BROS

The picture’s far from hidden agenda continually squeezes the life out of the narrative while Eichner makes for a too egocentric, annoying protagonist.

Debate is still raging about why romcom Bros failed to connect with any type of audience during its short US theatrical run, but I’d argue that an unease with the gay central couple – as star and writer Billy Eichner had suggested – is not the main culprit.

The big problem is rather that any movie that opens with a protracted seven minutes justifying its existence, and then exhaustingly hammers home the importance of gay acceptance in every single scene in the entire movie, is more interested in being a pamphlet than in being a pleasing time at the multiplex.

There are a handful of nice, bitchy one-liners in Bros and for fleeting moments the picture’s attempts to have you invest in the central relationship nearly pay off, yet the picture’s far from hidden agenda continually squeezes the life out of the narrative while Eichner makes for a too egocentric, annoying protagonist.

I do not question the good intentions of Eichner, director Nicholas Stoller and the entire, inclusive Bros team but as far as gay romcoms go, it’s back to the drawing board.

release: 2023

director: Nicholas Stoller

starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum, Miss Lawrence