Bros (film)

From Justapedia, unleashing the power of collective wisdom
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Bros
A rear view of two men wearing jeans and tshirts, each one with a hand reaching across grabbing the other's butt cheek
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicholas Stoller
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrandon Trost
Edited byDaniel Gabbe
Music byMarc Shaiman
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • September 9, 2022 (2022-09-09) (TIFF)
  • September 30, 2022 (2022-09-30) (United States)
Running time
115 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million[3]
Box office$13.4 million[4][5]

Bros is a 2022 American romantic comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller from a screenplay he co-wrote with Billy Eichner, who also stars and executive produces. Stoller, Judd Apatow, and Joshua Church are producers on the film.[6] The film also stars Luke Macfarlane, Ts Madison, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Díaz, Guy Branum, and Amanda Bearse.[1] It is among the first gay romantic comedies released by a major studio, and features an openly LGBTQ+ principal cast.

Bros had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on Oct 11, 2022, by Universal Pictures. While the film received positive reviews from critics, it disappointed at the US box office, having grossed $13.4 million against a budget of $22 million.

Plot

Bobby Lieber, host of the podcast and radio show The Eleventh Brick at Stonewall who prides himself on being single, attends an awards ceremony for the LGBTQ community, where he wins an award for "Best Cis Male Gay Man". He announces that he has accepted a position as a curator for the upcoming new National LGBTQ+ History Museum in Manhattan.

Bobby joins his friend Henry at a nightclub in the city where a new gay dating app is being launched, and spots Aaron Shepard, whom Henry describes as hot but "boring". Aaron and Bobby flirt and exchange a kiss, but Aaron doesn't appear interested in Bobby. A few days later, the two start to spend time together, but their connection is not strong. While on a date at the movies, Aaron runs into a former high school hockey teammate, Josh, and his fiancée. Bobby and Aaron aren't sure what to make of their time together; Bobby feels Aaron acts too straight and Aaron thinks Bobby is too intense and that his clout in the gay community is intimidating. Aaron later finds out that Josh called off his engagement and has come out as gay.

After some time apart, Aaron confides to Bobby that his original dream was to be a chocolatier, but had thought that it was unachievable and never pursued it. Bobby invites Aaron to a trip to Provincetown, where he solicits an eccentric millionaire for a donation to the struggling museum. The millionaire is unimpressed by Bobby at first, but Aaron helps him to adjust his pitch, and they secure a $5 million donation. Bobby is impressed by Aaron and the two grow closer romantically, and Bobby opens up about having to tone down his flamboyant behavior to make others comfortable.

Bobby and Aaron date for several months and Aaron integrates into Bobby's group of friends. At a Christmas party, Josh arrives and Aaron asks Bobby if they can have group sex. Bobby agrees, but later recants on his wishes after seeing the connection Aaron and Josh have. When Aaron's family comes to the city for a visit, Bobby's excessive outspoken behavior ends up causing a rift between the two men. Aaron hooks up with Josh again and they break up. People are threatening to boycott the museum and pull donations over an exhibit Bobby created that suggests that Abraham Lincoln was gay.

After some time, Bobby returns to work and reconciles with his coworkers over his outburst over the exhibit. The others all admit they have their own issues as well over matters such as their sexual identities, and agree to compromise on the exhibits that will be presented. Meanwhile, Aaron quits his job and fulfills his dream of making chocolates, telling Bobby that all proceeds will go to the museum.

On the opening night of the museum, a large crowd turns out. Bobby misses Aaron, and after talking to his friend Tina, decides to text him. Aaron gets the text and is encouraged by his brother to go after the person he loves, arriving just as Bobby begins his speech. When he sees Aaron, he proceeds to sing a song he wrote about their relationship, inspired by the music of Garth Brooks, Aaron's favorite singer. When the song ends, Bobby and Aaron kiss, to applause from the crowd.

Three months later, Aaron's mother brings her 2nd-grade class to the museum, and Bobby and Aaron are still dating.

