Did Billy Eichner’s ‘Broos’ make history at the Toronto International Film Festival? I definitely felt it.
Universal breaks down all kinds of barriers: It’s the first-ever gay rom-com made by a major studio, the first with all LGBTQ members openly, and Eichner was the first gay man to write and star in a studio movie. Audiences were finally able to see the film for themselves in Toronto on Friday night, and judging by the shouts of laughter throughout the show, it was a hit.
“I want to thank TIFF for letting Comedy Festival into a film festival!” Eichner yelled at the audience before the film was shown, making a valid point about the dearth of studio comedies that are shown for world premieres at the best international film festivals.
Eichner plays “Bros” as Bobby, a weak museum head who thwarts his luck in the complex and modern world of dating. That is, until he meets Luke Macfarlane’s Aaron, who is an orange lawyer who is completely unlike Bobby – but changes everything for him.
Like any rom-com, the two enjoy their sweet meeting (this time at a gay dance club) that turns into a stormy romance. Nicholas Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Neighbours”) directs the film, which also features Bowen Yang, Jim Rush, Dot Marie Jones, Harvey Ferstein, and more hilarious crew members.
“Bros” played in front of a very excited audience at the Princess of Wales theater, many of whom remained somewhere after the Q&A show. While the Toronto audience didn’t seem to take part in the long festivities that are now the norm at festivals like Cannes and Venice, the audience was on their feet for about two minutes when the cast showed up.
“Keep on working longer than ‘The Whale’!” Eichner shouted, referring to the six-minute stand for Brendan Fraser’s movie in Venice last week. “Just 20 more minutes of this!”
In the Q&A, Eichner and Macfarlane spoke about the broader significance of “Bros” and what the film would represent for the LGBTQ community.
“I can’t help but think about the journey Aaron will go on, and what I’ll be like, by watching this movie if I’m 18 or 19,” MacFarlane said.
Eichner added that the film’s National Gay History Museum is still a largely fictional concept that “existed in ‘Bros’ before it existed in real life in America.”
“When I was doing research on it, there were a lot of things I didn’t know, even as a middle-aged man, I don’t know about our history, because we never learned our history. We never learned it. Straight people never learned that. We We don’t know who we are in the course of history.”
in diverse Cover story Last week, Eichner discussed the responsibility he feels for “Bros” to do a good job.
“I’ve worked really hard on it, I care about it a lot, and I want it to do well to get the green light for LGBTQ stories. So there’s a burden I feel, as much as I want to sit here and just talk about how fun the movie is.”
Prior to the show, the cast and crew, along with Universal’s top executives, gathered at Le Germain for miscellaneous Film honors ceremony and Eichner cover.
“Bros” hits theaters September 30th.
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