Universal Pictures
Bros is a landmark film. Not only for being the first gay rom-com produced and distributed by a major American studio (Universal), but for being a perfectly formulaic gay rom-com that starts with a bawdy bang and then becomes more standard-issue (and preachy) as it nears the finish line.
In both cases, that can be viewed as progress, and better still, Nicholas Stoller and Billy Eichner’s comedy—debuting at this year’s Toronto Film Festival before premiering in theaters on September 30—has more going for it than its groundbreaking pedigree. Namely, it has a steady stream of laughs, most of them courtesy of its headliner, who employs his trademark grumpy-catty-hostile persona for a snarky and sermon-y saga about finding yourself and, in the process, your ideal (if unlikely) complementary half.
In his first big lead role following a decade of hosting the hilarious Billy on the Street series and stealing scenes on the likes of Parks and Recreation, Eichner is Bobby Lieber, a successful NYC podcaster who’s also spearheading the creation of the city’s maiden LGBTQ+ history museum. Bobby wants to use this platform to resurrect the marginalized stories from his community that have been erased by mainstream forces, including—most controversially—that of Abraham Lincoln, whom Bobby aims to out in a grand exhibit, much to his lesbian, bisexual and trans coworkers’ consternation.