Comcast Corp.’s (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Universal Pictures has released a trailer for “Bros,” the first gay romantic comedy that is going into a nationwide theatrical release by a major Hollywood studio.
What Happened: “Bros” is co-written by and stars comedian and actor Billy Eichner, which Universal noted is the first time that an openly gay man has written and starred in his own major studio film. Universal also noted that "Bros" is the first major studio film whose principal cast consists entirely of LGBTQ actors.
"Bros" finds Eichner playing an openly gay podcaster on a quest to "find another tolerable human being to go through life with." Luke Macfarlane plays his love interest, with Bowen Yang and Harvey Fierstein in supporting roles. Director Nicholas Stoller co-wrote the screenplay with Eichner and co-produced with Judd Apatow.
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Why It Matters: “Bros” is the second gay romcom from Hollywood this year, following "Fire Island" from the Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE:DIS) Searchlight Pictures unit. But whereas “Bros” will be in theaters starting Sept. 30, “Fire Island” is being sent straight to streaming on the Hulu platform.
Up until now, LGBTQ romantic films have mostly been independently financed productions in limited theatrical release. The Hollywood studios first tiptoed into the realm in the early 1980s with the dramas “Making Love” and “Personal Best,” but those films flopped at the box office.
While LGBTQ characters have slowly become more visible in mainstream films, albeit in supporting parts, “Bros” and “Fire Island” offer a major step forward in having rom-coms where the central characters are in a same-sex relationship.
Photo: Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane in "Bros," courtesy of Universal Pictures
