Trainwreck (2015)

Right off the top, there is a blurb going around in the marketing campaign for Bros that lays out the fact that this is the first gay romantic comedy to get a wide theatrical release by a major studio as well as the first starring an entirely LGBTQ cast.  (the director, Nicholas Stoller as far as I’m aware is cismale, straight.)  The film, if nothing else, is a pride banner of inclusivity.  That being said, it’s easy for a movie with such precedence to not try that hard, to be devoid of worthwhile content.  Things like a good script, believable characters played by competent actors, and something along the lines of a quality message get sacrificed in the name of progress, let’s say.

That’s not the case here though.  For one, Judd Apatow is attached as an executive producer, and, like him or not, he’s careful about the kind of comedy he attaches his name to.  Additionally, his name is nowhere to be found on the movie posters.  Has he aged out of this movie's expected demographic?  If not, you’re expecting a raunchy, mildly offensive comedy.  Again though, Bros deviates from the Apatow brand. 

My guess before going in, based on clips and posters alone, was that Bros would be light, irreverent fun.  There are two lead gay characters, but the movie is not bogged down by that fact.  I was reminded of Neighbors (a movie also directed by Nicholas Stoller) or the little-seen Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer (Ok, I submit, one Apatow-produced film that he also directs.  The guy has his hand in a lot of things.)

My point is that it’s easy for a film like this to just sort of be bad or lack substance.  That’s not the case.  Bros is funny.  It calls to mind great romantic comedies without satirizing them and retains a kind of cynicism or disbelief that enhances the tried and true formula instead of annihilating or dismantling it.  It’s also more grounded in reality making the story more believable.  And there’s the odd bit of social commentary squeezed into certain scenes that only someone like Billy Eichner can deliver.  I also must emphasize that it is light.  Very funny and light.  With such lightness, you can include the occasional heartwarming or thought-provoking bit.  You’ve earned the audience's respect.  

Bros takes place partially in New York City, Eichner’s playground as Billy on the Street can attest.  Billy plays Bobby, a gay bachelor with a history of one-night stands and awkward Grindr exchanges that have left him jaded and hungrier less for dating and more for his professional pursuits.  It’s clear early in the film that Bobby is more enthused about his professional life than he is about his personal one.  

What I’ve always appreciated about writer/director Judd Apatow is that he’s able to bring a layer of depth and complexity to dumb, fun comedies. Movies such as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Trainwreck are raunchy comedies, of course, but they also have something more to say about their characters; they focus on people with cases of arrested development who struggle to mature. In many ways, Apatow’s films tap into a universal feeling we all share to some extent: an apprehension towards growing up.

Apatow’s latest film, The King of Staten Island, is no different. The movie tells the story of Scott (Pete Davidson), the 24-year-old son of a deceased firefighter who passed away when Scott was 7. Struggling with mental health issues, Scott has been unable to move forward in life. However, everything Scott knows completely overturns when his mother, Margie (Marisa Tomei), begins dating a man (Bill Burr) for the first time in 17 years.

Davidson co-writes and co-produces this movie, and it is clear that so much of his personal story is deeply embedded in the film. It feels as if we are getting a raw and intimate look into who Davidson is; his thoughts and experiences. One of the oldest screenwriting tips in the book is to “write what you know,” and there’s a reason why it is so effective. I have always felt that some of the best art comes from a place of someone simply telling their story because what are movies if not the stories of people’s lives?

While playing a version of yourself isn’t necessarily the greatest litmus test for one’s thespianism, Davidson is fantastic in the leading role; he brings with him his dark and dry sense of humor and a willingness to scathingly call out other people’s B.S. Scott is a character who is seemingly always getting in his way; he keeps telling people he is not ready to move up in the world — to get a job or get his apartment — because he’s still trying to “figure his s*** out.” The more he repeats this mantra, the more he puts off the next stage of his life.