Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Love, laughs — and history — in ‘Bros’
Stars revel in roles in groundbreaking romantic comedy
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We don’t get a lot of romantic comedies these days, let alone a gay one. A lot has been made of the historical nature of this movie, but I didn’t sit down and think, “Let’s create a historic film.” It’s also a Judd Apatow-produced movie. He did “Knocked Up” and “40-Year-old Virgin” and “Super Bad.” People need to go see this in the theaters, so we can make more of these movies.
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Billy Eichner
BILLY Eichner was waiting for that moment. Nervously pacing in the back of an L.A. theater, he knew it was coming. He wrote the joke. But it’s not funny until an audience says it’s funny.
“Oh yeah, you wait for that first laugh. You’re dying until you hear it. You’re holding your breath. That laughter is total relief,” he says.
By the way, it’s especially welcome when you co-wrote and star in the first gay rom-com ever released by a major studio, “Bros,” which is due out Friday.
It was not only the hit of the recent Toronto film festival, but on the must-see list of fall films. “I want gay men and women to go to a theater, look at the screen and think, ‘This is who we are,’ ” Eichner says.
“Bros” stars Eichner as Bobby Leiber, a brash, blunt single podcaster living in New York City. He has a passion project in the form of a museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, forcing a meeting with Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a Garth Brooks fan and estate lawyer. Both insist that they are not looking for a serious relationship.
“I was grateful that I could play a three-dimensional, complex, emotionally messy gay man, which is close to who I am,” Eichner says in a phone interview during a recent trip to check out Phoenix audiences.
Review-journal: Did you feel pressure with this film, which is not some edgeless rom-com?
Billy Eichner: We don’t get a lot of romantic comedies these days, let alone a gay one. A lot has been made of the historical nature of this movie, but I didn’t sit down and think, “Let’s create a historic film.” It’s also a Judd Apatow-produced movie. He did “Knocked Up” and “40-Year-old Virgin” and “Super Bad.” People need to go see this in the theaters, so we can make more of these movies.
How did you go about writing this with Nicholas Stoller?
Eichner: We’d write at my house and then go to Chipotle. I wish I could say I planned this whole thing and it went according to plan. Seriously, I was stunned when Nick called me and said, “Do you want to write a movie?” Nick is a straight man who has directed a lot of heartwarming movies. He came to me saying he wanted his next movie to be a rom-com, and it would be cool to feature a gay couple. We hoped Judd would come on board, which he did. From that point on, they educated me on how to write a really funny major studio movie.
Luke, how did you get involved? Luke Macfarlane: I was sent the script and thought, “This is a really good part for me to f--- up during the audition.” The truth was, I walked into the room and felt like I really understood the character. Let’s talk about the sex scenes. Eichner: We never thought, “Let’s shock people in the Midwest.” If we did a sex scene it was because it made sense comedically. For straight audiences, this movie might be unlike anything they’ve ever seen in a movie theater. As for doing the scenes, you do really get to know each other.
Macfarlane: We had an intimacy coordinator on the set who finally said, “You guys are cool, right?” We said, “We’re cool.” And then we let it fly.
Eichner: We had to commit to it, as in saying things like, “Luke, you have to pick the right underwear.”
Macfarlane: Let’s not talk about my body or my underwear.
Was there a challenge to playing guys so lovable but flawed?
Macfarlane: It was hard for us because we’re flawless.
Eichner: Let’s just say it. They’re both jerks. These two guys have never been in love, which is key. This is about adult gay men who have never allowed themselves to be really intimate and vulnerable with another person beyond just sex. They’re figuring out how to be in love. The movie asks: What happens when two guys who are trying not to be vulnerable fall in love with each other.
What is your all-time favorite rom-com?
Macfarlane: I’m a big fan of “Annie Hall.” It’s heartbreaking, moving and funny.
Eichner: I have so many … “Moonstruck,” “Tootsie” and “Sleepless in Seattle.” But my all-time favorite is “Broadcast News.” It’s perfectly performed and emotionally complex. I love how Holly Hunter’s character is so smart, so outspoken, so confident and clearly the smartest person in the room. She really has it all together, yet she falls for the handsome idiot in William Hurt. It shows that she’s also human.
Finally, what is your idea of a great Sunday?
Macfarlane: I’m always in for a great breakfast followed by working outside. I’m a woodworker. It’s my hobby. Eichner: And that’s the difference between me and Luke. He’s woodworking, and I’m getting drunk with my friends on a Sunday. He’s building things, and I’m sleeping in. He’s thinking about life, and I’m meeting up with my friends and having those drinks, which is what I call Sunday fun day.