2022 Is the Year of the LGBTQ+ RomCom Renaissance

During Universal Picture’s CinemaCon presentation, comedian Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street, Difficult People) presented a first look at his upcoming gay romantic comedy Bros. The film, produced by Judd Apatow and directed by Nick Stoller  (Neighbors) will make history as the first gay romantic comedy to be released by a major film studio. Eichner noted that Bros will be the  “first major studio film with an all openly LGBTQ cast,” adding “We have waited a long, long time.” In addition, gay actors will be playing straight roles in the film, with Eichner quipping  “Look at all the things moviegoers believe — Star Wars, Spider-Man and Transformers. You don’t think a gay man can play straight but you believe in Chewbacca?”

The film stars Eichner and Luke Macfarlane (Killjoys) as two men with commitment problems who attempt a relationship. Jim Rash, Harvey Fierstein, Monica Raymund, Amanda Bearse, Guillermo Diaz, Dot-Marie Jones and Benito Skinner also appear in the film. But while Bros (which hits theaters September 30th) is a landmark moment in LGBTQ+ representation, it’s not the only queer romcom coming to audiences in 2022.

Comedians Joel Kim Booster (Sunnyside) and Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) star in Fire Island, an updated queer twist on Pride and Prejudice that takes place at the titular vacation destination. The film, directed by Andrew Ahn (Spa Night) also stars Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away with Murder) as the Darcy to Kim Boosters’ Elizabeth, along with Matt Rogers (I Love That for You), James Scully (You), and queer icon Margaret Cho. Fire Island premieres on Hulu on June 3 and features entirely LGBTQ main cast, a gay director, and a mostly queer crew.

Hulu is also premiering Crush, a high school coming of age story that follows aspiring art student Paige (Girl Meets World‘s Rowan Blanchard) who joins the track team to get closer to her crush Gabriella (Love, Victor’s Isabella Ferreira). However, she finds that she is more drawn to Gabriella’s sister A.J. (Moana‘s Auli’i Cravalho). Megan Mullally also stars as Paige’s sex positive mom alongside the mostly queer cast. The film is directed by Sammi Cohen and premieres on Hulu on April 29th.

Hulu has carved out a niche as the home of queer feel-good content, between shows like Love, Victor and films like Plan B and Happiest Season. But if you’re still looking for your queer romcom fix, you’ll love the whimsical British series Heartstopper on Netflix.  Based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series, the show follows the will-they-won’t-they relationship between the openly gay Charlie (Joe Locke) and handsome rugby star Nick (Kit Connor). The series has quickly become a fan-favorite, inspiring legions of devoted fans.

We’ve come such a long way in LGBTQ+ representation, but given the vicious political attacks on LGBTQ+ folks across the country, we need to share our stories now more than ever.

(via THR, image: Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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