WHET Billy Eichner?

He's still ugly.

“Bros” was so paint-by-number.

Hollywood refers to him as "He Who Shall Not Be Named."

He destroyed Macfarlane’s career of Hallmark Christmas movies?

Billy made the fatal mistake of losing a little weight, working out and gaining some muscle, then thinking he was hot and could play a romantic lead in a movie.

Nope. He'll always be screamy, queeny Billy.

I actually would have enjoyed Bros as a mild romantic comedy with Luke remaining but another actor in Billy’s role. Zachary Quinto or Michael Urie or Ben Whishaw or somesuch. Because the whole movie came off as wish fulfillment for Billy. He wanted to be congratulated for being his annoying, hectoring self AND get the Disney Prince and he’s just not talented enough to pull it off an asshole character and make him likeable.

Hopefully for him, he can pick up some acting work as the bitchy gay friend (to either a straight or gay leading character), that would be his metier. He’s not without talent, but doesn’t have what it takes to be a leading man.

Good. I hate that thick not-quite-a-beard stubble he grew to hide his face. It looks like dirt.

Wow, OP. You're a great example of your generation's minuscule attention span.

I don’t want Billy to descend into porn, but I would like to see him in TLA erotic comedies and dramas.

He should do The Chi Chi LaRue Story.

This was the film where Billy Eichner thought: A) People wanted to see his naked ass, and B) hear him sing, and I’m still not sure which was worse.

I’d like to see Billy Eichner in a disaster film where his character dies in a grease fire.

Crisco Chronicles 🎥

I understand that Billy Eichner is an acquired taste and a lot of people aren't into him. I found Bros to be a very solid comedy. It's got an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stacked next to, say, Fire Island, it's a freaking masterpiece. I've never understood all of the hate for Bros.

Eichner's next movie is "Mufasa: The Lion King" which will be released in December. Since he voices one of the characters, he may do press or social media press for the movie. (Not sure if he will.)

I found ‘Billy on the Street’ hysterical and I know he doesn’t always wear well, but think it’s very talented comedically. We’re very hard on our own…

Me too

He should do the Larry Kramer story. The real story not that Normal Heart whitewash.

I was not familiar with Billy prior to Bros......

The Judd Apatow $$$ didn't help

If it had been an indie filmed on a small budget, released slowly, I think it would have built an audience like so many other gay crossover flicks.

To open wide and expect big numbers seemed ridiculous. I agree he should have cast another actor in his role.

I agree with those saying he shouldn’t have played the main character. I love the idea of seeing Michael Urie as the lead. Billy wasn’t sympathetic enough to play a nice guy. And the singing wasn’t bad, but wasn’t necessary and that scene was a bit cringe inducing. Nobody should ever take over a multi million dollar benefit they organized to sing a self penned country song. Ever.

I love Guillermo Diaz and loved that he played a straight da(dy) bear. Some gays aren’t leading men. Some gay men are better at playing straight men. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[quote] WHET Billy Eichner?

I dropped a house on him.

The singing was awful and the movie was preachy and had a nonsensical story. I hope he can make a comeback because I LOVE Difficult People.

I do hate it when he refers to himself as hot, because… well…

Is it free on Tubi yet?

Luke Macfarlane had a series in 2023, Platonic, with BIG STARS. His career is intact.

[quote] His career is intact

But is Luke's COCK intact?

Eichner for me was a complete turnoff. That concave chest of his isn't attractive. And his whiny character actually attracting a stud like Macfarlane's was wish fulfillment turned up to 11.

Rotten Tomatoes is not a good indicator of quality, r14. A critic from The Des Moines Register likes a movie that's supposed to be worth a damn? No one said Fire Island was the gold standard of gay movies and that all other gay movies should be measured against it. I'm sure a lot of shitty movies are better than Fire Island.

I'm wondering what other horrors he is dreaming up.

I loved Difficult People, maybe he should've stuck to that type of role?

Other whiny, nebbishy leading men succeeded (Woody Allen, Seth Rogan). I guess those days are over.

He looked more attractive with his glasses off. Why did he have to put them on again?

I adore Billy on the Street, but hated him in this movie. He’s just too exhausting in large doses.

Was Eichner the ugly gay guy? I can't even remember anything he was in. AHS?

