Fire Island Synopsis: A group of queer best friends gather in the Fire Island Pines for their annual week of love and laughter, but when a sudden change of events jeopardizes their summer in gay paradise, their bonds as a chosen family are pushed to the limit.
This modern take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice finds a group of friends spending the week together on Fire Island in New York, an annual tradition that may soon end. The story revolves around Noah (Joel Kim Booster), the heart of the group who is determined to help his best friend Howie (Bowen Yang) get laid. However, Howie is a romantic who wants to connect with someone before they have sex. So when he meets Charlie (James Scully), he’ll finally get to live his rom-com fantasy.
While Howie and Charlie get to know each other, Noah finds himself at odds with Charlie’s uptight best friend, Will (Conrad Ricamora). But like with Austen’s classic on opposites attract, Noah realizes there may be more to Will than he initially thought.
This was an entertaining and clever take on Pride and Prejudice. Joel Kim Booster not only stars as Noah, but he wrote the screenplay as well, and now I hope he’ll take a stab at some of Austen’s other works – Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park, please?
The cast is talented and delightful, all inhabiting their roles with vigor. Booster has done a fantastic job fleshing out even the smallest roles, giving every character depth and purpose. The screenplay is ridiculously charming and witty, and yes, I laughed out loud several times while watching this movie. And the romance is on point – Charlie and Howie’s gentle, sweet-natured courting and Noah and Will’s sharper, biting attraction. Jane Austen would be proud of how Booster captured the nature of both couples and how love can look different for different people.
More importantly, Fire Island boasts a wonderfully multiethnic LGBTQ cast. Hollywood has tried to make some strides toward creating rom-coms with more inclusivity and diversity, but let’s face it, their strides have felt a bit like baby steps. Between Fire Island and Bros (released in theaters on September 30, 2022), it feels like we may finally be getting some high-quality romantic comedies with proper queer representation.
I think it’s safe to say Fire Island is one of the best romantic comedies released in 2022. It has everything you would want in a rom-com – a clever, romantic script, hot boys, a killer soundtrack, and meaningful characters who feel real instead of the typical rom-com stereotype. This is a definite recommendation from me for lovers of the genre.
Watched: 09/28/2022
Notable Song: Sometimes by MUNA
