Bros
★ ★★★
The best thing about Bros is that it's not trying to hide what it is. Labeled as the first gay romantic comedy with a mostly LGBTQ cast to be given a wide release by a major studio (I guess Fire Island, the also very good gay romantic comedy from this summer, doesn't fit into this category), is for sure trailblazing in its efforts, but it never forgets the genre that it lives in. That means that romantic comedy tropes abound! In a movie that is very bold with its script, it was amusing to see writers Nicholas Stoller and Billy Eichner lean hard into the cliches. At times this movie wants to be realistic in the culture that it is representing, but also completely maniacal in its setups (hello, Debra Messing!). This counterbalance provides for amazing sets of dialogue and cringe-worthy moments that the Office would be proud of. In particular, there is a dinner scene that takes place that anyone can relate to if they have sat around a table with two people who have completely different points of view on a political matter. Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane play perfectly off of one another and you completely understand and buy into their relationship.
Sadly, this movie didn't perform well at the box office, which if you were in the theater with me in Oklahoma, did not come as much of a surprise. Often the pieces of culture that are the first to do something aren't received well, and I hope that over time people will appreciate how hilarious and heartwarming this movie is. Eichner's voice wasn't heard with this movie (although it's a loud one), but I hope he keeps at it because we need more ambitious creators like him to keep taking chances. If you love romantic comedies, this is one of the first ones to really stand out in quite some time.
