It’s almost 2023, and the world has been living with COVID-19 for just under three years now. We’ve experienced a completely different world since the start of the pandemic. Socializing is different, school is different and everything is not the same. We’ve all been in a weird state of sadness and can’t get out of that funk. Do you know what we need? A good laugh. Something to feel good about. We need hope. Heart.
Billy Eichner from “Billy on the Street” is here to save the day over two years later. Hey, it’s better than nothing, right? On Sept. 30, “Bros” was released in theaters. Why should everyone see it? Why is it making history?
It’s the first gay rom-com to be released in theaters, and it’s full of heart and good laughs. Billy Eichner wrote it, so you know it’s funny. If you don’t know him, he’s a comedian, actor, producer and screenwriter. Also, he was the creator of the TV series “Funny or Die’s Billy on the Street.”
Something wonderful about “Bros” is that it’s not a coming-out story. In most LGBTQ+ stories we see, the protagonist spends the entire movie figuring out who they are, coming out to their family and (in most cases) experiencing a tragic end. Those stories are certainly important, as there are individuals who’ve had those experiences. But it’s like the straights always want to see us ending up miserable. That’s just not the case in “Bros.” In fact, they make a joke about this trope in the film.
A great example of a coming-out story that is not the driving focus of a film or TV show is a little Emmy award-winning series, “Schitt’s Creek.” This series is about a spoiled rich family who bought a small town, in the middle of nowhere, as a joke. Now, after losing all of their money, they have to stay there. Throughout the seasons, you see the Rose family become much more grounded and appreciate how amazing this town is and the people there.
David, the son of the family, is pansexual. He’s always known this about himself. Some of you may not know what this sexuality is (and some of you probably learned it from this show): They are attracted to all genders without a preference. David refers to it as “I like the wine and not the label.”
Later in the series, he meets his future husband (sorry, spoiler) Patrick, who’s gay. “Schitt’s Creek” does have a coming-out episode for him, but it doesn’t end in tragedy. Instead, the conclusion was just a nonchalant, “Hey I’m gay and in a relationship with a guy.” That’s it. That was so cool to see because we’d never seen that type of representation before.
With “Bros,” the characters take this outlook even further with the message, “We know we’re gay, we’re out and proud and have our own dating story like the straights do.” We’ve never seen that type of representation before. “Bros” is educational, too, because dating as a gay person (or anyone in the LGBTQ+ community) is vastly different than dating as a straight person. The characters shed light on this complicated situation.
Another thing brought up in the movie is how the world caught up, but not fast enough. Billy Eichner’s character, Bobby, talks about how it’s amazing that he’s accomplishing so many great things now, but he’s sad that his family isn’t there to see it. He rants about how straight white guys work only half as much as he does and still get twice as far. We knew about this inequality for years, but have you ever really stopped to think about it? Or does it not affect you? Will people who are different from you get their happy endings as well?
In this movie, they do! You see Bobby’s character go through the conventional dating world in his own way, and then he meets this guy. This guy. It’s emphasized just because of how amazing the character is. But, anyway, we see them in a sort of monogamous relationship, where they develop feelings for each other and eventually date. Just like you would see in a typical straight film. Long story short, by the end, they confess their love and continue dating. Love that!
Honestly, there are some great one-liners in the movie, things that the straights wouldn’t have known about. These phrases have a lot of love and a whole lot of heart. Oh, and you will be laughing all the way throughout the movie. It’s that funny.
So, if you’ve been feeling down in the dumps and need something to get you out of it, go see “Bros.” Your life will forever be changed …
Okay, that statement may have been kind of cheesy and over the top, but, seriously, go see the movie if you want a good laugh!
