Bros *** (2022, Luke Macfarlane, Billy Eichner, Ts Madison, Guy Branum, Eve Lindley) – Classic Movie Review 12,333

One of the first major studio gay romantic comedies flops after homophobic review bombing on IMDb.

Co-writer/ director Nicholas Stoller’s 2022 American romantic comedy movie Bros is a brash, buoyant and funny gay romcom, in which Luke Macfarlane and Billy Eichner play two men with commitment problems who rather half-heartedly attempt a relationship, until…

It is significant as one of the first mainstream gay romantic comedies released by a major studio (Universal Pictures) and as having predominantly an openly LGBTQ+ principal cast. That makes it incredibly disappointing that it was a box office failure, grossing only $11 million against a budget of $22 million. Let’s be clear, homophobia had much to with this. It did well in cinemas in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, but not in Middle America or the South, though more women than expected came to see the film.

Bros had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2022. So here’s the thing… But before its commercial release in the US on 30 September 2022, it was subjected to hateful homophobic review bombing from users on the IMDb.

The main character, 40-year-old New York podcast host Bobby Lieber (Billy Eichner), has a heart of gold but is kind of loud, angry and combative, making it slightly difficult to empathise with his struggles and rather hard to understand younger, hunkier Aaron Shepard (Luke Macfarlane}’s fascination with him, at least initially. It’s a measure of Eichner’s skill and talent that he swings you firmly over to his side after a little while. It takes about 20 minutes to like him, and about 20 minutes to like the film. Eichner has got lots of amusing dialogue, most of it probably written by himself, to make him entertaining. Aaron seems little more than an idealised love object, a little lost but way too perfect, though the actor gives him a lot of warmth and appeal.

Bobby is warned that Aaron is boring: his dream was to be a chocolatier but he has become a wills lawyer, plus country music Garth Brooks is Aaron’s favourite singer and The Hangover is his favourite film. Luckily Aaron spends a lot of the time in the gym, and is undeniably hot. Aaron on the other hand thinks Bobby is too intense and finds his the gay community clout intimidating. So, not made for each other then? Well, not really.

Bros is well meaning throughout, but after starting off being awkward and abrasive, which feels wrong, it ends up becoming warm and sentimental, which feels wrong too. Both highly professional star actors and the support cast work extremely hard for it, however, and give excellent, detailed and compelling performances, and there are many laughs and many home truths in the screenplay, and finally a great deal of appeal in the film. It has got much that’s relevant and up-to-date to say about gay life in New York City, and isn’t afraid to laugh at stereotypes and stereotypical viewpoints. Like its main character, it is intelligent and challenging.

If the film has problems, they are all in Nicholas Stoller’s and Billy Eichner’s screenplay, which gives Eichner’s character too much to do, especially on the fast-talking, motor-mouth front, and the other characters too little to do. But it is easy to believe in it and even easier to fall for it. Bros gets over the hurdles of being awkward and abrasive and is funny, witty and perceptive. There is hilarious stuff to enjoy about the behind-the-scenes squabbles after Bobby becomes a curator for the world’s first new National LGBTQ+ History Museum in Manhattan, and Bobby creating an exhibit that suggests that Abraham Lincoln was gay. Less amusing and truthful feeling is Bobby and Aaron trip to Provincetown to solicit an eccentric millionaire for a donation to the struggling museum.

It could have done without the sentimental climax, and especially Eichner’s song to Macfarlane, though. Debra Messing from Will and Grace puts in an amusing cameo as herself. Harvey Fierstein has a cameo as Provincetown guest house owner Lewis. More of the two of them would have been good. Overall, it has a good early Woody Allen vibe, and is fun.

Stoller directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Get Him to the Greek (2010), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), Neighbors (2014), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Storks (2016).

I have to confess I was hoping for a biopic of Eighties pop band Bros, so the film was a bit of a letdown on the Bros front.

The cast are Billy Eichner as Bobby Lieber, Luke Macfarlane as Aaron Shepard, Ts Madison as Angela, Monica Raymund as Tina, Guillermo Díaz as Edgar, Guy Branum as Henry, Amanda Bearse as Anne Shepard, Jim Rash as Robert, Bowen Yang as Lawrence Grape, Miss Lawrence as Wanda, Harvey Fierstein as Lewis, Symone as Marty, Eve Lindley as Tamara, D’Lo Srijaerajah as Tom, Jai Rodriguez as Jason Shepard, Peter Kim as Peter, Dot-Marie Jones as Cherry, Becca Blackwell as Lucas, Ryan Faucett as Josh, Brock Ciarlelli as Steve, Kristin Chenoweth as herself, Debra Messing as herself, Justin Covington as Paul, Ben Stiller as himself, Kenan Thompson as James Baldwin, Amy Schumer as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Seth Meyers as Harvey Milk.

Eichner said: ‘Straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros.’

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,333

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