Cast

Production

On February 5, 2019, it was announced that Billy Eichner would write, executive produce and star in a romantic comedy feature film, directed and co-written by Nick Stoller.[6] Principal photography was set to begin on June 7, 2021 in Buffalo, New York and Provincetown, Massachusetts.[8] Filming subsequently took place in Manhattan and in downtown Cranford, New Jersey.[9] Stoller previously directed Eichner in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, which received praise for its depiction of a gay relationship and positive support from straight cis male friends when many movies at the time used gay panic for laughs.[10]

Most of the cast was revealed on September 23, 2021,[11] and September 30, 2021.[12] Bowen Yang and Harvey Fierstein were revealed to have joined the cast on November 4, 2021, and[13] Benito Skinner joined the cast the next day, though his role was cut from the final film.[14]

The film is a gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring a predominantly LGBTQ+ principal cast;[7][15] Debra Messing and Kristin Chenoweth are also in the cast, and Stoller calls them "allies" of the community.[7][16]

Marketing

The first official trailer, dubbed the "NSFW Trailer", was released on May 18, 2022.[17] A second official trailer was released on June 16, 2022.[18]

Release

Bros had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022,[19] and was theatrically released in the United States on September 30, 2022, by Universal Pictures.[20] It was originally scheduled for release on August 12, 2022.[21]

Prior to its commercial release, the film was subjected to homophobic review bombing from users on IMDb.[22][23][24]

In the US, it was released on rental PVOD on October 18, 2022.[25]

Reception

Box office

As of November 3, 2022, Bros has grossed $11.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.8 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $13.4 million.[5][26]

In the United States and Canada, Bros was released alongside Smile, and was initially projected to gross $8–10 million from 3,300 theaters in its opening weekend.[3] After making $1.8 million on its first day of release, including $500,000 from Thursday night previews, projections were revised to $4–5 million. The film went on to debut to $4.9 million, finishing fifth at the box office.[27][28] The film's top 10-performing theaters were all in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, while it underperformed in much of the middle of the country and in the south.[29] Opening-weekend audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave the film an 80% overall positive score, with 69% saying they would definitely recommend it.[27] The film fell 55.5% to $2.2 million in its sophomore weekend, finishing in eighth.[30] As of October 18, 2022, the film has grossed $11 million in the U.S. and Canada.[4]

Eichner expressed disappointment at the film's box office results, claiming that "straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros."[31] Zack Sharf and William Earl from Variety countered in an analysis that other factors contributed to the film's poor box office, stating that "straight people aren't entirely to blame" and that "many LGBTQ viewers didn't show up to see the comedy in theaters either." While they viewed homophobia as a likely component, they also noted other factors such as a lack of interest in the material, a lack of star power, the marketing focusing on representation over its humor, timing of its release date, competition from anticipated streaming releases such as Blonde and Hocus Pocus 2 (all three films were released concurrently), and audiences' possible fading interest in Apatow's films. They also noted that more women than expected had shown up to see the film.[32]

When released as premium video on demand (PVOD) the film was ranked number 2 at Vudu (calculated by revenue) and number 3 at iTunes and Google Play (which rank by transactions). IndieWire called it "quite good for a studio release that fared this poorly in theaters."[25]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critics' consensus reads, "Bros marks a step forward in rom-com representation – and just as importantly, it's a whole bunch of fun to watch."[33] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

TheWrap's Alonso Duralde praised Macfarlane's performance, writing: "Like Bobby, this gay critic's not-so-secret comfort viewing is Hallmark Christmas movies, and I've always enjoyed Macfarlane's work as a charming romantic lead in them, but Bros offers the kind of complexity and shading (to say nothing of humor) that Hallmark never could. Anyone coming into this film only knowing Macfarlane for his cozy cable movies will leave with a new appreciation of this versatile actor's wheelhouse."[35] Marya E. Gates of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing: "Its perpetual commentary on the mainstreaming of queerness remains at odds with its very desire to tell its story within the Hollywood system."[36] Writing for Consequence, Clint Worthington gave the film a B- and said: "When it focuses on Eichner and Macfarlane, and the ever-complicated mores of queer masculinity, it stays charming and light on its feet. If it were a little less self-conscious about that homonormativity, it’d have a more cohesive identity, and be more of a slam dunk in the process."[37]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 16, 2022 Best Original Song in a Feature Film Billy Eichner and Marc Shaiman ("Love is Not Love") Pending [38]
Song – Onscreen Performance (Film) Billy Eichner ("Love is Not Love") Pending
Best Music Supervision — Film Rob Lowry Pending

