'Bros' is the first major studio film to star and be co-written by an openly gay man, Billy Eichner, and the first with all LGBTQ+ actors in principal roles, including…
"Bros" is the first major studio film to star and be co-written by an openly gay man, Billy Eichner, and the first with all LGBTQ+ actors in principal roles, including Luke Macfarlane, Ts Madison and…Bobby , left, and Aaron in Bros, co-written, produced and directed by Nicholas Stoller.
Billy Eichner wants to bring romance back to movie theaters. And he thinks “Bros,” a history-making movie about two cynical gay men who do everything they can to not fall in love, is the way to do it. "Bros" has been frequently and rightfully touted as the first major studio film to star and be co-written by an openly gay man, Eichner. It’s also the first with all LGBTQ+ actors in principal roles, including Luke Macfarlane, Ts Madison and Guillermo Diaz. “The fact that the same studio that makes 'Jurassic World' and 'The Fast and the Furious' and 'Minions' – it took them a long time to get here, and it's long overdue,” Eichner says. He’s calling a few days after the film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, a moment he says felt like a rock concert and calls “one of the most exciting things ever." “Bros” opens Friday at more than 3,000 movie theaters. Macfarlane, who plays Eichner’s love interest, feels the same sense of amazement at all the attention. He’s probably best known for playing the romantic lead in a dozen Hallmark movies with such titles as “A Shoe Addict’s Christmas” and “Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen.” “Whirlwind press tours are things that I thought only happened for superhero movies and dinosaur movies,” Macfarlane says. “I haven't had an opportunity like this in my career. That it's happening and that the studio is deciding that this is important, I think is really meaningful." Eichner plays Bobby, a cynical podcast host and curator of an anticipated LGBTQ+ museum in New York City. During a night out with a friend, he meets Macfarlane’s Aaron, a strapping, handsome lawyer who seems Bobby’s exact opposite. After a serious of hilarious text exchanges, they agree to go on a date. “Bros” was directed and co-written by Nick Stoller and produced by Judd Apatow , both known for a spate of raunchy, R-rated comedies. That decidedly adult outlook continues with “Bros.” But this time, it’s filtered through a gay lens, and it’s likely to be a new experience for many moviegoers. "I think the challenge of threading that needle for both the straight and the gay communities is really, really important,” Macfarlane says. “People didn't watch 'When Harry Met Sally' and say, 'That's not straight people.' But I think that a lot of people will watch and say, 'Is that the gay community?' I think Billy did that really, really well with his script." Indeed, the strength of “Bros” is how it so adeptly combines contrasting elements and subverts heteronormative movie tropes. It purposely and pointedly hits hard at traditional rom-com elements – dancing on the beach, climactic serenades – to ultimately, finally give gay audiences their own happy ending. That Macfarlane is a Hallmark movie staple is not lost on him or Eichner. In fact, there’s a running spoof throughout “Bros” of the Hallmark Channel.I learned a lot from those movies and what it means to fall in love with somebody at the beginnings of a relationship. There are a surprising amount of similarities. The sex scenes are definitely a little different than Hallmark movies. There's no gazebo," he says. Eichner adds,"You can't spoof Hallmark movies unless you've been watching Hallmark movies. I do find those movies very comforting. They are romantic, and they are about the good things in life. We wanted 'Bros' to do that, too. "It is fascinating how we have moved away from this in mainstream studio releases," says Macfarlane."We haven't really watched people fall in love. I think that maybe that is reflected by, if I can be so bold, the fact that our culture is a little bit more cynical." “Bros” indeed chronicles the minute details of love and the big moments, including a sex scene between Eichner and Macfarlane that is alternately hilarious, sexy, surprising and likely familiar in many ways to gay men. "I always thought to myself, 'If Sasha Baron Cohen can roll around naked in a bed with a guy in 'Borat' and have that be as insanely funny as it was, then why can't we do that, too'?" Eichner says. “When we thought about that sex scene, we thought, 'How do we make this as explosively funny as possible’?” Funny and maybe uncomfortable for straight audiences who are used to their gay characters as funny sidekicks, tragic heroes or not there at all. In that way, “Bros” is a bright, waving flag in the face of continuous attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. The Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to codify same-sex marriage into federal law, has become a midterms flashpoint. LGBTQ+ studies, and even simple terminology, are being prohibited in schools. Drag queens and trans rights are frequently under attack. And most it is under the guise of “religious freedom.” Even “Bros,” has been the target of review-bombing on IMBD. Trolls gave the film hundreds of bad, often homophobic, reviews, despite it not yet being available for public viewing. IMDB subsequently removed all reviews. By contrast, “Bros” has a sterling 96-percent “fresh” rating from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator site. Eichner and Macfarlane hope moviegoers look past the ignorance and see “Bros” for what it is: a funny, heartfelt, unexpected film that gives us the opportunity to laugh alongside a room full of people. And just as LGBTQ+ moviegoers have been doing for years with stories that weren’t made with them in mind, they expect everyone will find something they can relate to.I loved all those Nora Ephron movies as a kid," says Eichner."I loved Woody Allen movies. I loved 'Broadcast News' and 'Moonstruck' and 'Working Girl.' Even though I wasn't specifically seeing myself in them, I still saw a world of smart, witty adults falling in and out love that I was always intoxicated by.Much like my character, I'm a big country music fan, and I think about how you listen to things and turn them into what you need them to be for you," says Macfarlane."I was just thinking about that Lee Brice song 'Drive My Truck,' which is clearly about a guy whose brother has died. But I've listened to that song so many times and thought, 'What if it was his partner that died?' So much of our experience in culture is about how can we relate to that as a gay person. It's not for us, but we can kind of switch things a little bit in our heads and make it for us. It's so nice to have something that is actually for us. So much of my experience as a young person is watching these amazing romantic comedies and understanding the falling in love experience through a heterosexual couple. I think heterosexuals can understand their lives through watching a gay couple in the exact same way."By the way," adds Eichner."Bet you didn't think you were going to hear Lee Brice's name mentioned today."
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