[quote]But is Luke's COCK intact?

MAC-Farlane.

[quote]I love the idea of seeing Michael Urie as the lead.

Michael Urie had his chance at Luke Macfarlane in [bold]Single All the Way[/bold] and turned him down for Philemon Chambers.

Probably in the year or two he'll have a people magazine interview where he talks about how depressed he was because the world failed to recognize what a pioneering and revelatory movie Bros was and how evil we all are for not having worshiped at the altar of Billy.

Everyone loves to hear a comedian sing. Crowds always yell, "Enough jokes, get to the songs!" It's quite endearing.

DL wanted him to disappear.

The ridiculous criticism he got for Bros on DL basically wanted him dead.

Well, he disappeared.

Aren't you bitches happy now?

I loathed his obnoxious 'Billy on the Street' thing and as a result was a long time in coming around to watch 'Difficult People' which I quite liked. It was uneven, got lost in all the wrong places, and had loads of faults, but there were very funny strands in even the worst episodes and a few rather brilliant episodes. I don't care about his concave chest or beard stubble, or how badly his film (which I haven't seen) bombed, I hope he does something akin to Difficult People again.

Ugh "Difficult People" was so awful. He just can't act. He can scream, yes, but act?

It’s the underbite always makes me think he should play rich and evil. The ideal character should make industrial training videos for children in forced-labor factories.

[quote] Other whiny, nebbishy leading men succeeded (Woody Allen, Seth Rogan). I guess those days are over.

Woody Allen is witty and has a very specific acting presence; Seth Rogen filled a need for a schlubby Millennial broski.

I think it’s telling that Eichner broke out of Billy On The Street; that’s his talent, not acting.

He's playing Andy Cohen in the self-produced bio pic "Wonky".

He's sitting on my.face as I type,

^^^ dial 911

I’d like to see Luke MacFarlane paired up with Jacob Elordi or Zachary Taylor Perez

So a daddy/son story?

He looks like those ugly Pekingese dogs that have the smashed in faces.

Just not an appealing performer.

Some people have it and can make it pay. Some people can't even give it away.

Haha r42

That I would love to see

r14 "Fire Island" was the superior movie that had heart and an actual message. In both cases, an average guy ends up with a gorgeous man (talking about the SNL guy and the sweet hunk). But FI had something to say to all shades and type of gays. It touched on the rejections and expectations 90% experience in our community.

Bros was a paint by the numbers annoying "Rom-Con". It made as much sense as a Hallmark movie and tried to beat us over the head with a checklist og LGBTQ throwaway statements. It was too much all around.

"Bros" was also annoying because they wanted to pretend it was the first of it's kind when we already had the vastly superior "Love, Simon" back in 2018.

r20 Murray Bartlett should have been the lead.

He’a 53, R51.

53 and still looks better than Billy.

He took a swing and he embarrassingly missed. It's human.

I sort of think it’s time that we as gay men spread our wings beyond Fire Island and Ptown. You’ve got a hundred thousand Delta SkyMiles and you’re still tramping the same old beat as Tennessee Williams?

[quote] He took a swing and he embarrassingly missed. It's human.

Eichner was naive in a lot of ways.

On one hand he blasted homophobes annd Trump supo and told them they are not welcome to watch his stuff. Fine.

Seth Rogen told people on social media to go fuck themselves when they came into his comments and criticised his support of BLM in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and when they tutted that he will lose their custom, he told them to unfollow him and not to watch his movies. Fine.

However, when Bros flopped Billy then complained that straight flyover folks didn’t turn out for Bros. He wanted his cake and to eat it. Seth Rogen had 15 years of writing and producing his own successful products.

Only one of them remains employed and in demand. C’est la vie.

Speaking of Larry Kramer and obviously off topic. There needs to be a movie version of his book "Faggots". That would be a very interesting movie given the fact that the quote "fictional "characters portrayed in the book were IRL actually big players in the New York City bar scene in the mid to late seventies. Regulars at The Saint, Flamingo , Mineshaft and Studio. A few of these people are still alive.

I like him.

R57, I’d like that

He was performing at a concert of The Lion King with North West.

I adored Difficult People when it fired on all cylinders, but it drives me crazy that people think Billy Eichner was anything more than a hired gun. Julie Klausner wrote the whole thing! If anyone should be getting the chance to swing for the fences when it comes to mainstream crossover gay rom coms, it’s her!

