Bros Is a Good, Gay Time | Vany Fair

Contents:

• BROS REVIEW: A BIG GAY ROM THAT’S A BIG OLD MS
• BROS’ PERFECTLY TUNED ROMANTIC EDY BUCKL UNR THE WEIGHT OF THE GAY ROM- TONE
• ‘BROS’ REVIEW: BILLY EICHNER A GAY ROM-COM THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WISH IT WERE BETTER
• BROS REVIEW – RIBALD AND RTO GAY ROM
• 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,’ THE FIRST BIG-STUD R-RATED GAY ROM-, IS FOR EVERYONE
• ‘BROS’ REVIEW: BILLY EICHNER’S SELF-DEPRETG GAY ROM-COM LETS EVERYONE IN ON THE JOKE
• ‘BROS’ IS A LANDMARK GAY FILM, BUT ALSO AN ACTUALLY FUNNY (AND SURPRISGLY EMOTNAL) ROM-COM

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

“Bros, ” -wrten by and starrg Billy Eichner, has been touted as the first mastream Hollywood stud-backed rom- to feature gay men as the leads. Eichner plays Bobby Leiber, a born and bred New Yorker who hosts a queer history podst lled 11th Brick (bee as a cis whe gay man that’s probably the brick he’d have thrown at Stonewall) and is the director of the first natnal LGBTQ history mm, on the brk of fally openg s doors.

While most of the characters are unrveloped, Eichner’s razor-sharp w and tic humor sh through the dialogue and suatnal edy as he skewers many aspects of gay datg culture, om Grdr hookups to obssive gym age to group sex. ” This is the guidg light of “Bros”: to show the gays as msy, to show the queer muny as more than a monolh, to have them be as loud and proud and take up as much space beg their thentic selv as possible. However, feats s own msage of brgg queer history and queer life out of the margs when centers the love story between two cis, nventnally attractive whe gay men.

Eichner is the first to pot out his privilege; early on his character ws an award at an LGBTQ gala for Bt Cis Whe Gay Man of the Year. But beg self-aware isn’t as impactful as -centerg the cis whe gay man as the lead, pecially when every other queer character the film still remas on the margs of the story. But there's also somethg at odds wh Eichner’s missn to brg queerns, gay sex, and gay datg all s texture to mastream Hollywood stud-backed cema, while the same breath sanizg queerns to be palatable to straight culture.

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

Bobby and Aaron discs how often straight male actors w praise for playg gay wboys, but beyond digs at both “Brokeback Mounta” and “The Power of the Dog” (directed by and starrg straight people), the only other queer film mentned is Lu Guadagno's “Call Me By Your Name” a throwaway joke about how 's the one queer movie to which all straight people pare other queer films. 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. It is, after all, a eful o to a whe masc-centric gay culture that the movie unrstands to be passé and exclnary even as has been s protagonist’s whole world.

In that, as well as an appearance om Bowen Yang, has somethg mon wh Fire Island — the btersweet love story at s re is ls wh a person than wh the ia of gay muny, which s ma characters value even as they feel nsigned to s outskirts.

‘BROS’ REVIEW: BILLY EICHNER A GAY ROM-COM THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WISH IT WERE BETTER

Still, Bobby’s the newly appoted director of the first-ever LGBTQ mm, and the movie tak pas to tablish him as the host of a succsful gay-history podst first, maly to give him an exce for a disgted monologue to the mic about how he was approached by a Hollywood producer to wre the kd of gay romantic-edy “a straight guy might watch wh his girliend. Aaron — whose tradnal masculy his some ternalized homophobia — reprents so much that loud, ant, nve-chted Bobby has rented and yet wants, and the film n’t que square his ristance wh his sire.

When Bros begs, ’s hard to image how a plsible romance is gog to stggle out om everythg the movie feels mt reprent wh regard to bigotry, sirabily, beg visibly gay, and havg relatnships that don’t feel beholn to heteronormative ials. 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.

BROS REVIEW – RIBALD AND RTO GAY ROM

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.

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

” 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. AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTBilly Eichner plays a moody podster who has sworn off relatnships, but jt might fd himself one anyway, this gay romantic edy.

”Yet, through a quirk of fate — bed wh a century of ertia — “Bros, ” a semisweet, sexually ank queer valente, mak Eichner the grimacg, skeptil face of the first major stud romantic edy to star two adult gay men: the actor Le Macfarlane, who me out publicly 2008, and Eichner himself, who -wrote the script wh the director Nicholas Stoller (“Fettg Sarah Marshall, ” “Neighbors”). Bobby blam beg sgle on a lany of universal laments that dovetail wh queer-specific grip, say, guys on Grdr who type, “Mt see pic of ass, ” forcg him to fetch a rg light and a promo party for a new app lled Zellweger (“For gays who want to talk about actrs and go to bed, ” his iend, played by Guy Branum, scrib), Bobby meets Aaron (Macfarlane) and dismiss the hunky lawyer as yet another gay paradox: a man who’s both strappgly solid and emotnally vaporo.

Universal Pictur proudly prents the first romantic edy om a major stud about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumblg towards love. 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.

‘BROS,’ THE FIRST BIG-STUD R-RATED GAY ROM-, IS FOR EVERYONE

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”. 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.

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.

‘BROS’ REVIEW: BILLY EICHNER’S SELF-DEPRETG GAY ROM-COM LETS EVERYONE IN ON THE JOKE

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. 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.

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.

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

Though mak lots of jok at the expense of rporate typ who would -opt gay culture for prtige or water down for straight nsumptn, slowly reveals self to be almost exactly like every guy-girl love story that has ma money the last thirty years.

Eichner (who, let’s get out of the way, prov totally equipped to be a feature’s -leadg man) plays Bobby, a podster wh a passn for gay history. Bros is so steeped mastream pop culture, wh s n-to-him epiphani and utterly implsible public claratns of love, that was never gog to alienate anybody but homophob.