Bros (2022)

Billy Eichner stars as Bobby, a single, successful, gay podcaster in his ‘40’s living in the big city who thinks he has everything he wants….until he meets Aaron one night in a club, a dreamy attorney played by Luke MacFarlane.  And now Bobby THINKS he wants love…..as does Aaron…but it’s never that simple is it?  Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) directs this raucous romantic comedy which has attracted a lot of attention for what it signifies and how that plays with mainstream audiences….but is it any good?  Let’s find out….

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

BROS – 2022

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Starring Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum, Miss Lawrence, Ts Madison, Dot-Marie Jones, Jim Rash, Eve Lindley, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Diaz, and Amanda Bearse

Genre: Romantic Comedy (Audio clip)

To be honest, I had not really seen nor heard much from Billy Eichner before seeing this movie and HERE'S the strange part: he stars, co-wrote, and clearly was a strong creative force in front of and behind the camera of what is very likely one of the best romantic comedies of recent years.....and yet, I don't have much desire to see him in anything else right now. 🤔 It's akin to REALLY enjoying Annie Hall and yet still feeling "meh" on seeing Woody Allen lead a movie after that. Even though he's not directing, you COULD even say that Eichner is following the auteur path previously laid out by not only Allen but folks like Albert Brooks and Edward Burns....guys who would write rom-coms which they themselves also starred in as the romantic lead, with their characters being among the least appealing on screen. Which is not to say that the resulting movies weren't good because in most cases with both Brooks AND Allen, they were. Of course it helps when you're having a delightful Diane Keaton playing Annie Hall. ;) 

This might even be intentional too as Eichner plays an often unpleasant and self-centered lead character here - he's Bobby, a well-to-do single gay 40-year-old podcaster living in Manhattan who has never had a serious relationship and was content with that. UNTIL he met Aaron of course....

Aaron is a handsome attorney played by Luke McFarlane who I remember seeing recently in the Holiday rom-com Single All The Way....and as ill-at-ease as Eichner initially feels within in this setting, everything just fits McFarlane like a glove! Dude just seems genetically engineered to appear in rom-coms as he's instantly likeable, convincingly vulnerable, adept at light humor, and he's just got a great 1000 megawatt smile to boot - you could even describe him as a gay, American, JACKED version of Hugh Grant. 😄 McFarlane is just such a charming presence here that you just can't help but root for him to find love. 

Both Eichner and McFarlane have strong chemistry together which also helps....that and a very funny screenplay co-written by Eichner and Stoller which structures the development of their relationship in an organic, touching manner even while keeping the jokes coming at a steady clip. We witness an extended courtship between them which does include all the typical meet cutes, jealousies, miscommunications, happiness montages, AND several enthusiastic sex scenes....the latter of which are likely to turn off some older, more conservative audiences to which I say, "And?? I mean if YOU were alone with Luke McFarlane, would YOU want things to remain chaste??" 🤔 Just sayin'.....

But what's especially nice is how we see these two relate to each other....TALK to each other and get to understand each other. Yeah it's kinda crazy just how many romantic comedies forget to take us through this somewhat critical step - it's often replaced by full-on montages or even in the case of a recent rom-com which I still quite enjoyed - The Lost City - that's mostly replaced by slapstick and/or action sequences. This film does take its time laying out two very distinct personalities....and how they can even complement each other. 

Of course none of this would gel together as well without a load of knowing humor about rom-coms, how gays are portrayed in film, and even regarding how different subgroups within the LGBTQ community poke fun at each other. (And done much more artfully than Dave Chapelle IMHO) There is a VERY self-aware undercurrent running throughout which generally works...though does pad the runtime somewhat, resulting in a few too many monologues and/or speeches usually from Eichner. It's clear that he has some well-intentioned things to say through his character, acknowledging the ongoing struggles of folks who do not have the privileges of being a "cis white gay man" as he accurately describes himself. Occasionally though, they just stop the movie in its tracks....

