Bros (2022)

[Eric Prime]

Discuss

[Webslinger]

I feel like the best barometer to determining whether this film is for you is whether you get the Zellweger app joke, and how hard you laugh at it.

 

I laughed very, very hard. Anyway, on with the full review...

 

Bros is the kind of film I have been craving for a long, long time: a mainstream comedy that celebrates queer culture and is damned funny in doing so. Much has been made of the film’s lack of appeal to audiences outside of the LGBTQ+ umbrella and enthusiastic allies, and… well… duh; at least being an accepting ally is practically a prerequisite to enjoying a film that centers on a gay romance. However, while there are certainly jokes and references that will play strongest with viewers in the know on their significance, it is such a fresh, funny, and ultimately sweet take on romcom tropes that it will prove hard to resist for viewers on its wavelength. As in the other highlights of his career, director and co-writer Nicholas Stoller successfully channels Judd Apatow’s sensibilities and does a great job of delivering cleverly pitched comedic sequences and capturing the voice and style of the actor at the center of the film. In this case, said actor (and co-writer) is Billy Eichner, who – in much the same fashion as Amy Schumer in Apatow’s Trainwreck – finds a way to balance his edginess and abrasiveness with introspection and genuinely sympathetic moments. Eichner’s line delivery is frequently hilarious, and he brings a real sense of pathos to his role in the ways in which he depicts the joys and difficulties of existing as a gay man in a world that – for all its supposed cultural advances – still presents plenty of obstacles for queer folks of all shades. As Eichner’s love interest, Luke Macfarlane is a funny and winning presence, and he shares believably adorable chemistry with Eichner. The supporting cast is also littered with stellar comedic talents who each make the most of their limited screen time. As funny as much of the film is, it also gets some extra oomph from its examination of queer identity as something more varied and complex than the stereotypes it is often reduced to being (even within the community itself) and its starry-eyed admiration of the value of remembering and telling the stories that a bigoted culture seeks to diminish or erase entirely. It’s a real shame that much of the public perception on Bros has concentrated either on its box office failure or backlash against Eichner’s comments about it, for the film itself is one of the funniest comedies in recent memory, and its wholehearted admiration of the vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community makes it feel like an especially unique and meaningful viewing experience as big studio films go. 

 

A-

[cannastop]

A bit formulaic but also funny touching and charming.

 

A-

[Jonwo]

I really enjoyed this film, I think if you identify as LGBT+, it'll resonate and some of the lines are just pure gold. 

 

I did think there were times that the character of Bobby was a bit of a dick especially the scene where he purposefully told Aaron's parents he was unhappy at work and was being generally abrasive. 

 

 

[filmlover]

Will it change the game for the romcom? Unlikely, but I found this to be suitably charming and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious. I'm usually hot and cold on Billy Eichner's shtick but enjoyed him here for the most part, and it helps he also has really solid chemistry with Luke Macfarlane. It's easy to imagine this enjoying a nice long post-theater life when it becomes available to watch on streaming shortly. B+