I have said it before and I will say it again, the Romantic Comedy is the one genre of movie that I prefer to be predictable. It suits the style – person 1 meets person 2, they seem at odds, they fall in love, there’s some insurmountable conflict and they fall apart, then they realize they do belong together and through some over-the-top large gesture by one if not both of them, they reunite and live happily ever after. It’s standard, and expected, and exactly what you want in a rom-com. The very best rom-coms add something extra or elevate the formula through fantastic performances, great ensembles, or truly hilarious circumstances.
Bros prides itself on being a run-of-the-mill rom-com and it plays out the formula perfectly. Bobby is a perfectly happy single guy working hard on the launch of New York City’s LGBTQ museum. He is using dating apps for hookups and hanging out with friends when he unexpectedly meets up with Aaron, a more typical “guy’s guy” who is not into one-on-one encounters or relationships. The unlikely couple hit it off and begin dating much to the surprise of those around them. Each of them has to overcome their insecurities of being ‘not enough’ in many ways for the other and eventually, they click and agree to mutually enter a three month relationship and reevaluate after that deadline.
The movie is directed by Nicholas Stoller who co-wrote it with star Billy Eichner. It is charming and fun, could have been a little shorter, and is a little heavy handed in parts. It does earn the R rating on some racy sex scenes, but most are played for comedy and definitely enhance the hilarity.
The cast is wonderful – and if (like me) you enjoyed Billy
on the Street, know that Billy is a little restrained here. Probably for the best,
I am not sure anyone could handle him at full volume for two hours. There is one sequence where his character
Bobby ‘roid rages’ and that sequence is classic Eichner and definitely
hilarious. Luke Macfarlane as a quiet
and still Aaron is the perfect counter-part and makes for pure rom-com compatibility
in the couple.
The surrounding cast provides plenty of laughs with Guy Branum as Bobby’s friend, Monica Raymund and Guillermo Diaz as his best couple friends, Jai Rodriguez as his brother, and Miss Lawrence, TS Madison, Dot-Marie Jones, Jim Rash, and Eve Lindley as the council that Bobby is working with to get the museum open.
Overall, the movie is charming and fun and a near
textbook-perfect rom-com. It is just
fine – exactly what it promises. It does not elevate the material and as such,
underperformed at the box office. Honestly, it perhaps would have been better
to have a streaming debut as well. The
marketing pushed hard on the ‘first major studio gay rom-com theater release’. That may have been unnecessary. Ceiling breakers
do well when you don’t have to be reminded of the ceiling they are breaking. If
the movie had been allowed to stand on its own rather than attempting to live
up to a fairly heavy promise, it may have been more successful. I enjoyed it,
but I would have enjoyed it streaming at home just as much.
5 out of 10
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