Please rack your brains to tell me when was the last time you watched a really good gay rom-com with a big heart. I’ll wait. Queer stories are so rare – with queer people playing queer people for a change, that when such a contemporary movie comes along, it immediately feels like a breath of fresh air. But as cliché as that term sounds, Bros (2022) features an all-LGBTQ cast of lead actors and is also fiercely funny – which is pretty much groundbreaking, considering queer stories are always so painfully sad and depressing (a quip that one of Bros. main characters correctly notes.)
The brainchild of Billy Eichner (host of the Billy on the Street series), who co-wrote with director Nicholas Stoller, Bros has that fiery, hilarious power that puts it squarely in the genre’s most referenced titles – You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally. Yet Bros, produced by the team that gave us Bridesmaids and Trainwreck, is so much more than those names. He ostensibly falls in due time and confidently establishes his world. If you haven’t watched Bros, please do not continue with this review as it contains major spoilers. Watch it already! For the rest, go for it.
Bros (2022) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis
Set in New York, Bros revolves around the influential gay man in his forties named Bobby, who prepares for the grand opening of the LGBTQ History Museum, the first of its kind. When he meets handsome Aaron at a gay nightclub, he has no expectations of a relationship. They text each other, which always start with the running line – “Hey bro, what’s up?” But slowly they start spending time together and Bobby realizes that Aaron cleverly hides his vulnerable side under the tough exterior.
They explore each other – counting the trio(s) and reveal a lot about their perceptions in the process. Aaron helps Bobby seal $5 million in funding for the museum, while Bobby’s confidence and charisma slowly give Aaron the confidence to confront his own desires. But is Aaron attracted to Bobby? Bobby’s confidence, among other things, doesn’t really allow Bobby to speak or express his own insecurities until tensions arise.
Bros (2022) Movie Review
Bros ticks off the tried-and-true romantic comedy tropes — the rambling, hard-to-please protagonist, the chance encounter, the first encounter, and the sex — and soaks up a strong undercurrent of place and time. We meet Bobby (a gorgeous Billy Eichner), who is a gay man in his 40s, fully aware of his status as a gay man – he wins an award named “cis-gay white man of the year” if anyone look for. He is intelligent and confident and has a boldness that bites when needed. When he meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane) at a gay club, he rejects him for what he represents: a physically attractive stereotypical homosexual who is “boring”. Yet, as they would discover after spending time together (beyond sex), Aaron is more than that – his hidden depths make him more magnificent.
Their personalities couldn’t be more contrasting: Bobby is the outgoing gay activist who runs his own podcast and invests in his dream of opening the first LGBTQ museum of its kind in New York City. Aaron is a legal advisor who knows exactly how to gather information from his client. Their scenes crackle with dollops of wit and authentic queer angst. The brothers build the secondary characters well, none of which feel like caricatures and exist on their own. Special mention to the staff members Bobby is planning the museum with – these scenes are so brutally hilarious they’ll make you laugh till you hurt. The writing is sharp and nuanced – along with bombshells of truth about the toxic gay dating culture comes a sporadic LGBTQ+ story with mentions of Marsha P. Johnson, Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall.
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Eichner can play Bobby even sleepwalking, and honestly, when he does it so well, there’s no point in complaining. There was a real chance his performance could backfire like a loud caricature, but Eichner sews up his character’s quieter conflicts superbly. His monologue about how he had to build self-confidence as a defense mechanism to catch up is my favorite moment in the movie. As for Macfarlane, Aaron is miles above the boring peak with a terrific physique. To Macfarlane’s credit, Aaron’s vulnerabilities become a painful reminder of the heteronormative norms that queer people must contend with.
Bros flaunts his homosexuality loud and clear, and if that’s too gay for you, the movie proves it all the more. It’s an instant classic. A huge heart drives the comedy, and you forgive minor plot inconsistencies and the predictably sweet denouement because, guess what, it’s more than enough that a movie with two gay male leads exists. It’s better than just enough for Bros to understand the absurdity of modern gay culture incredibly well. Straight actors don’t play the characters the way the Oscars want them to, with a depressing ending. It was time.
Bros (2022) Movie Ending Explained
The trouble begins when Aaron tells Bobby to “keep it down” on Christmas when Aaron’s parents come to New York for a short visit. Bobby is a bit unsure what to make of it and proceeds to interact with Aaron’s parents over dinner, where he rails against his mother for the kids to learn queer history from an early age. . It explodes so much that Aaron has to step in between with a threat that’s more or less like shut up or I’ll kill you. Aaron leaves, leaving Bobby alone. Later, Bobby catches Aaron making out with his childhood crush Josh (Ryan Faucett) and confronts him, saying he knew Aaron wasn’t attracted to him in the first place. They broke it at that moment.
What happens to the LGBTQ History Museum?
Bobby, pissed off after the breakup and on steroids, can’t handle the news that the Lincoln exhibit at the museum is being pulled due to protests. He makes a huge mess in front of everyone, and everyone needs to step in to stop him from wreaking more havoc. He returns to the gym, where he encounters a black man, who catches him off guard by faking his male accent. On the other hand, Aaron is wracked with guilt and finally decides to follow his passion and make his own chocolates. He shows them to Bobby via a video message. He leaves his job and takes up this activity full time.
Are Bobby and Aaron getting back together?
As Aaron talks about his breakup with his brother, he realizes he’s been falling in love with Bobby all this time and needs to get over himself and move on. When the museum opens, Bobby tells Tina that even though she misses him, he won’t come back to him because he won’t get hurt again. But he also knows that if there’s anyone who makes him happy, it’s Aaron. He leaves a “Hey bro, what’s up?” sends him a text, and the moment Aaron sees it, he’s encouraged by his brother to get it right.
He arrives at the museum just as Bobby is about to deliver his speech. Bobby then continues to sing the song he had written for him, and when the song ends, they both kiss and propose to everyone’s applause. They decide to take three months to give time to their relationship. The film ends just after three months with their relationship still going strong. Aaron’s mother came with her second graders to show the museum. When Bobby asks if Aaron wants kids, he runs away!
