Weekend Thread | Actuals: Smile 22.6, DWD 6.85, TWK 6.8, Avatar 5, Bros 4.8

[filmlover]

2 hours ago, CJohn said:

I honestly don't know what a Billy Eichner is. 

The only clip from his show you'll ever need to see:

 

 

[Cmasterclay]

Not really my place to say what is or is not important in terms of representation here, but the whole "first romcom with an all LGBTQ cast" didn't really make waves or make a ton of sense, the winning move for Bros would to have been to cast a big straight actor as Eichner's love interest like Chris Hemsworth or something and advertise it as a pure multi-quadrant comedy in the original Apatow Knocked Up/Trainwreck vein. 

[Eric Duncan]

BROS (2022)

[Ozymandias]

24 minutes ago, Cmasterclay said:

Not really my place to say what is or is not important in terms of representation here, but the whole "first romcom with an all LGBTQ cast" didn't really make waves or make a ton of sense, the winning move for Bros would to have been to cast a big straight actor as Eichner's love interest like Chris Hemsworth or something and advertise it as a pure multi-quadrant comedy in the original Apatow Knocked Up/Trainwreck vein. 

 

Isn't there this trend going on in Hollywood in recent years where straight people can't play gay roles because 'robbing' 'appropriation' 'not fair' etc?

 

I think you're right, but I don't think any big name straight actor is going to do that because they just don't want to deal with all the shit that would come with it on social media or during the press junkets.

[Legion Again]

Personally I think Chris Hemsworth should only be allowed to play characters named Chris Hemsworth. Anything else is inauthentic and outside his lived experience.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Legion By Night

[ringedmortality]

10 minutes ago, Ozymandias said:

Isn't there this trend going on in Hollywood in recent years where straight people can't play gay roles because 'robbing' 'appropriation' 'not fair' etc?

 

It depends. The Power of the Dog didn't get a lot, if any, backlash for having a straight actor play a gay character (despite Bros making a joke about it).

[AJG]

1 hour ago, Ozymandias said:

 

Isn't there this trend going on in Hollywood in recent years where straight people can't play gay roles because 'robbing' 'appropriation' 'not fair' etc?

 

It’s because they still go above and beyond to lock gay actors out of roles playing straight leads. How  there’s 150 lead superhero roles and only 3 are played by an openly gay actor is wild to me. 

[Ryan Reynolds]

Bros flopping, Apatow productions used to guaranteed 20m openings , his brand is worthless now

[Flopped]

No numbers?

[Krissykins]

18 hours ago, filmlover said:

Bros could end up losing money (assuming it makes a total in the teens domestic and likely zilch overseas) even with a rather cheap budget. Hopefully it makes up for that when it's out on streaming in a couple of weeks.

 

Smile will be profitable in no time. Go Sosie Bacon (Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick's daughter in real life)!

I had no idea she had famous parents, that’s cool. What a crazy name she has though lol. She’s excellent in the film, really elevates it. 
 

13 hours ago, Cruel Summer said:

Im sorry but who exactly was looking forward to HP2?? 0 mentions on my tl (20-30 y.o people)

If you click on “Trending” on Twitter, it’s still #2 in all topics, and it released 36 hours ago. 
 

6 hours ago, Eric Smiley said:

SMILE (2022)

 

This is good, considering *spoilers*.

[KC7]

12 hours ago, AJG said:

I agree.

 

I’d go beyond what you’re saying here. There’s been countless LGBT films that revolve around romance. They may not have been big movies but LGBT cinema for LGBT people has existed for decades. Wolfe Video has been releasing LGBT movies since the 1980s.

 

Bros is not the Avatar or Batman for LGBT people. It’s a Gay Rom-Com of which there’s been hundreds. Being the first gay movie released from a mega corporation doesn’t mean much to anybody.

 

 

Maybe not to you, but it does mean something to plenty of people. And yes, the "they may not have been big movies" you breezed past is the entire point. There's a difference between gay stories--and gay love stories that aren't tragedies--only offered to a niche market in small arthouse theaters and home releases, and those stories being given the major push and release countless straight stories are. In other words, treated the same way and not just siloed to the LGBT audience. This movie wasn't intended to just be LGBT cinema for LGBT people. It's was an attempt at more authentic LGBT cinema for everyone.