Regardless, Bros works very well overall in both the romantic AND funny sense....I can't recall a rom-com that pulled off that balance THIS well since The Big Sick. I especially laughed during a gala event introducing a brand new fictional queer dating app referred to as....."ZELLWEGER." 🤫 It's designed for likeminded gays who are looking for some one to hook up with.....while spending the rest of their time discussing movies. Sounds pretty promising to me!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Overall, Bros features an soundtrack with a solid mix of pop music and/or dance remixes from the likes of Kylie Minoque, George Michael, Nat King Cole, and John Mayer. The personal highlight for me though is actually a diegetic needle drop which we actually here sung in the movie by Billy Eichner.  And he’s just not singing it…NOPE it’s that time-tested romantic comedy trope of the climax of the movie featuring one character declaring his/her/their love to the other one MUSICALLY and in front of a crowd no less!  Now I can go either way with this trope…..sometimes it really lands for me and sometimes it can be quite obnoxious.  Fortunately for this movie, it works!

We are at the grand opening of the LGBTQ History Museum in New York which our hero Bobby has been on the board of…..and he just made a speech for the crowd and wouldn’t you know who pops into the audience, it’s Aaron…..he ran over there late at night in a nicely obvious homage to When Harry Met Sally….and wouldn’t you know it but Bobby has a band ready on stage with him so that he can sing a song dedicated to you know who.  And….it’s a very sweet song….and Billy Eichner has a good voice no less, even while he’s trying to do HIS version of Aaron’s favorite musical artist, Garth Brooks…..and wouldn’t you know it, Aaron starts to tear up as the rest of the crowd around him goes “Awwwwww!” Hey the scene just works and it’s an original country-style ballad co-written by Eichner himself – the song is called, “Love Is Not Love.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

By the time this episode has been released, it’s no secret that Bros has underperformed at the box office SIGNIFICNTLY…..which is a disappointment on many fronts.  It’s an original film not based on IP, it’s VERY R-rated, and it’s a big studio comedy.  In today’s post-COVID multi-plex environment, each of these categories has been pretty rare….hell they were all very rare BEFORE COVID if we’re being honest.  And of course, the big pink elephant in the room is…..that this IS the first big studio gay romantic comedy to receive a wide theatrical release.  And sadly, it’s not likely to make its money back.  So WHAT does this mean?

There are no shortage of folks online now stating that it MEANS that mass audiences will not pay to see gay-themed movies in theaters…..and as disappointing as I find this film’s lack of box office to be, I still disagree.  While there is little doubt that mainstream American audiences have ALWAYS been squeamish about gay content, we have seen several such films perform very well over the past several decades and they come from a variety of genres: Philadelphia, The Birdcage, In & Out, Brokeback Mountain, along with previous episodes Milk and Call Me By Your Name.  Not all of these films were blockbusters mind you but they were all extremely profitable nonetheless…..and they all had marketing advantages which Bros did not: big stars for the time, carefully deliberate theatrical roll-outs to build word of mouth, massive critical acclaim, and/or splashy awards campaigns.  Unfortunately Billy Eichner isn’t a star nor is Luke MacFarlane….though he deserves to be.  It has also been at least five years since ANY R-rated comedy did blockbuster business.  And as I have commiserated before, it’s VERY difficult for movies NOT based on IP to do significant business.  

So WHAT this means in my opinion is that the timing just wasn’t there: it might have helped if this film had a mainstream comedy star like Paul Rudd involved, it might have helped if Universal gave this film a slower roll-out, and yeah….unfortunately….it might have helped if the focus of this film’s marketing campaign didn’t focus so heavily on the historic significance of focusing on LGBT characters.  But does that mean that I fault Universal, producer Judd Apatow and all involved for not hitting the mark?  HELL no, I applaud them!  They went bold with how they released this film and I’m glad that they tried – it’s ALWAYS hard to be first one out of the gate.  

