MOVIE REVIEW: Bros
Luke Macfarlane & Billy Eichner’s Often Funny, LGBTQ+ Rom-Com — ★★★1/2
While most romantic comedy films in 2022 tend to be sidelined to a streaming service, with Netflix hoarding an army of bland and forgettable pictures in the genre, one that has stood out for any avid moviegoer this year is none other than Bros. With trailers stemming back several months, this gay rom-com had been given a fairly big spotlight in cinemas throughout the first-half of the year, with it finally releasing at the end of September. Lead by Billy Eichner, of Billy on the Street fame (or infamy), the subsequent product is raunchy, funny, poignant, and a fun way to spend two hours.
Those looking for other recent movie reviews from me, I have got you covered! With it now being October, and with Horror fans eating in 2022, I’ve got a Double Feature Review out right now covering Barbarian and Pearl!
Bobby (Billy Eichner) is a neurotic podcast host, gay content creator, and curator of the first National LGBTQ+ History Museum. Perfectly content with modern-day hook-up culture and the life of a gay man on Grindr, Bobby has gotten to a point in life where he doesn’t see the need for a serious relationship. Meeting Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a himbo lawyer who works in the field of wills and estates, Bobby’s life turns a bit upside down after the two hit it off and eventually find themselves romantically entangled. Repeatedly drawn to each other, both men begin to show their vulnerable sides as their undeniable attraction turns into something resembling a commitment.
Raunchy and irreverent, there are a few scenes that could be used to sum up what audiences will be getting out of this, whether it be the description of a gay, trauma rollercoaster (something that does come to fruition by the end of the film), a scene in which Billy Eichner’s Bobby describes his parents taking him to a very not-so-appropriate play during his tween years during a family Christmas dinner, or a hilarious foursome scene during a Christmas party. However, it is in its depiction of Bobby and Aaron’s first time hooking up that the movie really delivers a deep laugh, as it cuts to the two seemingly ready to kiss before pulling out to show Aaron already receiving oral sex from two other men while Bobby sits there waiting and watching, with it played for severe awkwardness and great comedic effect.
While the film may not be breaking any major new ground in its narrative, it is a very straightforward, no-punches-held, gay romantic comedy produced by a major movie studio (Universal Pictures), and for that, it does deserve its applause. Being as entertaining as it is, with two very likable leads in Eichner and Macfarlane, Bros thrives when it really is just trying to have a good time with its premise. The difference between Macfarlane's dude-bro himbo and Eichner’s astute, well-spoken, and highly-regarded Museum Curator and LGBTQ+ media creator is what really brings the film home.
With not every joke landing, and a bit of a bad lull in the second half, Bros is a very good film, but it is not a great one. It features genuinely great chemistry from its leads, and a strong supporting cast when they are given the spotlight, with the Museum committee being pretty great across the board. Had the script been tightened up just a tad, or had some of the bloat been cut from the nearly 2-hour-long runtime, Bros could have punched even higher, though it still remains entirely effective and memorable for some of its crazier, more outrageous comedic offerings.
Bros is currently playing in theaters nationwide after being released by Universal Pictures on September 30, 2022. And for those hardcore Night at the Museum fans out there, who I totally know and believe exist in 2022, this film pays tribute to Ben Stiller’s former franchise in a very unexpected way, but a welcome one for a great payoff!
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