 

I don't particularly care for Eichner and didn't love the premise, but I was still hoping for the best, even if I had a feeling that one of its best aspects is the same thing that would hold it back. So many gay men's stories these days are written by women or filtered through a female perspective. The aforementioned "Love Simon"? Based on a book by a woman. "Fire Island"? Transposed gay characters onto "Pride and Prejudice." (and even then there was that Twitter incident where a woman complained it failed the Bechdel test, until Alison Bechdel herself shot her down). The bestselling, film-adaptation-in-the-works "Red, White & Royal Blue"?  Book written by a woman (or they may identify as nonbinary now). Netflix's much-gushed-over "Heartstopper"? Woman author. That dreadful "Single All the Way" movie on Netflix? Really a Lifetime/Hallmark movie swapping a gay couple for a straight one. For better or worse, Bros is a movie with a more authentic gay sensibility and perspective than is usually offered to a wider, not-just-LGBT audience these days (even if it's one specific type of gay man's experience--but specificity can be a very good thing in storytelling). It's not at all surprising it wouldn't have appeal to an audience that's more comfortable with a safer, less authentic take on gay men's lives and relationships.

Edited October 1, 2022 by KC7

[Krissykins]

43 minutes ago, KC7 said:

 

Maybe not to you, but it does mean something to plenty of people. And yes, the "they may not have been big movies" you breezed past is the entire point.

Your whole post was perfectly said, totally agree. 

[charlie Jatinder]

Smile 8.25
DWD 2.3

PS-I 2.25

Bros 1.85

TWK 1.7

A 1.2

[Legion Again]

1 minute ago, charlie Jatinder said:

Smile 8.25 (20)
DWD 2.3 (8?, -60%)

PS-I 2.25 

Bros 1.85 (… 4.5-5?)

TWK 1.7 (6.5, -41%)

A 1.2 (4.5, - 57%)

 

 

[Legion Again]

Man I kinda thought that bros and avatar were gonna be on that 4-5 range but decided it was safer to hedge. Ah well — sometimes the hedge works well, sometimes not

[Valonqar]

Avatar is falling like a rock. 

[CJohn]

6.25M True Friday for Smile. Meh. 19M here we go.

[Spidey Freak]

7 hours ago, Cmasterclay said:

Not really my place to say what is or is not important in terms of representation here, but the whole "first romcom with an all LGBTQ cast" didn't really make waves or make a ton of sense, the winning move for Bros would to have been to cast a big straight actor as Eichner's love interest like Chris Hemsworth or something and advertise it as a pure multi-quadrant comedy in the original Apatow Knocked Up/Trainwreck vein. 

 

His entire point was to feature an all-queer main cast, even the ones playing straight characters. Casting a Hemsworth as his love interest would've been antithetical to the statement he was making about LGBTQ+ actors like Luke Macfarlane being punished for being out by not being afforded enough opportunities by Hollywood.

 

Also the Hems is not really a consistent draw himself so it would've been a ton of negative press for weak returns.

 

An LGBTQ+ romcom unfortunately has an incredibly steep uphill climb when it comes to theatrical because not only do people have more than enough alternative options on streaming but streaming also provides the safety and security of enjoying LGBTQ+ content in your own home versus being judged or spotted attending a theatrical screening, which, while sounds ridiculous on the face of it, is too much pressure for young people questioning their sexuality.

 

 

[CJohn]

7 hours ago, Cmasterclay said:

Not really my place to say what is or is not important in terms of representation here, but the whole "first romcom with an all LGBTQ cast" didn't really make waves or make a ton of sense, the winning move for Bros would to have been to cast a big straight actor as Eichner's love interest like Chris Hemsworth or something and advertise it as a pure multi-quadrant comedy in the original Apatow Knocked Up/Trainwreck vein. 

Not possible in today's Hollywood. I have already seen backlash about Brendan Fraser playing that fat dude in The Whale, let alone this. This you are suggesting is not possible.

[Legion Again]

9 minutes ago, CJohn said:

Not possible in today's Hollywood. I have already seen backlash about Brendan Fraser playing that fat dude in The Whale, let alone this. This you are suggesting is not possible.

Recently saw someone get called for writing about Marilyn Monroe because the author wasn’t hot