Bros

Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Bros follows a self-centered commitment-phobe (Billy Eichner’s Bobby) as he finds himself falling for Luke Macfarlane’s easygoing Aaron – with the picture subsequently detailing the complications that ensue as they attempt to embark on a relationship. It’s familiar territory that’s employed to watchable yet undeniably erratic effect by Stoller, as the filmmaker, armed with his and Eichner’s screenplay, delivers a decent-enough romcom that benefits substantially from the engaging and thoroughly charming efforts of its two leads – with Eichner and Macfarlane turning in top-tier work that effectively smooths over the narrative’s various bumps and lulls. (And it doesn’t hurt, either, that the romantic chemistry between the actors is nothing short of palpable.) There’s little doubt, then, that Bros‘ inability to wholeheartedly become the classic romantic comedy for which it’s striving is due mostly to an overlong running time and ongoing reliance on hackneyed genre staples, with the latter reflected most keenly in a somewhat endless third-act fake breakup that ensures the picture peters out to a fairly distressing extent. (The upbeat conclusion is as effective and affecting as one might’ve hoped, at least.) It’s ultimately fairly apparent that Bros would’ve been far better off had it been trimmed of its many extraneous attributes and limited to a 90 minute runtime, with the hit-and-miss vibe especially disappointing given its preponderance of compelling sequences and performances of a uniformly first-class nature.

**1/2 out of ****