Bros

Bros is being hyped as the first wide-release mainstream film to feature a largely LGBTQ cast, but it has much more reasons to be celebrated.  It not only serves as a proper introduction for many audiences to lead star Billy Eichner, but it shows that he has incredible leading man star-power.  It's also easily the funniest film I've seen in 2022, and that's not something to ignore.

Up to now, Eichner has been mainly known for his viral series, Billy on the Street, with his main brush with Hollywood fame up to now being voicing Timon the meerkat in the 2019 remake of The Lion King.  Here, he draws upon some of his own likely personal experiences, and gives a film that is not only largely funny, but has multiple layers and is largely therapeutic for the star.  Co-writing the script with director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), the film is constructed in the usual mold of producer Judd Apatow, where the comedian draws upon their own experiences for both laughs and pathos.  Like a lot of Aparow productions, the movie is probably longer than it needs to be, but the film as a whole works, not only because it's genuinely funny, but because Eichner simply commands the screen.

As his character, Bobby Lieber, Eichner simply is energetic from the moment he steps onto the screen, and only gets better as the film goes on.  By taking moments of personal experiences and observations about gay relationships, and molding it into the standard romantic comedy formula in the style of When Harry Met Sally or Notting Hill, he creates an entertainment that is much more complex than it initially appears.  While the film is mainly about the courtship between Bobby and a handsome lawyer named Aaron (Luke Macfarlane, incredibly winning also), the movie probes deeper into sex, and Bobby's personal view of himself.  He has to learn that he is worthy of being loved before he can accept Aaron's affections, and there are a lot of insecurities between both men that rise to the surface that feel like they've been written not just with care, but from personal experience.

Bros is a lot of things.  It's frank on the subject of sex, it pokes wicked fun at Hallmark Channel movies trying to expand their demographic, and it has occasional flights of comic fantasy, while always remaining grounded in reality.  You can tell that Billy Eichner is swinging for the fences here as he covers so many topics and ideas that are probably personal to him.  As the film opens, his character is a 40-year-old podcaster living in New York City who has never been in a real relationship, aside from random sexual encounters.  He's self conscious about his body image, and how others see him.  His observations on dating provide some of the biggest laughs, but we also sense that they are coming from an honest place.

Bobby's main focus is being on a committee to open the first LGBTQ history museum, and it becomes further complicated when Aaron steps into his life, which threatens his preconceived notions about relationships and gay culture.  Aaron has to learn how to fit into Bobby's life as well, and often wonders if there's a place for him in his life.  While most romantic comedies create idiotic plot devices to keep the lovers at the center apart, Bros is smart enough to hook them up early on, and then have it be about figuring out what they want from each other, and if they're truly right.  This is partly why I did not mind the extended length of the film which, as mentioned, is expected with a Judd Apatow movie.  It uses its running time wisely to truly explore these characters, and how they feel about each other.

But most of all, and the best reason to recommend the film, is that it is genuinely laugh out loud funny, and probably the best romantic comedy I've seen since The Big Sick.  Eichner shows such great wit and comedic timing here, you feel like you're watching a comic star-making performance here.  And while the opening weekend numbers are not looking great so far, I hope Hollywood does not give up on him.  He shows so much sharp humor, it'd be a shame not to let him show it in a big feature again.  More than the cinematic history that it is making, I feel it's important to focus on the fact that it's a movie that just about anyone can enjoy, relate, and laugh with.  

Bros expertly juggles manic, screamingly funny humor with genuine emotion, and is simply one of the more effortlessly winning films I've seen this year.  When you sit stone faced through as many comedies as I do, getting the chance to truly laugh often is an experience that cannot be ignored.

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