It's 2022 and a Hollywood studio has just made a movie where two men fall in love and don't know what to do about it. Nobody dies of AIDS. Nobody gets flat tires on the side of the road. Judd Apatow produced the thing, so you know it's fun. And yet, somehow, "Bros" doesn't feel like a big deal. Sure, it's a well-budgeted, wide-release, R-rated gay rom-com, and that's historic (if you put enough qualifying adjectives on it), but one of those had to come along sooner or later. Interestingly, it seems that there have already been others, and there is no doubt that more are to come, considering how hard Hollywood has been working to include gay characters.
The difference in what we'll call "Billy Eichner's Hollywood Screen Kiss" is that it focuses on a gay character, rather than simply using it as a sassy comedic prop. Beyond that, a cute, moody, over-the-top, incredibly self-absorbed comedian has gone and made a movie in which a thinly veiled version of himself struggles with whether or not he wants to be in a relationship. If that sounds like every Woody Allen movie, or a bunch of Billy Crystal movies, or even the latest Judd Apatow productions, you wouldn't be wrong, except here, some of the dialogue scenes take place during four-way orgies. . , because otherwise the movie would be rated PG-13 and you might as well be watching "Love, Simon."
Director: Xzavier Estrada
Writer: Xzavier Estrada
Stars: Devin G. Macias, Nickolas S. Lowe, Alex White
Eichner plays podcaster Bobby Leiber, who, in the second scene, accepts something called the Cis White Gay Man of the Year Award, an acknowledgment that even in the minority realm, he's some kind of privileged class. Later, the character will rant about how hard his life has been, how straight men worked half as hard and came twice as far, but where's the proof? “Bros” features him on top of the mountain. He's just been hired to oversee a new Museum of LGBTQ+ History and Culture (Bobby describes it as his first, but like the movie, others have definitely come before), and the only thing really missing from his life is someone to listen unconditionally. while complaining. Or maybe it's someone who, by showing interest in him, validates his insecurities.
Despite some funny scenes about dating apps and hookup culture, it's not clear to the audience what Bobby wants because it's not clear to Bobby what he wants. A relationship? A friend with benefits? A handsome boy to come home with? That uncertainty is perhaps what's most authentic about "Bros," in fact, this element could be what co-writer-director Nicholas Stoller brings to the equation, considering how astutely he examined that aspect of modern dating in "The Five-Year Engagement." .
In "Bros," Bobby goes to the club one night and sees a chiseled guy with a gym body on the dance floor. He strikes up an awkward conversation with this guy seemingly out of his league, Aaron. "I hear you're boring," he begins, as if he's trying out Neil Strauss's “The Game” with another guy. When that backfires, Bobby walks in for a kiss. He finds it refreshing that Aaron isn't on the apps, but he doesn't mind that he's seeing other people that very night. This is territory where "Bros" breaks new ground, as the "rules" of gay rom-coms have yet to be codified: for example, whether having someone's undivided attention is a turnoff or a good thing, and what each character needs to feel appreciated and adored. There certainly aren't many straight love stories where a cute encounter is followed by one party going to fuck someone else.
There, surrounded by a sea of shirtless men, the two bond over their mutual belief that "gay men are so stupid," which sounds a bit like Eichner's "Difficult People" series. But what does that trial mean for Bobby and Aaron, who aren't shown reading books or discussing politics, unless you count talking about the gay experience, which is pretty much everything Bobby does? He has provocative views worth exploring and a paradoxical taste for movies. Bobby's job as a podcast host conveniently serves as a comedy-adjacent career choice, allowing the character to joke around at will, while his job at the museum becomes a place to hear new material on lesbian, bi, and trans people, who also find a place at the table.
Watch Bros 2022 Movie Trailer
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