There’s something pleasantly nostalgic about Bros. That may seem like a strange comment to make about the apparent novelty of a gay romantic comedy that widely released in theaters, but while it certainly leans into being a movie by and for gay audiences, it’s also a film that belongs to a tradition of studio filmmaking we don’t see much anymore. Co-writer/director Nicholas Stoller and co-writer Billy Eichner have set out to not just be an overdue “first,” but to be an established event in the cinematic canon of its genre, right up there with the likes of You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally. Only time will tell whether this film retains the staying power of those classics, but it’s a whip-smart, riotously funny attempt that certainly leaves a lasting impression.

Bobby (Billy Eichner) is a neurotic podcast host, heading the board of a soon-to-open LGBTQ+ history museum in New York. A self-admitted loner, he hooks up with guys on awkward Tinder dates but claims to be largely content as a guy who doesn’t get into relationships—especially not with meat-headed jocks. Enter Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), an apparent meat-headed jock whom Bobby meets at a club one night and surprisingly finds immediate chemistry with. Neither man particularly wants a romantic commitment in their lives, but after repeatedly being drawn to one another, they gradually break down each other’s barriers, reluctantly but inevitably becoming more vulnerable in the process.

That’s the genius of “Bros” — telling LGBTQ stories and wrapping it in a familiar storyline that everyone can relate to. At one point, we see our hero watching “When Harry Met Sally” and we quietly cheer as the universe of rom-coms just got another satellite. Some people may complain that it fits too neatly into the straight-people film formula, but revolutions weren’t built in a movie.


Billy Eichner stars as Bobby Lieber, a slightly nerdy gay podcaster-turned-museum executive who has hit the age of 40 without having had a serious romantic relationship. The script by Nicholas Stoller and Eichner leans into the schtick Eichner has built as a loud, opinionated comic on “Billy on the Street” but creates room for a wounded, insecure hero.