‘Bros’ Review: Billy Eichner Fun but Limed Gay Rom-Com – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• BROS’ PERFECTLY TUNED ROMANTIC EDY BUCKL UNR THE WEIGHT OF THE GAY ROM- TONE
• 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 FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYRICHARD LAWSON
• BROS REVIEW: A BIG GAY ROM THAT’S A BIG OLD MS
• ‘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
• THE BROS AND NS OF BEG A HUGE, GAY HOLLYWOOD ROM
• ‘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’ TORONTO REVIEW: BILLY EICHNER’S HISTORY-MAKG GAY ROM-COM ALSO HAPPENS TO BE DAMN FUNNY

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

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.

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.

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 FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYRICHARD LAWSON

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 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.

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

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. 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.

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.

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

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. 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.

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 “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. 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.

BROS REVIEW – RIBALD AND RTO GAY ROM

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. What 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.

THE BROS AND NS OF BEG A HUGE, GAY HOLLYWOOD ROM

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. As the first theatrilly released stud gay rom-, the first stud film -wrten by and starrg an openly gay man and the first stud film wh a majory LGBTQ+ st, ’s a light movie ma heavy wh expectatn – will be gay enough or good enough or accsible enough or profable enough – an unfair yet unavoidable heap of cross to bear.

Eichner is of urse acutely aware of this and so is his film, through-led wh fears over the difficulti of makg gay art, how to feel important as a gay person and how to exist and excel a culture domated by straight people (should we beat them or jo them? ”), and tracks that his first film as a wrer would be also filled wh existential gay character Bobby is a versn of himself jt a few gre to the left – a succsful podster who pris himself on beg sgle and self-sufficient, existg on the timacy of iendships and the brief pleasure of random hookups while balkg at the ways that other gays choose to fe themselv and their romantic liv. The two men, who have chosen a life void of mment, have to navigate how the alternative might ’s a tensn throughout Bros between makg a gay film and makg The Gay Film We Need Right Now, the micro vs the macro, and ’s somethg that tak Eichner, and -wrer/director Nicholas Stoller, some time to iron out.

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

And when the balance between the rom, the and the mentary works, Bros really of Billy-Bobby’s plats about the creased acceptance of gay culture – the assertn that love is love, that gay relatnships are jt the same as straight on – is somethg that the character and the film around him are eager to disprove. He tsts them enough to figure out or if they don’t, he’s too by elsewhere to ’s rich tail the small character moments, like both men sadly rellg the jobs they wanted to have as kids before they worried about how gay that would make them seem, and unlike so many other loosely tobgraphil nctns that have been more cloud by ego, he’s willg to make his character believably unlikeable at important moments.

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

Eichner also manag to make a surprisgly nvcg segue om edy b-player to leadg man, not jt liverg on the many funny moments (tong down his tramark manic livery is key) but dog a more-than-petent job at the msier stuff too (there’s a particularly effective monologue on the beach Provcetown about beg seen as “too gay”).

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’ TORONTO REVIEW: BILLY EICHNER’S HISTORY-MAKG GAY ROM-COM ALSO HAPPENS TO BE DAMN FUNNY

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.