The face of a bulldog, and the voice of Liberace. What’s not to loathe?

[quote] He was performing at a concert of The Lion King with North West.

Oh my, this is actually not made up.

[quote] If it had been an indie filmed on a small budget, released slowly, I think it would have built an audience like so many other gay crossover flicks.

It was, in 2001. Back then it was called [italic]All Over the Guy[/italic], and it was Dan Bucatinsky playing the annoyingly neurotic author insert main character who managed to bag the hotter, more masculine love interest.

[quote] Michael Urie had his chance at Luke Macfarlane in Single All the Way and turned him down for Philemon Chambers.

I once said that Godzilla movies have required less suspension of disbelief from me than that movie. (Note: I totally get that Philemon Chamber’s character was the ideal man for the guy and he just hadn’t realized he was in love yet. But a personal trainer with no glaring personality defects who looks like Luke should not be that hard-up for guys to date in New Hampshire.)

Billy Eichner brought his signature charm and humor to his heartfelt performance of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" at the Lion King's 30th anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl! Love and laughter filled the air!

When I saw Bros, I was confused as to why the Luke Macfarlane character was a frustrated chocolatier after the screenplay had gently mad fun of all the Hallmark tropes.

If only Billy Eichner, James Corden, Chris Pratt and John Krasinski had been riding in the Titanic submersible on that fateful day.

And R42 when he's filmed walking anywhere he'll be walking on his knees.

Wait, what's John Krasinski done?

[quote] Speaking of Larry Kramer and obviously off topic. There needs to be a movie version of his book "Faggots".

I wouldn't hold your breath.

R69 You´ll soon get a blunt answer by our resident don´t-greencard-the-wrong-brit troll.

When he speaks, all I hear is hissing. Is he always near a gas leak?

No, there's someone fumigating behind you for being such a smelly arsehole.

The Bros debacle was a low point for him.

I actually think he had a very small point when he said straight audiences didn't watch Bros because of the gay content - but the mistake he made was to attribute that to homophobia. It didn't mean those people don't like gays, just that gay storylines don't interest them. It's like how I wouldn't watch so-called 'chick flicks', it just means they bore me, I'm not a misogynist.

I'm listening to Barbra Streisand's audiobook right now and she got into it with Larry Kramer over this. Basically the reason she never ended up making the movie is because he wanted to be more pushy about gay sex and Barbara one of the more pushy about the message. We've come a long way, but we still need to be strategic.

Wanted to be more pushy about the message*

Why are we so unsupportive of our own? I see this the world over. I think gays feel inadequate when they see other gays who achieve, or are hot or seem lucky in life. There's a funny saying, which I think applies here...When I see one of my peers achieve, I die a little inside.

Because most people aren't brave enough to consistently look inward, r77, and do uncivilized things as a result.

R77 Isn't it just because the film was bad? Most gays enjoyed and supported Bomer and Bailey in 'Fellow Travelers' because that was good and well acted.

Neither “Fire Island” nor “Bros” are all that good but at least “Island” had Conrad Ricamora’s beautiful legs.

It's not that the film was bad, but that people were going out of their way to be extremely unkind about it, r79. It wasn't a good film, but eviscerating someone who took the change discourages the people from taking the chance to make the better film.

Isn't he supposed to be hated, at least in part because he's a mean bitch?

[quote] It's not that the film was bad, but that people were going out of their way to be extremely unkind about it, [R79]. It wasn't a good film…

People were men due to his hubris. It wasn’t even the quality of the film (the worst part of which was Billy’s hectoring, self-centred character character and at times poor acting) which was a watchable frothy diversion, people made fun of, but the very poorly run publicity campaign that turned people off.

The trailer alone featured a boardroom of (unattractive) screeching rainbow stereotypes and the lines “gays are stupid” and “remember straight people?”. All of this had its place in the film. But out of context, a broad spectrum of theatregoers is it’s not aimed at them, and thus not worth $40 plus parking and snacks and the chance of a positive Covid test.

The film was bad. No one will intentionally watch it a second time.

There’s quite a lot of dogshit art (music, film, etc) produced by well-meaning, likable, clever artists. That’s exactly what Billy isn’t. I’d go easier on Bros if he wasn’t such a harpy.

