped gay rom bellyflopped s US release, s star and -wrer Billy Eichner raged agast the dyg buzz on Twter.

Ameri’s “straight people, pecially certa parts of the untry, jt didn’t show up for Bros”, he clared, before urgg anyone who isn’t a “homophobic weirdo” to check out. Everythg is terrible: straight actors playg gay characters and the straight dienc who love them; gay men more terted workg out than explorg gay history; gay men whose voic sound “too straight”; gay men whose voic sound “too gay”.

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 FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULAROUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLFLORENCE PUGH SAYS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN “APOLOGIZED” FOR HER SMALL OPPENHEIMER ROLEBY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE GILD AGE WILL GET A LOT MORE OPERATIC SEASON 2BY RICHARD LAWSONRICHARD LAWSON

It’s as if a mean, judgy cyb and his himbo love tert have been dropped to a Nora Ephron better hands, this uld have been an tertgly cynil take on queer love on film – whe gay misery rather than Meg Ryan cutens. You n feel that rri the burn of beg one of the first of s kd, jt as Eichner’s Twter implosn the wake of the film’s release felt tged wh hurt and grief – a panic that s fancial failure uld have repercsns for gay cema far beyond Eichner himself.

‘BROS’ IS A LANDMARK GAY FILM, BUT ALSO AN ACTUALLY FUNNY (AND SURPRISGLY EMOTNAL) ROM-COM

Cast & crewUser reviewsTrivia2022R1h 55mTwo men wh mment problems attempt a men wh mment problems attempt a men wh mment problems attempt a productn, box office & pany Vios25More like thisReview EhEver sce I knew I was gay, I've always been on the lookout for people of a siar nature, as humans naturally do.

EG the effemate gay bt iend, or the badass butch lbian who is jt one of the bros do try a ltle b harr to break through the stereotyped glass ceilg, still falls to that tegory of tryg so hard to be gay that feels unrelatable to most gay people, and no doubt straight people as 's not a bad movie and is que entertag, and is worth the watch for those elements. Normalisatn occurs when we have love stori between peole who happen to be gay, like Brokeback Mounta. I didn’t want to dimish “the first major stud movie wrten by and starrg a gay man” or spoil s Rotten Tomato sre or dance on the grave of s box-office prospects.

I certaly didn’t want to attack the star of “Billy on the Street” and “Difficult People, ” two of the most succsful screen adaptatns of the gay sensibily recent memory.

”Do that make too the “homophobic weirdos” of Eichner’s nfoundg post-bomb tweet spiral or simply the silent Benedict Arnolds of his self-proclaimed march to the history books? It is emently ldable that Eichner has ma a sexually ank stud edy featurg two gay men, and that he sisted, as wgman/-star/-producer Guy Branum not, on an all-LGBTQ st.

Its laceratg send-ups of token reprentatn Hallmark Christmas movi; the “hnted hoe of gay trma” that pop culture pass off as queer history; even Eichner’s own public persona are all a potent, knowg nod to the ongog challeng of tellg LGBTQ stori — of livg LGBTQ liv — whout simply repurposg a tired, old, straight the culmatg ame of s fal act, that is, when the image of two nventnally attractive gay men kissg is posned, lerally, as the ldatory bookend to “5, 000 years of gay love stori erased om the history books. And yet, spe the affi Eichner and I share on paper — no, bee of the affi we share on paper — I reil at “Bros’” squanred privilege, bristle at s star’s attempt to hi s shortgs behd the veil of homophobia.

It is the eedom to fight over, cricize, even ignore the artworks that claim to reprent — and, on the flip si, the eedom to keep makg and nsumg gay art whether straight people show up for or, when I saw the film a send time this week, at a half-full weeknight screeng at the Sunset 5, what stck me most were the loust lghs and cheers, all directed at the gayt material — the slap fight-turned-sex scene, the Bowen Yang meo, Nile Kidman’s pre-roll ad for AMC. It’s simply a remr that — not only for gay art but for art, full stop — mercial failure has often been a sign of creative succs. It is through the ph and pull of the popular and the avant-gar, the acclaimed and reviled, the celebrated and the spect, that we arrived at the place where “Bros” uld sk or the next quarter century brg still bigger swgs, still more revolutnary cursns to the mastream, still more films and TV seri “too gay, too niche” for straight dienc and not gay enough — never gay enough — for .