Bros: Where did the pitch for this gay romantic comedy come from?
On the occasion of the release of “Bros”, here are five things to know about this gay romantic comedy led by Billy Eichner and Luke MacFarlane.
Bros by Nicholas Stoller
With Billy Eichner, Luke MacFarlane, TS Madison…
What is it about ? The story of two men whose relationship could, perhaps, turn into a great love story. Maybe. It must be said that they are very busy men.
The 1st gay romantic comedy from a major studio
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Bros is the first romantic comedy about two gay men produced by a major, as well as the first studio film in history to have all the main roles played by LGBTQ actors. A bias also evoked during an appointment between the character of Bobby and the boy he likes, Aaron, shortly after their meeting. Director Nicholas Stoller recalls: “They’re going to see a movie, The Treasure Inside, with two straight actors, which is tipped to win several Oscars. And Billy’s character, Bobby, begins his catchphrase: why gay actors don’t can they ever play straight, but straight guys can play gay and win Oscars? So for that line to be believable, we had to have our entire cast be LGBTQ.”
Birth of the pitch
Billy Eichner got the idea for the movie from a sketch he wrote a few years ago for the web series Billy on the Street, called The Bro Lightning Round, starring Jason Sudeikis. The screenwriter confides: “It was one of the rare times when I played another character. I had dressed as a manly guy, with casual pants, a sports t-shirt and a baseball cap worn at upside down. I was approaching people in a cool guy voice and totally changing my attitude. The video went viral, and people were all commenting on it to say it was a reflection on the masculinity.”
LGBTQIA Museum
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The LGBTQIA Museum scenes were shot in the Newark Museum of Art. Production designer Lisa Myers explains: “We wanted the museum to appear large, and to have a new dimension, like the themes of the film. It was really exhilarating to imagine the Pavilion of Legends, not only because of the style but also because of the research I had done. I collaborated with three LGBTQ historians, ensuring that the images displayed in the pavilion represent a multitude of significant figures in the history of the community throughout the time.”
Covid-19
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In March 2020, after five weeks of filming, the project was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Filming remained suspended for a year and a half. These delays made it possible to integrate additional scenes and to film sequences in New York: “A film generally takes me two and a half years to make, it took five for Bros. I obviously learned, as a as a director, to go faster and faster. And since we had been working on it for several years, Billy was ready and well prepared to shoot”, recalls the filmmaker.
A regular at romantic comedies
2022 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved
Composer Marc Shaiman, accustomed to romantic films, composed the soundtrack for Bros. Nicholas Stoller explains: “It was essential that the film restore this timeless romantic dimension specific to the sentimental comedies that we adored. Marc worked on some of them, like When Harry met Sally.” Billy Eichner and Shaiman collaborated more immediately on the song that Bobby sings at the end of the film: “Billy alone came up with the idea for the ending song. The film was originally supposed to end by a speech but he wanted to have a more dramatic outcome. We didn’t want a cliché but Billy had the idea of a country song. Billy wrote it in a flash. We filmed it live with Marc Shaiman and his guitarist and it worked.”