I did, but mainly to ogle Luke Macfarlane's torso and enjoy Debra Messing flipping out on Billy.

Part of why it failed was the release schedule (Dec 2019) trying to make it a Christmas date movie like straight guys are going to want to go watch R-rated softcore gay porn with their girlfriend on Chistmas Eve. If they'd just accepted that its appeal was for the gays and release it for Pride, it would have done much better as a fun Summer skinflick with (mostly) hot guys. But the timing was off overall.

I thought "Fire Island" was a much better project but it had the benefit of using the time tested, "Pride and Prejudice" as its spine. It didn't present itself as the most important, historical project EVER but it didn't completely ignore the dynamics of the group and could occasionally be introspective. The characters/cast were nearly all genuinely likable characters/actors so it wasn't a surprise when they won best ensemble at the Gotham Awards.

I agree with R86, it would have done much better if it came out during Pride month. They could have pitched it as an event. I also thought it could have done with a better trailer. (And maybe someone other than Billy as the lead.)

To R50, I agree with you, FI was a superior film to Bros. I am amazed at how bad Bros was put together.

I loved Luke MacFarlane in Bros and unlike R87, I loved the Bros trailer, it made me want to see the movie. I watched Bros and said, WTF happened, what was that shit, and Billy should not have played the lead.

What R87 wrote about "Fire Island" was spot on perfect, plus it had Zane Phillips too.

r86, it would have laid an egg whenever it was released. It's not a very good movie. The screenplay isn't likable, and Billy Eichner is not an appealing lead performer.

[quote] Part of why it failed was the release schedule (Dec 2019) trying to make it a Christmas date movie like straight guys are going to want to go watch R-rated softcore gay porn with their girlfriend on Chistmas Eve.

Agreed it should have been a summer movie during pride month, but it was released in early October 2022, peak horror movie season.

[quote] The screenplay isn't likable, and Billy Eichner is not an appealing lead performer

It may have made more money had the studio gone to Eichner and said “you’re a bitchy supporting player,” and forced him to cast Zachary Quinto or Andrew Rannels that audiences have some slight awareness of.

The part of the screenplay that was so objectionable was that his character was proved always in the right in his obnoxious, hectoring attitude and everyone had to bend to him. Not just Macfarlane’s character and his parents. But even after joking about being a “white, cis” gay guy earlier on, the climax had Billy’s character taking over the museum opening and performing a song to his lover while his sassy black/trans/bisexual/lesbian/nonbinary coworkers cooed on in approval. I mean, what the fuck?

What were those jokes about Hallmark’s pandering, again?

I feel sorry for Billy. He made the cardinal mistake of believing that he was as wonderful and infallible as the sycophants and hangers-on within his bubble told him he was.

The title of Bros was horrible.

R77 The film was utter shite, and he is a bung eye loser.

I think gays are often genuinely happy for gay men who achieve things when they're good people and behave well. Ian McKellan, Matt Bomer, Ben Whishaw, Jim Parsons, and Sean Hayes most usually receive compliments on DL.

The problems gay men have are with those gay celebrities who are loudly difficult, obnoxious, and/or seem ridiculously thirsty, like Billy Eichner or Billy Porter. I can only support them in part because they are gay; I cannot do so wholly because their bad public behavior makes me cringe.

He’s hot.

The first mistake was trying to make a Rom-Com without Jennifer Aniston.

[quote]Agreed it should have been a summer movie during pride month, but it was released in early October 2022, peak horror movie season.

From a certain perspective, it fits. It's the story of a hot lawyer getting pulled into the orbit of an angry, self-righteous minor celebrity that he admires and being hectored/gaslit until he completely upends his life and gives in over every disagreement or difference of opinion, completely subordinating his personality to his Svengali's whims.

Run, Aaron, run!

You always see comments along the lines of "it's so sad how the bitter, hateful gays of DL try to bring down any gay who finds success" in any thread about famous gays. As if we owe Billy Eichner, Neal Patrick Harris, Andy Cohen etc anything.

Cohen deserves the level of venom dished out here. Not sure the other two do,. despite deserving some criticism for shitty choices. Cohen's entire career is based on being an exploitative asshole.