Bros is a romantic comedy with the twist being that the main characters are gay. Okay, but is it any good? I mean, there are plenty of forgettable rom-coms out there, and I've suffered through many. Happily, though, Bros is an above average romantic comedy that is smart, often laugh out loud funny, and actually has something to say.
Neurotic podcaster Bobby Leiber (Billy Eichner) claims to be perfectly happy living the single life, and hooking up with random men on Tinder. That is until he meets lawyer Aaron Shepard (Luke MacFarlane). The problem is that these two men like each other, but neither one wants to be in a committed relationship. A significant subplot involves Bobby being a curator of a proposed LGBTQ+ National History Museum.
The film's star, Eichner, who is a gay man, co-wrote the screenplay with director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five-Year Engagement), and it feels frank and honest. One good scene is when Eichner's character talks about past jobs and getting passed up for promotion because he is gay, and the straight people who did get the jobs were less talented. I suspect that happened to Eichner in real life.
Aside from these sobering moments, Bros is really funny. One hilarious scene involves actress Debra Messing, playing a fictional version of herself, as a potential donor to the museum. Then there is the threesome scene that becomes a foursome when a guy comes out of nowhere and invites himself in.
Bros also satirizes gay themed films starring straight actors in gay roles, and also how these same films try to tone it down for straight mainstream audiences. Bobby even recounts a story of how movie producers approached him about writing a movie and said to him, "We want you to write a rom-com about a gay couple. Something a straight guy might even like and watch with his girlfriend." Sure, Bros, itself, wants mainstream success and the two leads are very likable for mainstream audiences, so maybe the movie is contradicting itself somewhat, but the jokes are funny, and it has a lot of heart.
Bros also satirizes gay themed films starring straight actors in gay roles, and also how these same films try to tone it down for straight mainstream audiences. Bobby even recounts a story of how movie producers approached him about writing a movie and said to him, "We want you to write a rom-com about a gay couple. Something a straight guy might even like and watch with his girlfriend." Sure, Bros, itself, wants mainstream success and the two leads are very likable for mainstream audiences, so maybe the movie is contradicting itself somewhat, but the jokes are funny, and it has a lot of heart.
