"Fire Island" Is a Hilarious and Heartfelt Summer Watch

Once the ensemble reaches their beachy destination Noah makes it his personal mission to get his very single and very sad bestie Howie laid before the end of their summer trip But soon their typically joyful yearly vacation turns into a requiem when their host and dear friend Erin Margaret Cho shares she is selling her Fire Island summer home and this will be their last summer on the island togetherWhile at a nearby bar Howie gets the attention of Charlie a handsome and rather dopey doctor played by James Scully You while Noah goes for Charlieamp8217s friend Will a successful lawyer from San Francisco stoically yet endearingly played by Conrad Ricamora How To Get Away With Murder Will is a man of few words and Noah takes that as him casting judgment over him and his loud and proud friends so he starts to have some reservations about the guy They are the Elizabeth and Mr Darcy of the story and the willtheyorwonamp8217ttheyjustdoit tension is palpable between the twoNoah is the type who has built up a lot of emotional fortitude and is afraid to let his guard down beyond his tight inner circle He also tends to put others first before sorting out his own personal life which has led to heartbreak and being dismissed by others and Joel Kim Booster plays all of that to great effect Bowen Yangamp8217s Howie pictured below center is quite the opposite and wears his heart on his sleeve as he searches for that romantic novelesque relationship with the perfect guy Yang more than holds his own amongst a hilarious ensemble just as he does time and again on SNL But he is also surprisingly good in the more dramatic and emotional scenesRicamoraamp8217s Will starts off as standoffish and dismissive of the insanity around him but as the film progresses he loosens up and you canamp8217t help but love the guy Luke and Keegan played by Matt Rogers above left and Tomamp225s Matos above right are total scenestealers and are my new favorite comedy duo Someone write them a sequel pleaseFire Island isnamp8217t the first iteration of Austenamp8217s Pride ampamp Prejudice nor will it be the last as Hollywood cuts corners where they can by adapting and readapting literary classics Much like 1995amp8217s updated take on another Jane Austen classic Emma in the hit Clueless however Fire Island completely reworks the familiar premise of Pride ampamp Prejudice by not just setting it in the modern day but by putting characters from the marginalized and underrepresented BIPOC and LGBTQ communities at the forefrontNot only does this movie wonderfully advance diversity without marketing itself as amp8220the first major studio gay romcom with an all LGBTQ and mostly BIPOC castamp8221 which it very much is but it manages to tackle some very serious and very real issues that occur within the queer community This should be expected given that Austenamp8217s stories always provide commentary on the social issues of her time whether regarding class or the treatment of women in societyFire Island weaves in themes of privilege and prejudice from body type and race to social status and infighting within the LGBTQ community so seamlessly that it almost catches you off guard when theyamp8217re addressed I guarantee so many queer people are going to feel seen and represented in this movie whether they fall amongst the largerthanlife fingersnapping amp8220yas gurlamp8221ing queens the more reserved wallflower types or somewhere in between the twoAlso touched upon are the varying perspectives within the queer community regarding relationships Noah wants to do away with sole partners and expectations of marriage and monogamy while that is exactly what Howie wants a happily ever after that he just canamp8217t seem to get a grasp onWhile lots of LGBTQ stories play out like Greek tragedies Fire Island is just pure fun hilarity and queer joy and like any good rom com the payoff is that the things that are meant to be are allowed to be What those things are exactly Iamp8217ll leave for you to watch and find outFire Island premieres June 3 on HuluClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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"Fire Island" Is a Hilarious and Heartfelt Summer Watch

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Juan Ayala

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"Fire Island" Is a Hilarious and Heartfelt Summer Watch

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