Hilarious 'Bros' embraces its moment
Universal
If you think you’ve heard that “Bros” is lousy, unhear it. This is the funniest movie in a long time, and one that knows it has an opportunity as the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio. Billy Eichner, who stars as popular podcaster Bobby and wrote the script with director Nicholas Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), spends much of the film commenting on the portrayal of gay characters in film and the ongoing fight for equality for LGBTQ+ people. This is not a movie in which a character who is not a straight white man is concerned about defining themselves by their sexual identity. Bobby recognizes his influence and has a lot to say about his gratitude and frustrations, and Eichner comes across like an artist given a megaphone and maximizing the chance.
This only becomes more clear and more important given the film’s box office failure and the fact that “Bros” does a terrific job commenting on rom-com cheesiness without being swallowed by self-awareness. Bobby is tired of straight actors playing gay characters just to win awards, and he’s very outspoken of how he perceives his own role in aspects of the New York City LGBTQ+ community that can be alternately thrilling and complicated. The film hinges on Bobby’s relationship with Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a lawyer who doesn’t usually go for guys like Bobby and hates his job helping people with their wills. I wish the film addressed why Aaron doesn’t find that important and fulfilling, and the trajectory of his professional passions is about as cliche as it gets. But Bobby and Aaron make a good, complimentary team, learning from and supporting each other in a way that many rom-com couples don’t.
It’s obvious that “Bros” knows no one should expect it to redefine the genre but rather gets its turn and adapt accordingly. The film contains many important points about the world onscreen and off, leaving viewers with plenty to discuss once they stop laughing. While the Judd Apatow name doesn’t mean what it used to, “Bros” (which credits Apatow as a producer) is the comedy titan’s best project in a long time, following the mediocre “The Bubble,” “The King of Staten Island” and “Trainwreck,” all of which Apatow directed. “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” like “Bros,” was really good and bombed. Maybe the message, for the millionth time, is that box office and quality have nothing to do with each other.
B+
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