Both Aaron and Bobby are astounded to realise that it is, after all, possible to be in love - but do they like the versions of themselves that love turns them into? Is monogamy really okay?
The cast is largely LGBTQ+, except for cameos from Deborah Messing (Will and Grace) and Ben Stiller (Saturday Night Live). Flamboyant, outspoken, and likely to go off in a huff at any moment, LGBTQ+ people provide the backdrop to the Aaron/Bobby romance.
They’re a group committed to raising funds for a fictional museum, in the process grounding themselves in a context they can be proud of. Their museum will be dedicated to shining a light on queer historical figures, including the possibly gay or bisexual Abraham Lincoln, an interesting - if potentially contentious - angle.
Bros offers a window into the lives of guys who use Grindr to meet other guys online. They tend to have brief sexual encounters, go to the gym and briefly couple or throuple. There are explicit bedroom scenes, and the fast-paced, witty, often hilarious script (by director Nicholas Stoller with Billy Eichner) is often fairly explicit too. And yet, it’s love that is the film’s focus, with a suitably romantic score by Marc Shaiman that brings in ‘Love and Affection’ ( Joan Armatrading) and ‘When I Fall in Love’ (Nat King Cole) at surprisingly appropriate times.
Although Bros is essentially a rom-com, featuring getting together, falling out, reflection and reuniting, there’s a lot to think about.
Aaron and Bobby show us that gay male romance is less tortured than it was in My Beautiful Laundrette (1985, Stephen Frears), Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee), or Call Me By Your Name (2017, Luca Guadagnino), to name a few big-screen gay love stories. And Bros has plenty to say to all of us, gay or straight or not wishing to be identified, about trust, self-confidence, fear of betrayal and fear of commitment.
The sex scenes may be confronting, but it’s the tenderness and vulnerability of the main characters that lingers. It’s a hopeful film, about people discovering who they are and where they belong.
Highly recommended, for mature audiences.
Movies are rated: Avoid, Recommended, Highly Recommended and Must See.
The first person to bring an image or hardcopy of this review to Starlight Cinema Taupō qualifies for a free ticket to Bros.