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Bros (2022) | Cast & Synopsis | In Theaters September 30". Bros | Movie Site & Trailer | In Theaters September 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Bros". Toronto International Film Festival.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (September 28, 2022). "Billy Eichner's Gay Rom-Com 'Bros' Takes on Creepy Thriller 'Smile' at Box Office". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Bros (2022) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Bros (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  6. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 6, 2020). "Nick Stoller To Direct Romantic Comedy Starring Billy Eichner, With Judd Apatow Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Soloski, Alexis (May 18, 2022). "Crafting a Rom-Com That's True to 21st-Century Gay Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Bros - Production Listing". Productionlist.com. May 10, 2021. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Lissner, Caren. "Groundbreaking Film 'Bros' Is Shooting In Cranford This Week", Cranford, NJ Patch, September 28, 2021. Accessed June 17, 2022. "A new film called 'Bros' will be filming in Downtown Cranford on Wednesday and Thursday, the Downtown Cranford organization said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. The organization noted that the film represents a 'first' in Hollywood: Bros is also making history by having an entirely LGBTQA+ main cast, the first for a major studio film."
  10. ^ Bloomer, Jeffrey (May 20, 2016). "How the Gay Twist in Neighbors 2 Turns the "Bromance" on Its Head". Slate Magazine.
  11. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (September 23, 2021). "Billy Eichner Sets Historic LGBTQ Cast (With a Twist) for Universal's 'Bros' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ^ Donnelly, Matt (September 30, 2021). "Billy Eichner's 'Bros' Adds Jim Rash, Eve Lindley, Peter Kim and More (EXCLUSIVE)".
  13. ^ Donnelly, Matt (November 4, 2021). "Bowen Yang, Harvey Fierstein Join Billy Eichner's Gay Rom-Com 'Bros' (EXCLUSIVE)".
  14. ^ Donnelly, Matt (November 5, 2021). "Comedian Benito Skinner Joins Billy Eichner's 'Bros' (Exclusive)".
  15. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (May 18, 2022). "'Bros' Trailer: Billy Eichner Stars in a Steamy and Meta Gay Rom-Com". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  16. ^ Group, Sinclair Broadcast (June 3, 2022). "Review: 'Fire Island' reimagines Pride of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'". Seattle Refined.
  17. ^ "'Bros' Trailer: Billy Eichner Stars in a Steamy and Meta Gay Rom-Com". May 18, 2022.
  18. ^ Remley, Hilary (June 16, 2022). "Billy Eichner Falls for Luke MacFarlane in New 'Bros' Trailer Featuring All-LGBTQ+ Cast". Collider. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  19. ^ "'Bros', gay rom-com written by Billy Eichner, to premiere at TIFF". Toronto Star, July 15, 2022.
  20. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 21, 2022). "Billy Eichner Romantic Comedy 'Bros' Moves To Fall After 'Mission: Impossible 7' Re-Assignment To 2023".
  21. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 5, 2021). "Billy Eichner Universal Romantic Comedy 'Bros' Sets Late Summer 2022 Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Hattie Lindert (September 29, 2022). "By prematurely deriding the plot, Bros review bombers lose their own". The A.V. Club.
  23. ^ Rude, Mey (September 23, 2022). "Homophobes Are Already Review Bombing Billy Eichner's Rom-Com 'Bros'". Out. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  24. ^ Hansford, Amelia (September 24, 2022). "Billy Eichner's gay rom-com Bros is getting review bombed by pathetic homophobes". PinkNews. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Brueggemann, Tom (October 24, 2022). "'Bros' Brouhaha in Theaters Leads to Strong VOD Results". IndieWire.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference NUM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 1, 2022). "'Smile' Now At $19M Weekend Opening – Saturday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  28. ^ Murphy, J. Kim (October 1, 2022). "Box Office: 'Smile' Chomping Into $19 Million, Billy Eichner's 'Bros' Debuting at No. 4". Variety. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  29. ^ Pamela McClintock (October 2, 2022). "Box Office: 'Smile' Laughs to $22M Opening as 'Bros' Frowns With $4.8M". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  30. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 9, 2022). "'Smile' Posts Best Second Weekend Hold For R-Rated Horror Film After 'Get Out'; Audiences Never Got High On 'Amsterdam' – Sunday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  31. ^ Tinoco, Armando (October 2, 2022). "'Bros': Billy Eichner Reacts To "Disappointing" Box Office Results & Shares He's "Proud Of This Movie!"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  32. ^ Sharf, Zack; Earl, William (October 3, 2022). "Why Did Billy Eichner's 'Bros' Bomb at the Box Office? Straight People Aren't Entirely to Blame". Variety. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  33. ^ "Bros (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  34. ^ "Bros Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  35. ^ Alonso Duralde (September 23, 2022). "'Bros' Review: LGBTQ+ Rom-Com Makes History, Yes, But Also Delivers the Rom and the Com". TheWrap. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  36. ^ Marya E. Gates (September 30, 2022). "Bros Review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  37. ^ Clint Worthington (September 23, 2022). "Bros Refuses to Apologize for the Specifics of Queer Romance (Except When It Does): Review". Consequence. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  38. ^ Anderson, Erik (November 3, 2022). "'Black Panther,' 'Bros,' 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' lead Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved November 3, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://justapedia.org/index.php?title=Bros_(film)&oldid=1119911636"