I am happy that Bros exists. It is very important for the film industry to advance forward in telling stories that we haven't seen before. However, despite being a gay man, this movie just wasn't made for me. Bros is written from a very specific segment of gay life - a very mainstream, White, six-pack-chasing, muscle-worshipping, circuit-partying segment of gay life that I am not a part of. Beyond that, Eichner's taste and conception of what a rom-com should be is just not to my liking. I believe a rom-com should be hopeful and sweet. A kind of movie you would want to watch while going through a breakup to make you believe in love again. Bros is entirely bitter and cynical, even to the very end, where Bobby pledges his eternal love for...three months. It is shocking - to me - that a rom-com can be so bitter and cynical.
There's another aspect here that I can't get over. This movie tries to deconstruct the superficiality of gay culture, but it really just ends up upholding it. Throughout the movie, Aaron the Jock Bro love interest is seen as sexy and desirable. Halfway through, Bobby walks in on him shooting up steroids (sorry, "testosterone") to maintain his perfect, Adonis body. Aaron dismisses it as "everyone does it". At this point in the movie, I thought, "Oh boy, here we go. We're about to deconstruct the Jock Bro stereotype that the gay community obsesses over, and how Aaron maintains it, and the cost of it". Nope. It's never mentioned again. In fact, later in the movie, Bobby - so casually! - does steroids and the joke is that it doesn't work for him.
Look I don't want to be a buzzkill. As an adult, I know that steroids are stupid and this bit is satire. (Although, I think it's entirely unsuccessful satire). But, what would a terrified, insecure gay 13 year old think about this? I know that if I were 13 I would have thought, "Oh gee, I thought steroids were bad, but hey look the Jock Bro Love Interest that is super desirable that all the boys chase after is doing it and he seems to be ok! I wonder if I should do steroids when I grow up!". I can't underscore how much harm I think this particular plotline does to young gay people.
There's another aspect here that I can't get over. This movie tries to deconstruct the superficiality of gay culture, but it really just ends up upholding it. Throughout the movie, Aaron the Jock Bro love interest is seen as sexy and desirable. Halfway through, Bobby walks in on him shooting up steroids (sorry, "testosterone") to maintain his perfect, Adonis body. Aaron dismisses it as "everyone does it". At this point in the movie, I thought, "Oh boy, here we go. We're about to deconstruct the Jock Bro stereotype that the gay community obsesses over, and how Aaron maintains it, and the cost of it". Nope. It's never mentioned again. In fact, later in the movie, Bobby - so casually! - does steroids and the joke is that it doesn't work for him.
Look I don't want to be a buzzkill. As an adult, I know that steroids are stupid and this bit is satire. (Although, I think it's entirely unsuccessful satire). But, what would a terrified, insecure gay 13 year old think about this? I know that if I were 13 I would have thought, "Oh gee, I thought steroids were bad, but hey look the Jock Bro Love Interest that is super desirable that all the boys chase after is doing it and he seems to be ok! I wonder if I should do steroids when I grow up!". I can't underscore how much harm I think this particular plotline does to young gay people.