Bros
Bros is a fresh, funny and very witty comedy, despite being masked in the genre trappings of New York rom-coms.
Bobby (Billy Eichner) is a New York based podcaster and author, who is famous for his exploration of unsung gay icons and the history of the LGBTIQ+. Despite his fame, he is facing two dilemmas; firstly, the LGBTIQ+ museum he is the director of is having trouble securing the remainder of the funding it requires, and secondly, his love life is stagnating. While trying to sort out the first, he happens to run into Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), and despite the fact that they both struggle with commitment, they begin dating. The question is, of course, whether they can learn to trust one another, while they both pursue their respective dreams.
Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Bros is the first rom-com with an all (or at least predominately so) gay cast, telling a gay love story. After some misfires in the space (a truly terrible Christmas rom-com from last year comes to mind), Bros is refreshing for its take on gay relationships - veering hard into their nature, rather than whitewashing them with heterosexual norms for straight cinema-goers. Here, we see a much more authentic picture of the gay experience in the dating world; not one that necessarily tracks with the experience of straight patrons.
That’s all for the best, because it means that Bros feels really fresh, interesting and engaging. Gone are many of the tired rom-com tropes, replaced with excitement, and a sense of suspense for what could happen next in this story.
Ultimately, it also means that the romance between Bobby and Aaron really hits home. Their love feels complex, complicated and genuine - two commitment-phobes trying to break the mould of their previous relationships and learn to trust another person.
One of the biggest takeaways from Bros is that it's funny. Like, really funny. And it works on many levels - from jokes that produced belly laughs on sight alone, to some real thinkers that will test whether you’re actively or passively watching. You’ll find yourself laughing throughout. As Bobby, Eichner is suitably smarmy, witty and obnoxious, but still with that underlying heart that allows us to root for him. As Aaron, Macfarlane is extremely bro-ey, and somewhat kind-heartedly simple, but with enough self awareness and intelligence to make the venn diagram of those two have quite an overlap.
The film suffers only in its comparison to other New York rom-coms. It’s a staple of cinema, the New York set romantic comedy, and while Bros couches its groundbreaking tale in that world as a pseudo-statement, it also necessarily suffers the trappings of retreading that ground. It’s only in these moments, that the film feels a little stale.
