‘Bros’ Film Review: a Winning Gay Rom-Com – PureWow

In making Bros, star, producer and co-writer Billy Eichner wanted to wink to rom-com classics, while also forging an entirely new path in cinematic storytelling.

When the 44-year-old comedian sat down with PureWow almost a year and a half ago, Bros was in its early production stages—but the film was already making history. As the first LGBTQ rom-com ever produced and distributed by a mainstream studio (and featuring an entirely LGBTQ principal cast), the pressure was on. But for Eichner, the main goal was for audiences to have a good time. “The biggest hope is that people just think it’s funny, that they relate to it, or they’re moved by it,” he said back in 2021.

Yet, at the same time, the man famous for his brazen Billy on the Street sketches wasn’t trying to make something palatable. “Sometimes it feels like [LGBTQ+ stories] are meant to appease or not alienate straight people, by getting too specific about our lives,” he said. “And I understand the reason for that but I think we’re at the point now where we can really be honest.”

Flash-forward and Bros has finally arrived in theaters, and it’s fair to say that Eichner achieved what he set out to do. The film pays homage to its predecessors while also being a rom-com unlike anything that’s ever come across the big screen. It’s unabashedly gay, proud, raunchy and romantic, while also full of laughs throughout.