Billy's Bros

First of all, let me start this post by saying, I am a big, gay fan of Billy Eichner. His madcap, acerbic antics prowling the streets of NYC to hurl questions at hapless sidewalk denizens has given me frequent cases of the hee-haws. Like a howling dervish, Mr. Eichner oftentimes leaves his victims confused and bewildered as he storms off to the next accidental interviewee with a giggling celebrity in tow. If you haven't seen his Times Square adventure with Julianne Moore- you have missed one of the great skewerings and love letters to Hollywood and pop culture.

So when Eichner announced that along with producer Judd Apatow, he was making an all-gay romantic comedy- well, I was officially intrigued. Mr. Eichner's pre-release campaign was as energized as one of his street interviews- proudly touting the LGBTQ+ cast (including familiar faces like Amanda Bearse, Dot-Marie Jones, Harvey Fierstein, and Bowen Yang) and his goal to have the gays storm that final bastion of social inequality- the Hollywood Rom-Com. Earlier gay fare like Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), Trick (1999), and Adam & Steve (2005) notwithstanding, Bros (2022) was positioned as the first out-cast, gay romantic comedy- and by God- us gays better go see it!

Can gays make a successful movie in the most hetero of Hollywood genres?

The answer is- define successful... 

From a critical standpoint, Bros is a really funny, touching, and at times subversive romantic comedy. The age-old premise of opposites attract stirs cynical LGBTQ+ rights historian (Eichner playing Eichner) and legal eagle square stud Luke Macfarlane (wowza) into the romantic recipe that came out so well for Cary and Kate, Kate and Spence, and Harry and Sally. 

Like its predecessors, Bros buys into the escapist fantasy of the genre: true love starts with a captured glance across a crowded room, maneuvers through the comedic pitfalls of seemingly insurmountable differences between two people, and ends with a heartfelt public declaration of devotion. I left the theater feeling like there was a hunky sweetheart out there just waiting for my tart ass to say hello and start my own love story. (Ahem... still waiting)

But Bros isn't content to simply insert itself into this iconic Hollywod paradigm. Eichner and co-screenwriter Nicholas Stoller endlessly celebrate and jab at the unique (and oft ridiculous) stereotypes of gay people from the L's, G's, B's T's, Q's to our allies to make the point that while this might be a typical rom-com- the characters within it are by no means typical- and therefore, transform the genre. 

From its first self-referential scene, Bros lays out exactly what it is- a gay movie made in an industry that prides itself on its acceptance- without the capacity to actually include LGBTQ+ stories, story-tellers, or out actors within its box office halls. This film has an agenda! And the Billie we know in the streets is only slightly muted here- shouting to anyone who will listen that Abe Lincoln was gay and ultimately, that LGBTQ+ people are just as capable as anyone else to star in, watch, and enjoy a good ol' sappy love story... albeit one with a butt-shaving incident.

But was Bros successful at the box office?

Number-crunchers almost triumphantly announced Bros' opening weekend missed the $5 million mark. Eichner went on the defensive crying homophobia- but also admitted there were other factors like no major stars in the film (couldn't Julianne Moore have made a cameo?) and the difficulties of the current theatrical market that contributed to the low audience turn-out. But to be honest- when you look at the $8 mill opening weekend take for much more touted (and higher budgeted) J.Lo/Owen Wilson rom-com Marry Me (2022)- and the fact that other rom-coms this year (Father of the Bride, The Valet, I Want You Back, Meet Cute, and gay contender Fire Island) were aired solely on streaming nets- maybe Bros isn't the disaster some cinema pundits make it out to be.

Consider the phone conversation I overheard between the gay friend I went to the movie with and a straight friend of his. "Bros. No- not Rose. Bros. Like Bros before hoes. Not, not Bros before homes. Bros- It's a gay movie!" While achieving its goal of being a funny and culturally significant entry into the history of the Hollywood rom-com, Bros might be too gay for the mainstream. But who knows? Maybe Middle America will discover a love for Grinder jerk-offs, throuples, and Eleanor Roosevelt in the secondary theatrical market.