In my middle-aged white hetero-minded opinion, I actually think that the holiday themed rom-com Happiest Season which came out a couple of years ago….would have been a more ideal choice to get this type of big studio rollout.  It’s PG-13, plays much softer for straight audiences, it lays heavily into the Christmas theme, and it has several bigger names attached – not sure if Kristen Stewart is considered a box office draw but I think she certainly would have attracted more interest than Billy Eichner who has hardly acted, through no fault of his own.  Alas, Happiest Season was just released directly to Hulu in the middle of the pandemic…the timing just wasn’t there sadly for that film OR Bros.  It saddens me that Bros is not going to have the packed, raucous movie theater crowds that it so clearly deserves…..it certainly wasn’t the first excellent movie I have reviewed which underperformed nor will it be the last.  My advice to Hollywood would simply be….ignore all of the idiotic “Go Woke Go Broke” naysayers out there and to just keep TRYING.  

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

We MIGHT be getting to the point in movies and TV shows where running gags based on folks texting each other is tiresome for a lot of folks….but just not for me, sorry.  Portraying texting might not ALWAYS be purely cinematic but it can still be entertaining on-screen when developing a relationship between characters.  I especially one early scene of Bobby and Aaron both at work FURIOUSLY typing back-and-forth as we also hear each of them reacting AND rehearsing witty responses in real-time.  Just funny, clever and touching….especially as they BOTH have the same exasperated looks on their faces after their last text, wondering if they came off cool enough.  (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

This is a tough call as I feel like you have three key figures here even with different levels of creative involvement.  This story and character were clearly the brain child of Billy Eichner and for a relatively untested screenwriter AND actor, I think he really pulls it off for the most part.  As unpleasant as I found his character at times, he’s still very relatable and he gives a convincing performance to back that up.  

That said, every successful romantic comedy STILL needs that luminous, charismatic presence to make it sing…..I mean just think of Pretty Woman, a film which I have some mixed feelings about to this day.  Yes he’s rich and good-looking but sorry, Richard Gere is just NOT playing a remotely appealing character as far as I’m concerned – that film ONLY works thanks to the smile, toothy laugh, and overall appeal of Julia Roberts.  And fortunately, that’s where Luke MacFarlane comes in – he IS this film’s version of Julia Roberts circa 1990, just a full-on star in the making who you can’t take your eyes off of no matter how ridiculous the situation.  And seriously….not to spoil anything…..but his character Aaron takes a career turn in the third act of this movie that is just….plain….GOOFY.  Yet MacFarlane just sells it with aplomb. 

And finally for a movie like this, you need a sure hand behind the camera with regards to genre…..a filmmaker who knows and UNDERSTANDS the type of movie he’s making and always stays on point.  That would be Nicholas Stoller who happens to be one of the most consistent comedy directors out there right now – over the past 15 years, he has helmed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, and one of my personal favorites…previous episode Neighbors.  This guy just GETS how to blend all of the key elements for these types of movies: timing, raunch, physical gags, heart, and how to best utilize your cast even for the smallest roles.  

In Bros, you have the obligatory “straight” friends for Bobbie…..Tina and Edgar, a charming couple with young kids played by Monica Raymond and Guillermo Diaz.  I think both actors appear in MAYBE three scenes at most and one of those scenes is very funny as they do a ridiculous “bottom dance” with their kids in front of Bobby….and we have a touching scene late in the movie where Tina has a nice heart-to-heart conversation with Bobby about his own trust issues.  These supporting characters are here to serve distinct purposes and they NAIL it….no extended improv sequences just watching them riff nor extended sublots that wear out their welcome, THIS is how you pull off big-screen comedy with heart!  Trust me, it’s much harder than it looks and Stoller is currently one of the best at it.

Therefore, Billy Eichner, Luke MacFarlane, and Nicholas Stoller are your co-MVP’s.

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

I implore you – if you love good comedy and you appreciate funny, satisfying romantic comedies….then by all means, go see this!  Support it, spread the word, we need more like this…..

Now Playing in Theaters

And that ends another BRO-EY review!