How does it feel to be living through history, folks? You see, Brosis THE FIRST GAY MOVIE!!!!! with an all-queer main cast (sorry, Love, Simon) from a major studio (sorry, Fire Islandand the entire New Queer Cinema movement of the s). Plus whatever other qualifications are necessary to announce that this tale of cis white gay men falling in love just like straight people do (but not exactlylike them, because butts!) is Very Important and Groundbreaking.
The film centers on Bobby (Billy Eichner, who co-wrote the film with director Nicholas Stoller), a podcaster - well, he records one podcast episode in the beginning and never mentions it again, but I guess it counts! He had a sponsor and everything - and one of the curators of the nation's first LGBTQ History Museum. One night at the club, he meets the preternaturally handsome Aaron (Luke Macfarlane).
Because they are emotionally unavailable, they take some time to warm to one another, and the movie briefly feints toward being a When Harry Met Sallystory of friends ordering sandwiches and eventually realizing
Bros
Universal Pictures proudly presents the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They're both very busy. From the ferocious comic mind of Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street, 's The Lion King, Difficult People, Impeachment: American Crime Story) and the hitmaking brilliance of filmmakers Nicholas Stoller (the Neighbors films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Judd Apatow (The King of Staten Island, Trainwreck, The Big Sick), comes Bros, a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about finding sex, love and romance amidst the madness. Starring Billy Eichner, the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film, Bros is directed by Nicholas Stoller from his screenplay with Eichner. The film is produced by Judd Apatow, Stoller and Joshua Church (co-producer Trainwreck, Step Brothers). The film is executive produced by Eichner.
The tragedy of ‘Bros’
It’s a crushing sight to see the first major-studio gay rom-com flop so publicly. “Bros” () opened to a deeply underwhelming $ million at the box office, cementing its fate as a blunder in the public eye. Pundits and commentators alike have theorized on the shortcomings of the film, with creator Billy Eichner himself blaming that proverbial “homophobic weirdo.” So who’s to accuse for this tragedy of queer media? The answer may be just about everyone.
For those of you asking why a mainstream gay rom-com would be titled “Bros,” some context may be helpful. The film centers around Bobby Lieber, a queer history podcast host played by screenwriter Billy Eichner. As Bobby mounts preparations to open the first LGBTQ museum in New York, he meets and falls in love with the more masculine, muscly estate attorney Aaron, played by Luke Macfarlane. And, as the rom-com title declares, the two relentlessly fall in and out of love in whims of comedy. The film is a true romance but finds its strength in Eichner’s fresh sense of wit and engage. If “Bros” is anything, it’s a lau
“Bros,” co-written by and starring Billy Eichner, has been touted as the first mainstream Hollywood studio-backed rom-com to feature gay men as the leads. Directed by Nicholas Stoller and produced by Judd Apatow, the film consciously evokes tropes from the hey-day of studio-backed romantic comedies, including nods to more than one Meg Ryan classic and a compelling lead performance from Eichner. However, its perpetual commentary on the mainstreaming of queerness remains at odds with its very desire to tell its story within the Hollywood system.
Eichner plays Bobby Leiber, a born and bred New Yorker who hosts a queer history podcast called 11th Brick (because as a cis white gay man that’s probably the brick he’d contain thrown at Stonewall) and is the director of the first national LGBTQ history museum, on the brink of finally opening its doors. At 40, Bobby has spent most of his life alone and has convinced himself he’s better off this way. “We’re horny and we’re selfish and we’re stupid. I don’t trust these people,” he tells a group of friends when explaining why he prefers ho