movie review

Groundbreaking gay rom com Bros puts successful new spin on classic genre

Luke Macfarlane and Billy Eichner in Bros

Photo by Nicole Revelli/Universal Pictures

Romantic comedies are a genre that don’t get a lot of play in the movie industry these days. Yes, they occasionally still get made, but they mostly exist in the slapdash world of straight-to-streaming movies, with the quality of the films varying wildly. So if a romantic comedy were to succeed as an in-theater experience in modern times, it only makes sense that it offers something completely new.

Bros definitely fits that bill as the first mainstream rom-com released in theaters to feature two gay men as its leads. Bobby Lieber (Billy Eichner) is a perpetually single New Yorker who fills his days as a podcaster and heading up the effort to open the first national LGBTQ+ history museum. His “romantic” life mostly consists of the occasional unsatisfying hook-up via the app Grindr.

Bobby is actually okay with his lack of a dating life until he meets Aaron Shepard (Luke Macfarlane) at a club. The two kinda-sorta hit it off, but Bobby’s standoffishness, Aaron’s social shyness, and their joint commitment problems keep them from going full-bore. Slowly but surely, they break down each other’s boundaries, although they still have to contend with a culture that seems to view monogamy as something to be avoided at all costs.

Directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Eichner and Stoller, the film is packed full of jokes from the gay perspective, something that has been all-but-absent in mainstream movie history. Unless you happen to be homophobic, the jokes are fantastic from beginning to end, offering up ideas that wouldn’t work coming from a straight character, but are extremely hilarious coming from gay characters.

Billy Eichner in Bros Photo by Nicole Revelli/Universal Pictures

The slyness of much of the humor is what makes it truly stand out. The norm of straight people playing gay people in movies is brought up on multiple occasions, and there’s a great joke in the final minutes of the film that addresses it head on. Movies made by the “Hallheart” channel are a running joke in the film, something that is extra funny since Macfarlane has starred in multiple Hallmark romances as a straight character, including another one coming out this holiday season.

It’s clear that Eichner, the driving force behind the film, has a lot of love for the classic New York rom-coms, as there are multiple references to movies like When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, and others. Music and iconic locations from those films are featured throughout, although in ways that gently send them up or give a twist unique to this story.

The most revolutionary aspect of the R-rated film is how unafraid the filmmakers are of showing intimacy and sex between men. Most previous films with gay characters would only allow them a chaste kiss or intimation of sex. Bros treats gay sex as the normal thing it is, with the scenes between Bobby and Aaron (and, yes, sometimes other men) as hot and heavy as any heterosexual coupling you’ve seen before.

Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane in Bros Photo by Nicole Revelli/Universal Pictures

Eichner, as anyone who’s watched his Billy on the Street YouTube videos can tell, is a force to be reckoned with comedically. He’s not your typical leading man (something he brings up multiple times in the film), but that’s a big part of what makes him so funny. It’s no accident they cast Macfarlane as Bobby’s romantic interest, as he checks all the boxes in the looks department. His acting skills aren’t always on the level of Eichner, but they don’t hurt the film in any measurable way.

Bros is one of the best romantic comedies – and comedies, period – to come out in a long time. It’s taken much too long for a film like this to be presented to the general public, and now that it’s happened, many more are sure to follow.

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Bros opens in theaters on September 30.

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Movie Review

The Invite delivers smart, sexy laughs with an all-star cast

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film - which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century - has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples - the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis - turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights - and occasional bawdiness - make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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