Yes No Maybe So: Billy Eichner's gay rom-com "Bros"
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 1:30PM by Nathaniel R
You've all heard about Bros by now, surely. It's the first major studio romantic comedy about two men. The first major studio gay male drama was way back in 1982 (Making Love) and it only took another 40 years to get a romantic comedy. So, yes, it truly feels like an event! After the jump at statement from Billy Eichner and we'll talk about the trailer, too...
This is what Billy said to us in the (LGBTQ+) media got before a sneak peek at this trailer yesterday:
Hi! It’s your very gay friend Billy Eichner here. This is a very exciting day! It is my pleasure - and truly one of the most thrilling moments of my life - to share the world premiere of the first trailer for my movie, BROS, with you. Specifically, you. From the very beginning of developing BROS, I let everyone involved know that, while I wanted to make a movie that was hilarious and relatable to everyone, first and foremost I wanted to make a movie that felt authentic for the LGBTQ folks that the movie is about - and who have been so profoundly underserved by Hollywood over the years, particularly the major movie studios. From the storytelling to the casting to the crew, it was crucial for me that the needs of LGBTQ+ people were being prioritized.
To that end, I asked that LGBTQ+ folks and media outlets be given this exclusive first look at the film. I've been an out performer since the first time I stepped on a comedy stage in NY over 20 years ago. And while it's insane to me that it took this long to get this movie made, it's still incredibly exciting to me - and a real sign of progress - that the same studio making movies like “Jurassic World” and “The Fast and the Furious” is also releasing this R rated gay rom with an all LGBTQ+ cast, and with as much passion and enthusiasm as they release those other films. It's taken way too long. I wish we had a movie like BROS when I was a kid - but I'm so excited and proud that this day has finally come!
As you know, BROS is historic in several ways. It's the first gay rom ever released by a major studio, it's the first major studio film with an all LGBTQ+ cast in all the roles - even the straight roles - and apparently I'm the first openly gay man to ever write and star in his own major studio film, which is bizarre and infuriating but somehow true. But aside from all the historic statistics attached to it, what I wanted most of all was to make an authentic, hilarious and heartfelt film about what it’s like to be a single adult gay man attempting a relationship in 2022. I'm prouder of it than anything I've ever done - and I hope you'll be proud of it too.
On that note, I hope you enjoy this first look at BROS. Thank you for all the support over the years, and especially now. This movie is a long time coming. But here we are. The era of BROS is upon us!
Love and thanks,
Billy E.
So here's the trailer...
Okay let's do a quick Yes No Maybe So
Yes
• All the historic firsts about this movie are so exciting that we're dying to see it, okay? But it's not called "YAAAAAAAAS No Maybe So", y'know? So we're keeping this brief.
• So many queer people of varying degrees of fame are in this it will be like "spot the cameos!" Pride Parade in movie form. Besides the leads Billy Eichner and Luke MacFarlane we spotted Dot-Marie Jones, Peter Kim, Bowen Yang, Matthew Wilkas, Guy Branum, Guillermo Diaz, TS Madison, Jim Rash, and a few more that looked familiar that we couldn't place. But lots more people are in it that aren't in the trailer.
• The cut to the blow job is really funny given the voiceover but it's not perfect. Shouldn't it be a pan out?
• That Jason Momoa quip and the "frail and can't stop talking" line. This movie will be uber quotable unless they put all the good jokes in the trailer.
• Director Nicholas Stoller has a good track record for comedies. Neighbors and Neighbors 2 were both much better than their premises suggested. Lots of people love Forgetting Sarah Marshall too.
No
• Not looking forward to the online discourse because it will surely be hellish. Queer people love to bitch about queer art. Remember how mean everyone was to the excellent series Looking?
Maybe So
• Very cool that the cast is entirely queer (even in the straight roles) but the Producer and Director are both straight men which is a choice, given the obvious effort to make this GAY GAY GAY
THE POSTER
We're obviously a yes (actually: yaaaaaaas) but how about you? Please do your own 'Yes No Maybe So' in the comments. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Billy Eichner, Bros, LGBTQ+, Romantic Comedies
Reader Comments (14)
FINALLY and I cannot wait!!
Well, the Italian song in Eurovision was about two (gorgeous) guys in and out of love -this was Saturday and I still haven't recovered- so yes, we need this and 10 times more.
Yeah, I'll see this. It looks hilarious though I wouldn't really make mention of Trainwreck. That movie sucked ass.
I adore Billy Eichner (in another life he would have been a poster here!) - I hope he gets to write and star in a dozen more movies based on the success of BROS.
I am really sorry but I have never seen or heard of Billy Eichner,anything I should take a look at to update myself.
This sounds like hype. Perhaps someone with greater insight can explain to me how Bros has earned the citation of first major studio-produced gay rom com over the trio of gay themed rom coms from the ‘90s: The Birdcage (United Artists), In & Out (Paramount), and The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (PolyGram).
I am one hundred million percent yes.
This feels both specific enough for the LGBTQ2S + community (I’m from Canada get with the acronym okurrrt?) AND ‘big movie studio for everyone’ vibes in ways that both audiences would enjoy, straight audiences would learn / be shocked by some of the specificities, that LGBT specific themes are brought to the surface, plus fun performances. I’m in my 40s and i have witnessed generational reactions to queer movies and this feels like the kind of movie people under 30 would watch for a good laugh regardless of where they land on the scale. I’m thrillled and can’t wait.
PS: I miss Looking
Perfect poster and tag.
I miss Looking, too, and get that it was about beautiful people in the gay mecca, which can be hard to relate to (?), but still am surprised it wasn’t wholeheartedly embraced for its diversity and frankness alone. (It was certainly more than meets the eye.)
Anyway, this looks light years better and less odious than Bowen Yang’s *other* LGBTQ+ summer movie, Fire Island. Let’s hope for the best, given broad queer cinema’s output.
I was immediately in when this was just in the casting phase so I'm obviously super in now that there's a trailer and a date and THIS CAST is too good. Love the meta framing of the trailer.
And with this and FIRE ISLAND, I hope we get more more more of this! Big gay musical next please!
Yikes...to quote Trinity the Tuck, where are the jokes?? My biggest concern is Billy's acting - he screams every line. Does he have any acting skill whatsoever to pull off lead in a romantic comedy?
Mr Ripley79 - He had a series called Billy on the Street a few years ago where he aggressively questioned random New Yorkers about pop culture and sometimes had celebrity guests. It was hilarious. Unfortunately, his career became so busy he had to stop doing the show, but you can find plenty of clips on youtube.
No thanks, I can't stomach Billy E. I will gladly re-watch Trainwreck.
I am SO much yes. Professor Spouse said it looked like all the jokes are in the trailer, but I don't know. I'm ALL THE YES.