Billy Eichner’s ‘Bros’ should encourage more LGBTQ movies – USA TODAY
We finally got it: A splashy, gay big-studio romantic comedy – “Bros” – that features an all-LGBTQ principal cast.
At a moment when support for gay marriage has never been higher at 71%, according to a Gallup poll this year. When LGBTQ people like Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine hold influential roles in Washington. And when the LGBTQ community has rallied in support during the monkeypox crisis.
But if you judged the film’s success only by its box office total – which, let’s be real, that’s 99% of what Hollywood executives will care about – it’s a failure.
“Bros” opened with $4.8 million at North American theaters last weekend, a fourth-place finish behind new horror flick “Smile,” “Don’t Worry Darling” and Viola Davis‘ “The Woman King.”
Co-writer and star Billy Eichner short-sightedly attributed the film’s disappointing digits to homophobia.
“Even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore etc, straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros,” Eichner wrote on Twitter Sunday. “And that’s disappointing.”
Don’t miss our feature:How Billy Eichner’s trailblazing ‘Bros’ puts a brilliant spin on the LGBTQ+ rom-com
We’ll never know exactly why “Bros” faltered – although it may be tempting to chalk it up to Eichner’s sentiment. Homophobia is indeed alive and well across the country.
Despite progress in entertainment and political representation, anti-LGBTQ sentiment and legislation remain a threat to the community. Transgender people in particular have become a political punching bag, even though they represent less than 2% of the population. Eighteen states block transgender athletes from playing in sports according to their gender identity.
We know art can inform life, and vice versa, making increased diversity in entertainment crucial to tell all kinds of stories.
Given this, Hollywood should keep taking risks on LGBTQ films like “Bros.” Without mainstream film representation, LGBTQ people will only feel that much more stuck on the sidelines of society.
Sigh:‘Smile,’ you’re No. 1! Horror movie wins box office, outpacing ‘Don’t Worry Darling,’ ‘Bros’
I walked into a “Bros” screening with admittedly high expectations. The trailer featured hot men who would inevitably end up together after a series of traditional rom-com trials and tribulations with the added twist of homosexual high jinks – a meet-cute at a gay bar! Gay sex! Inter-LGBTQ community arguments!
Overall, the film met said expectations. Bobby Leiber (Eichner) and Aaron Shepard (Luke Macfarlane) fell in love, broke up and got back together in less than two hours – I’ve fallen in and out of love with a man in less time, honestly – pushing each other to look inward to accept themselves in order to love and accept the other fully. And this all happened against “a backdrop of NSFW selfies, casual group sex and indiscriminate steroid injections,” as my colleague Edward Segarra points out.
I laughed a lot; I teared up; I questioned my own insecurities about body image and masculinity; I thought about what it means to be queer. Imagine if I saw this at age 18 instead of 30. Might I have worked through some feelings sooner? Talked to a therapist? Come out earlier?
These thoughts race a marathon around my head every time I watch a film featuring LGBTQ people, or at least LGBTQ themes. If I’m feeling this way at my age, what might this mean for someone younger or older than me? A young person might eke out the courage to come out to his parents or his best friend. Or maybe ask out the guy he’s been making eyes at across the cafeteria. An older person might reflect on a lost love, and marvel at how fast the world moved toward an increased level of acceptance.
Please and thank you:I’m just a boy, standing in front of Hollywood, begging for more joyful LGBTQ films
The “Bros” discourse remains out of control (at least according to my cursed Twitter feed). Maybe it bombed because not enough people like Eichner. Maybe he’s not a big enough name. Maybe the film’s marketing required a makeover. Also, romantic comedies don’t bring people to the box office like they used to. Was it too mainstream? Too gay? (I have to log off more often; yikes.)
But we must remember that no movie can represent everyone. Just because this one gay movie didn’t please all nor perform well at the box office doesn’t mean another couldn’t, nor should it have to. Films like Hulu’s “Fire Island” and Paramount+’s “Three Months” were nestled in more protected homes on streaming but contribute just as much to queer film canon.
The more you make, the more opportunities to find a sweet spot. But more importantly – stay with me, Hollywood – the more you make, the more opportunities there are for people to see parts of themselves onscreen they may not even know exist.
People need to watch themselves have a main-character moment instead of settling for another interpretation of the sassy sidekick. That way, we can make room for LGBTQ people of color, particularly trans women of color, to land leading roles, too.
I will encourage everyone I know to go see “Bros” when they can. But I don’t fault anyone for waiting for it to stream. Movies are expensive! We are still in a pandemic! I get it. But seeing this movie means you are seeing me. My friends. My life.
We finally got it. Let’s get more.
