BROS is directed by Nicholas Stoller. The film stars Luke Macfarlane, Bowen Yang, Harvey Fierstein, Ts Madison, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Díaz, Guy Branum, Amanda Bearse, and Jim Rash.
Bobby Lieber is an outspoken gay man who hosts a podcast and works for a museum setting up an LGBTQ+ exhibit. He finds himself strangely fascinated and eventually falls for the much more macho Aaron, a probate lawyer facing his own self-doubts. Will both let down their barriers of “not looking for a relationship” or will the hurdles in their respective lives prevent their love from working?
No one loves a good comedy more than I do. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts about BROS; representation in film is always a good thing, but I was afraid the film might come off overly preachy regarding its subject matter and characters. While the movie can’t quite escape certain rom-com cliches, the end result pleasantly surprised me. It’s simultaneously profound and laugh-out-loud funny. I can’t speak for whether this film fully accurately depicts LGTBQ+ culture, but one thing that can’t be denied is that it’s one of the funniest films of 2022.
BROS’ cast of characters, particularly its two leading men, is surprisingly three-dimensional and well developed. Comedies are always a delicate balancing act between characterizations and laughs, and those laughs have to be earned. BROS doesn’t take the low road and go for cheap humor, instead utilizing one of the wittiest comedic scripts in years. That this can be combined with two well-developed leads speaks for itself. The movie offers relatable characters as well as hilarious situations that must be seen to be believed. There’s plenty of meta-style humor about films with “straight men playing gays,” and ironically, one of BROS’ biggest advantage is it’s not held back by this, so the jokes don’t feel out of place.
Furthermore, BROS never feels like an episodic collection of skits or sketches. There’s actually a story here, and it’s surprisingly relatable and well put together. Our heroes’ careers and difficult family lives will hit close to home, whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or not. You shouldn’t reject this movie on the basis of its cast and/or subject matter. If you’re fan of comedies in general, you’ll find stuff to like here.
There are a handful of cliches that work against an otherwise fantastic comedy, however. These include the movie following a conventional rom-com structure with elements viewers will see coming if they’ve ever watched any rom-com ever made (you can pretty much guess where the plot will go and how things will end). It doesn’t stop the film from being insanely funny, however.
BROS is hilarious, and the shortcomings are minimal. Its razor-sharp script is hilarious, and the relatable leads largely sell the movie. Any fan of comedies should give this one a shot; once the laughs start, they don’t stop. Highly recommended!
By Taylor T Carlson
Taylor T Carlson Assistant Editor/Senior Staff Writer Taylor T. Carlson was born August 17, 1984, and has called the Vegas Valley home his entire life. A die-hard fan of classic rock and metal music, Taylor has been writing album and concert reviews since he was 16 years old, and continues to do so, having done well over 1,000 reviews. He is also a fan of video gaming and cinema, and has reviewed a number of games and films as well, old and new alike. His thorough and honest (some would say brutally honest) reviewing style has won him the respect of hundreds of music fans and musicians alike, both local and abroad, and the ire of just as many others. Despite being one of the youngest attendees at classic hard rock/metal shows around Vegas, he is also one of the most knowledgeable, having gained the unofficial nickname of “The Eddie Trunk of Las Vegas.” In addition to reviews, Taylor has written and self-published three books on classic hard rock bands, and is a regular participant in rock and roll trivia contests. Taylor also holds a masters degree in special education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Pawn Stars. His dream is to be able to one day make a living from writing music books and reviews.