Billy Eichner’s Bros, the first gay rom-com from a major studio, hits the mark – The West Australian

Bros makes history as the first gay rom-com to come from a major studio, which, by any measure, is impressive, but it’s not why you should go see this film.

No, you should go see Bros because it’s one of the best rom-coms to be released in the past five years.

It’s sprung from the mind of US comedian Billy Eichner, whose resume includes the critically acclaimed but criminally under-watched TV series Difficult People.

Frustrated with the depictions of LGBTQI+ characters on screen, Eichner set out to create his own with the assistance of Nicholas Stoller, director of 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall and a long-time collaborator of comedy super producer Judd Apatow.

Apatow produced 2011’s Bridesmaids, which had great success addressing Hollywood’s lack of female-led comedies, and Bros is hoping to do something similar for queer stories.

And, as Eichner’s script posits, it’s long overdue.

Even today, you’re much more likely to find a straight actor playing a gay role than a studio casting an actual gay person.

And the fact straight actors chase these roles reflects the nature of the characters — invariably tortured and miserable, which makes them great Oscars bait.

Railing against Hollywood’s often well-intentioned penchant for pitching homosexuality as something traumatic to be survived, Bros offers a take that’s as hilarious as it is poignant.

The film follows New York podcaster Bobby (Eichner), who has become chronically unavailable emotionally after years of being a little too available on hook-up apps.

And then he meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), an impossibly handsome beefcake, and the pair’s shared dissatisfaction with their romantic lives sets the scene for sparks to fly.

If that’s all Bros was, it would still be a very sweet rom-com, but the film also offers some solid satire on LGBTQI+ politics, driven by a sub-plot around Bobby’s presence on the board of a queer museum.

As per the genre, the road to happily ever after is dotted with potholes and a few cul-de-sacs that must be navigated, but, while the destination is rarely in doubt, the journey there is a fun ride.

Occasionally veering towards the sort of gags you’d find in a sketch comedy show, Eichner and Stoller’s script also contains a decent amount of legit drama and social commentary.

Some might think it spends a little too much time giving straight audiences a Dummies’ Guide to Gay, but, in aiming at a mass market, the film really didn’t have any choice.

Thankfully, this doesn’t diminish its edgy sense of fun.

3.5 stars

Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane

In Cinemas: October 27

Rating: MA15+