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Fire Island Movie Review

Fire Island is a 2022 romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Ahn and starring Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang. It is a clichéd rom-com that did not deserve to get all those great reviews.

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“All this romance bullshit makes you vulnerable“

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A pair of best friends set out to have a legendary week-long summer vacation with the help of cheap rosé and a group of eclectic friends. Much has been said about this movie being a big gay rom-com and a Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice adaptation that is modern and unique. Personally, I am really not a fan of Austen, so the movie adapting her novel to the modern world did not appeal to me.

And I also found it highly problematic and unrealistic to portray classism in such an overwhelming manner in a modern era film. It just rang false to me that these men would be so obsessed with class in 2022. As a result, all of those scenes felt as if they were coming from an altogether different era and they took me out of the experience completely.

Romantic comedies are dead nowadays. This is a dying genre, so Hollywood’s only response is make them sparingly and make them unique by being more inclusive and diverse. But just because something is diverse doesn’t mean it’s any good as ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ painfully showcased a few years ago. Fire Island may depict gays realistically to some degree, but it also seemed fake in other areas, and overall it was just too stereotypical and predictable, especially in its thoroughly implausible, uplifting ending.

The movie focuses on Asian-Americans in particular, which was a fresh new perspective and the two Asian protagonists are actually the only well developed, memorable characters in a movie that is fueled by stereotyping and slim characterizations. Joel Kim Booster is excellent as Noah and overall believable as this overly confident gay man and his relationship with his best friend was superbly realized.

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Their argument about their different life experiences due to their different bodies was fantastic and this is the only moment where the movie reached genuine emotional and storytelling authenticity. It felt real and poignant unlike the rest of the story that was anything but that. Bowen Yang was terrific as Howie and so likable.

As for the others, I did like Noah’s love interest and their dynamic was fun, albeit very predictable and typical. But the other friends and their lesbian mother figure-type character all felt totally underdeveloped and unnecessary to the bigger storyline. For a movie with such a big cast, it surely focused little on the supporting players, which was a big issue for me.

Fire Island is definitely full of eye candy for those who are into muscular guys and these sun-drenched paradise islands, but there is nothing about the cinematography, editing and/or directing that elevated the material whatsoever. The only aspect that was somewhat inspired was the chapter-cut storytelling, but everything else wasn’t particularly memorable technically speaking.

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Romantic comedies are a dead genre nowadays, so Hollywood’s only response is to make them more diverse. But just because something is diverse doesn’t make it any good as Crazy Rich Asians painfully showcased a couple of years ago. The same goes for Fire Island. This is basically a Jane Austen story, but modernized and focusing on gay men. The theme of classism felt totally misplaced in the modern context, resulting in a very annoying viewing experience. Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster are excellent as the main characters and their friendship produced some powerfully authentic moments here, but all the other supporting players are forgettable and the movie’s a typically predictable, unrealistic rom-com in its third act.

My Rating – 3