base talk RWRB #1 in Prime Video for 3 weeks. Was Billy Eichner wrong?

[Chemist]

Billy Eichner blamed straight people for not supporting a gay romcom but RWRB shows that a gay romcom can be succesful.

 

So what was the actual reason Bros flopped?

[vuelve88]

I think Billy underestimated how many people find him annoying. 
 

His co-star Luke Macfarlane is great 

Edited September 4, 2023 by vuelve88

[byzantium]

Was Billie wrong: yes.  
 

Homophobia exists and there are important conversations to have, but the gays did not even support that movie.  Personally I watched the movie and I was hoping for Billie to end up sad and lonely in the end because his “ character “ was so

annoying. 

Edited September 4, 2023 by byzantium

[Smarticle]

Straight people only wanted to see other straight people play gays 

[Hector]

Streaming ≠ theatrical releases. 

[midnightdawn]

Bros was just not very good. Blaming homophobia for it flopping was an insult to actual examples of homophobia.

[JohnWayneHolland]

Bros flopped because Billy is unbearable 

[elevate]

I mean, let's be real here. RWRB is for teen girls first and foremost. It also has very cute stars. Bros was seemingly for the gays but Billy isn't that well known or liked. 

 

Then we have the streaming vs theatrical release reality. It's much easier to watch cute boys kiss on your laptop than it is on a big theater screen apparently.

[Bloo]

This movie has literally no box office performance so I don’t see how this disproves anything?  

[Machete]

Billy was wrong but I personally don't consider RWRB a piece of MLM media. It is made for women who fetishize gay men.

[J Legend X]

Well, is not the same watching a gay film at home as going to the cinema for it tbh...

[nostalgic]

Well, he's right in the sense that queer media usually doesn't do that well unless it's palatable to straight women and their fetishistic fantasies. On the other hand, maybe his movie just sucked 

Edited September 4, 2023 by nostalgic

[Beyonnaise]

13 minutes ago, Machete said:

Billy was wrong but I personally don't consider RWRB a piece of MLM media. It is made for women who fetishize gay men.

Came in just to say this.

 

I don’t see the success of RW&RB and its ilk as a win for gays. It was literally written as a Larry Stylinson fanfiction by a One Direction stan for other women to consume. Heartstopper similarly has a mostly teen girl fanbase. The gays in these shows and movies are quite sanitized and infantilized and don’t act like any gays I’ve ever known.

 

Pretty much any time a mainstream movie or show is made specifically by gay men for other gay men it’s tarnished. One of the only gay movies to ever be in the Oscar conversation Call Me By Your Name was smeared as condoning pdf filia for simply depicting a realistic 7 year age gap for a young gay couple  

 

It’s a whole can of worms but a lot of women who consume “MLM” content are uncomfortable with some of the harder edges of gay culture and its relationship to sex, masculinity and femininity, etc.

 

For this reason I’m inclined to support Billy’s point of view.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Beyonnaise

[aesthetic bih]

I don't know... As I see it, straight people playing gay content/roles being successful is a win for straight men, not gay people.

Edited September 4, 2023 by aesthetic bih

[Rotunda]

You’re comparing apples and oranges.

 

Both movies involve fruits, but otherwise…

[Bloo]

2 minutes ago, Beyonnaise said:

Heartstopper similarly has a mostly teen girl fanbase. The gays in these shows and movies are quite sanitized and infantilized and don’t act like any gays I’ve ever known.

A lot of queer people love Heartstopper.  

[fridayteenage]

red white was created by someone who's not a gay man.

and bro's marketing heavily emphasized (to its own detriment) how gay its cast was.

 

Call me when excellence like Fire Island is a mainstream hit.

[feelslikeadream]

I think Bros would have done much better if it launched on streaming too, so it's hard to compare these two.

 

(And tbh, Bros was actually the better film somehow. )

[Beyonnaise]

Just now, Bloo said:

A lot of queer people love Heartstopper.  

Yes, I’m sure plenty like RW&RB too. With a dearth of representation, I can see why they are enjoyed, especially by younger LGBT people as lighter fare that doesn’t harp on negative themes like homophobia.

 

I just find myself wishing for a broader array of mainstream shows and films made by people who understand the unique contours of gay adult life and don’t feel like I’m watching a Harry Styles fanfiction being re-enacted by actors who have never otherwise kissed a man.

[JoJo]

It’s because RWRB has a bigger female audience 

[Bloo]

Just now, Beyonnaise said:

Yes, I’m sure plenty like RW&RB too. With a dearth of representation, I can see why they are enjoyed, especially by younger LGBT people as lighter fare that doesn’t harp on negative themes like homophobia.

 

I just find myself wishing for a broader array of mainstream shows and films made by people who understand the unique contours of gay adult life and don’t feel like I’m watching a Harry Styles fanfiction being re-enacted by actors who have never otherwise kissed a man.

The Heartstopper cast, though, are LGBTQ. Additionally, it’s not a show squarely about gay men. One of the leads is a bi character and much of his story is about bi erasure and struggling to make sense of his identity when there’s a lot of pressure to “pick a side.” That’s a very real struggle many Bo i people go through. There’s also trans characters and aroace characters. So, it doesn’t make sense to view Heartstopper as an example when it’s made by queer people and is also meant to discuss a broader spectrum of the queer community in a way children and teenagers can digest.

 

Part of having more representation is varying how the story is told. We’ve had gay stories with sex scenes for a long while (Queer as Folk, Edge of Seventeen). I just frankly don’t find it productive to chastise another show for having a lighter tone for being “unrealistic” when the queer experience is extremely diverse. 
 

As for RWRB on the other hand, is it silly? Yes. Is it fantastical? Of course. Is it realistic? Absolutely not. But the same are all true for plenty of movies and shows featuring heterosexual relationships. The film is obviously not going for realism. It’s a move to shut off your brain and ogle at the eye candy and that’s okay. 
 

We just need more representation so there’s more space for more stories, including the gritty, grounded, and more realistic ones. 

[fridayteenage]

5 minutes ago, Bloo said:

Part of having more representation is varying how the story is told. We’ve had gay stories with sex scenes for a long while (Queer as Folk, Edge of Seventeen). 

Edge of Seventeen is a gay sex story?

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by fridayteenage

[Archetype]

RWRB is the gay Princess Diaries. 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Archetype

[Bloo]

17 minutes ago, fridayteenage said:

Edge of Seventeen is a gay sex story?

 

 

Yes bb. Know your gay cinema history. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Seventeen_(film)
 

Never heard of the movie you’re referencing. 

[Smarticle]

3 minutes ago, Bloo said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Seventeen_(film)
 

Never heard of the movie you’re referencing. 

now put some respect on Miss Hailee