'Bros' Asks Us To Love
The gayest movie of the year is here, and it's an absolute joy. Bros dispels homophobia in a picture celebrating LGBTQ culture that doesn't feel knee-jerky or pandering. Surely many will disagree with that statement, especially when the tail end of the trailer has two characters sarcastically exclaiming, "Oh my God do you remember straight people?" with another actor replying, "Yeah, they had a nice run." I'm sure that won't trigger the MAGA crowd in any way, but if it does, who cares?
Bobby Leiber (Billy Eichner) is opening an LGBTQ+ museum. In his pursuit of creating his passion project, Bobby is met with a significant degree of frailty amongst his creative team in what should or should not be included. Writer/Director Nicholas Stoller, along with star and co-writer Billy Eichner, knows one thing for sure about the LGBTQ community: you don't mess with them. Just ask Dave Chapelle. The meetings regarding what the museum will include is met with multiple screaming matches and accusations of what is or isn't culturally appropriate and who was or wasn't gay or bi. Abraham Lincoln included.
Bobby frequents a gay nightclub in an attempt to balance the stress of opening an entire museum. In the club, he meets the film's love interest Aaron Shepard (Luke Macfarlane). In a tale of opposites attracting, Luke and Aaron hook up in no time at the club. Bobby initiates a conversation with Aaron, almost intrusively, by bringing up the rumor that he heard Aaron is boring. Luckily, Aaron's able to deflect Bobby's critique, in a non-confrontational manner, by not taking anything Bobby says personally. Where Aaron is a relaxed, beer-drinking, backward hat sporting guy, Bobby is an outspoken, easily offended, yet equally offensive individual who doesn't know when to get off someone's case.
The beauty of the screenplay is it presents Bobby's character flaw upfront. Growing up gay around the eighties and nineties, Bobby probably faced an onslaught of homophobic slander. Those decades, in particular, were flooded with the F word. And I don't mean the one that rhymes with duck. How that shapes someone's personality can vary based on the individual. In Bobby's case, it makes him a volatile person with a good spirit.. In other words, Bobby's a nice guy with a short fuse.
Aaron's the opposite, who can show Bobby that he doesn't always have to be so angry to get ahead in life. When the first two meet each other at the club, Aaron tells Bobby he thinks he looks angry. Aaron can read Bob like an open book. Whenever Bobby challenges Aaron, Aaron can rebuttal without being insulting because that's the type of sweet person Aaron is.
How the two characters balance each other out is where the magic is made. The chemistry between the guys is the type I haven't seen in a rom-com in a long time. On that level alone, the Bros soars. There are plenty of other LGBTQ films where the humor isn't as universally funny since it's too reliant on obscure pop culture references that only those within the community would understand. In other words, the dialogue is snappy. In the trailer, you'll notice the following exchange. Henry: (played by Guy Branum) "Bobby, I had sex with that 65-year-old." Bobby: "Jesus, he's ripped." Henry: "I know; it's like someone injected steroids into Dumbledore." That bit got a massive laugh out of the crowd I was with, myself included. And it takes a lot to make me laugh.
In many ways, we haven't progressed as an empathetic society; in other ways, we have. While there's a group of people who uses the U.S. capital as a gymnasium, a massive part of the country along with the world recognize that not everyone is a straight white male who clings to a 1950s Leave it To Beaver warped frame of mind. Bros is a recognition of that. Bobby gets offended, as do his coworkers, often too quickly. Aaron is a calm voice amongst a noise vacuum of wokeness who can help fan the flames of fury. To co-exist as a species, we must love and listen to each other.
Aaron's not sure if he wants to take a chance on having a relationship with Bobby, given his hot temper, but decides to anyways. By doing so, he doesn't shun those who want to cancel everyone. Instead, he sticks with Bobby despite being difficult. Bros is not just about two guys loving each other but is also a message about existing in a world where we should all be sensitive but not constantly offended. It's a plea to live, laugh love, instead of fight f***, freebase.
