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Ontario-born actor Luke Macfarlane gives the Buffalo Sabres a shoutout in the new romantic comedy “Bros”.

Ontario-born actor Luke Macfarlane gives the Buffalo Sabres a shoutout in the new romantic comedy “Bros”.

Three cheers for curmudgeons. Movies have long celebrated the personality traits of characters who are annoying, abrasive, and often exasperating. More often than not, they appear in comedies. Most are men.

During the Golden Age Of Hollywood (generally considered the 1920s through the 1950s), you could rely on myriad popular actors to shore up or even headline a comedy as a character who risks a punch in the nose with his contrarian antics. The brilliant Groucho Marx, perhaps. Certainly, the ornery W. C. Fields.

One of those who held moviegoers’ attention and drove the other characters in a movie crazy is Sheridan Whiteside, deliciously played by Monty Woolley in “The Man Who Came To Dinner.” and never left.

In the modern era, we’ve seen Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall in “As Good As It Gets” and Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” as well as Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple” and as Max Goldman in “Grumpy Old Men.” There are others.

The trap that curmudgeons need to avoid is that they should not be loathed by the audience.

There’s a new entry for the annals of curmudgeonly behavior on the screen, and it’s a fellow named Bobby Lieber in “Bros”, the romantic comedy that asks the question: can the tried-and-true boy meets girl storyline be flipped and work within the genre’s framework as boy meets boy?

The all-male concept has been tried before, but not as a classic-style romantic comedy with a $22-million budget, a legendary motion picture studio backing it (Universal Pictures in the case of “Bros”), and as a scorching satire on pop culture as seen through the prism of one specific gay character, the aforementioned Mr. Lieber.

The idea of a major studio fronting a big budget movie for adults that pivots on a romance between gay men was previously presented as a drama with some comic dialogue. Released 40 years ago by 20th Century Fox, the very good “Making Love” is written, as I’ve noted before, by Buffalonian Barry Sandler, who graduated from suburban Kenmore West Senior High School.

As my friend, anchorwoman Jacquie Walker, with whom I appeared reviewing movies and reporting about arts and entertainment on Buffalo-Niagara’s WIVB-TV CBS affiliate, has said: “there’s always a Buffalo connection.” As there is with “Bros”.

The film, set in a generalized Manhattan, was originally going to be shot in Buffalo. All that was needed were office interiors, bars and restaurants, a lovely green park, sidewalks with storefronts for street scenes, and a large interior space that could stand in for a museum being built. The budget was set, hotels were booked, extras were lined up, but “Bros” in Buffalo was stopped by the arrival of the pandemic. The movie was eventually shot in New Jersey, which was closer to its New York City production center.

A little bit of Buffalo remains because in a park setting, actor Luke Macfarlane, who plays lawyer Aaron Shepard, one of the two key male stars, wears a Buffalo Sabres T-shirt. Is the shirt something leftover from the original filmmaking plans or is Macfarlane, who was born, raised and educated in London, Ontario, Canada — only 143.8-miles west of Buffalo — making a statement that he prefers the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres over the Toronto Maple Leafs?

There’s a lot to enjoy about the fast-paced comic dialogue in the well-acted “Bros”, but for me what’s especially laudable is that director Nicholas Stoller and his co-screenwriter Billy Eichner, who stars as the other male lead — podcaster and future LGBTQ+ museum director Lieber — did not flinch at making him as caustic and bombastic a curmudgeon as possible. That took creative courage.

More important, keeping Leiber’s often irritating nature front and center proves that Stoller and Eichner understood Bobby’s personality, in addition to his passion for societal issues relating to the gay population.

For the record, “Notting Hill” is my favorite modern era romantic comedy, with Stoller’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” a very close second. I also like “Pretty Woman”, “Something’s Gotta Give”, “It’s Complicated” and “When Harry Met Sally”.

Many traditional romantic comedy tropes are on view in “Bros”, with the obvious difference that both members of the potential couple are men. There’s the first time they see each other, the first date, the first romantic interlude, the meeting the parents portion of the adventure, the first fight, and the expected separation.

One telling thing about how Bobby is thunderously obnoxious occurs the first time the guys meet in a bar. He says to Aaron: “I hear you’re boring.” That’s hardly a winning opening line.

Bobby and Aaron are both equally commitment averse. Neither wants to be in a long-term relationship. Career-wise, they are both successful. Beneath the surface, they have personal things that concern each of them. Aaron is tired of people assuming that he’s nothing more than a handsome, muscular jock — the classic bro. He has a secret career desire. Macfarlane is exceptional, and delivers a thoughtful and measured performance.

Eichner has a revelatory scene that proves he’s much more of an actor than shown with his “Billy On The Street” character. While in Provincetown, Bobby reveals the negative aspects of his being too honest and forthright. His emotional truths are raw and telling. Who is he supposed to be, if he can’t be himself?

The film has comedy to spare and a scintillating supporting cast, including Amanda Bearse as Aaron’s mother. There’s a raft of cameo appearances, including from such stalwarts as Debra Messing, Bowen Yang and Seth Meyers.

There’s a slight Woody Allen sensibility in its mismatched love partners framework; however, “Bros” has its own unique story to tell and succeeds greatly in revealing it.

Michael Calleri reviews films for the Niagara Gazette and the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Contact him at moviecolumn@gmail.com.

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