‘Bros’ ‘Bros’ ‘Bros’ ‘Bros’ ‘Bros’ ‘Bros’ ‘Bros’

October 8, 2022

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Bros in the Wild (CREDIT: Nicole Rivelli/Universal Pictures)

Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum, Ts Madison, Jim Rash, Eve Lindley, Miss Lawrence, Dot-Marie Jones, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Díaz

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Running Time: 115 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: September 30, 2022 (Theaters)

The air conditioning wasn’t working properly in the theater when I went to see Bros, so I had to fan myself with the menu a fair bit. I was able to get through mostly unscathed, but there were definitely some sweat spots. Nevertheless, the movie still resonated in my slightly agitated state.

I believe Billy Eichner has talked about how he would like Bros to be relatable to audiences beyond the queer community. And he certainly doesn’t have to convince me, because ever since I stumbled upon his comedy a little over a decade ago, I’ve recognized him as a kindred spirit. And that connection is now only deeper thanks to Bros, particularly one scene when Billy’s character Bobby explains why he’s so outwardly confident despite the world constantly telling him that he’s not quite the right person to do what he wants to do. I’m no stranger to inner certainty being met with a skeptical “Are you sure?” Billy’s remedy for this feeling was to write and star in an aggressively self-aware rom-com, and that looks like a healthy decision to me.

Grade: LBGQTIAmen

‘Greener Grass’ is the Next Great Surreal Masterpiece

October 25, 2019

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CREDIT: IFC Films

If you asked a group of outer space aliens to observe humanity and then recreate suburbia on film, Greener Grass would be the result. Just about everything that is said or done in this movie are words and actions that real people say and do, or at least could do, but pitched ever so slightly off. When added up together, those many off beats result in a stunning new surrealist vision. Being purposely surreal for a feature length amount of time is a tricky task, as you run the risk of being too bizarre to handle without ever being clever. But Greener Grass has perfected its formula. Each strange decision and every little deviously outrageous bon mot is delivered with such perfect timing.

This is the work of Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, who co-wrote, co-direct, and co-star as devoted soccer moms Jill and Lisa. They have given us a sort of domestic fantasy in which all the adults wear braces, the candy color scheme is lusciously hot pink-heavy, golf carts are the only transport that anyone needs, a weird dad can lick a popsicle made from frozen pool water, and a woman can stick a soccer ball up her dress and declare that she’s pregnant and everyone will happily go along with it. You get the sense that DeBoer and Luebbe are saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could live in this world?” And honestly, if we all really wanted to, we could! As far as the laws of physics are concerned, everything that happens is theoretically possible (save, perhaps, for one delightfully golden twist halfway through). Gandhi said (or was misquoted as having said), “Be the change you wish to see in this world.” Greener Grass shows us the power of doing so.

Greener Grass is Recommended If You Like: David Lynch, Tim and Eric, John Waters, Too Many Cooks, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney’s sitcom parodies, John Carpenter music

I give Greener Grass My Full Stamp of Surreal Approval.