Mere minutes into Bros, the latest romantic comedy from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” director Nicholas Stoller, our openly gay hero, Bobby (Billy Eichner), declares, “Love isn’t love, that’s just a lie we tell straight people.” He goes on to illustrate that gay love stories are just as messy, chaotic and compelling as heterosexual relationships, the underlying mission statement of the film. “Bros” is not just a niche comedy highlighting LGBTQ+ voices, it’s a broadly endearing and at times brutally honest romantic comedy that doesn’t skimp on the romance nor the comedy.
Bobby, as mentioned, is an openly gay podcaster/failed author of LGBTQ+ children’s books who is perfectly content to not be in a relationship despite the fact that everyone around him is happy with their significant other. It’s not until a stop-and-start meet cute with Aaron (Luke McFarlane) that Bobby begins to realize that he wants more and he and Aaron spark an unlikely romance, while both dealing with commitment issues that would make “Friends'” Chandler Bing blush.
Since pretty much everyone and their mother has pointed out how inclusive this film is, given that the cast, with the exceptions of Bobby’s sister, her husband and a few huge cameos, is completely LGBTQ+, I will skip over that, because while that’s certainly a plus for the film, it’s not the nucleus of the story. Yes, Bros does provide representation not seen on screen since FX’s “Pose,” but beyond that, it’s a well done rom-com with enough jokes to send any viewer into a laughing fit.
Much like most modern comedies, Bros leaves anything and everything open to pure mockery, arguably even more so than most. The film’s comedic targets range from bashing Caitlyn Jenner to parodying Hallmark Holiday films to recreating the 1998 comedy “You’ve Got Mail,” plus namedropping Doja Cat, Jodie Foster, and my personal favorite, lampooning Oscar-bait queer films led by straight men- Looking at you, “Milk” and “Brokeback Mountain.”
So, the film passes the comedy test, but what about the romance? Bobby and Aaron’s love story is far from perfect and seems to capture the awkward phases of any relationship, with numerous scenes of Bobby fretting over whether or not Aaron will text him back: “Don’t text back, just watch ‘Ozark’ like a normal person,” Bobby says at one point.
As the film enters its third act, the issues that inevitably plague their romance end up being surprisingly intimate, to the point that unlike 90% of most romantic plot wrenches, neither party is explicitly at fault. Bobby’s flaws balance out Aaron’s and you’ll find yourself rooting for them, but understanding why they would not want to be with each other. That alone is a feat for a romantic film that others of this ilk should take note of.
Bros isn’t just a milestone film, it’s an enjoyable piece of entertainment, queer or otherwise. Much like Stoller’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” it satisfies every mark of a great rom-com and will leave you laughing and feeling romantic. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel, you’ll have a gay time.
Bros is now playing in theaters.
