“Bros” (Romantic Comedy: 1 hour, 55 minutes)

Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane and Dot-Marie Jones

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Rated: R (Strong sexual content, strong language and some drug use)

Movie Review: The romance genre rarely features a homosexual couple. This one has two men who find a loving relationship.

They are decent-looking men comically stumbling through the dating world. That part is new to many audiences still, but this rom-com is just as formulaic as heterosexual movie romances.

Intellectual geek Bobby (Eichner) and attractive masculine, gym enthusiast Aaron (Macfarlane) are two men who start as friends but become lovers.

They are professional men who have commitment issues. As they try to make their relationship work, they realize they view life very differently.

Realistic or not, many movies when dealing with a new or emerging part of society often make that group stereotypical personas. With gay men, movies often focus on sex with multiple partners, clubs and societal observations of queer society. This purports all gay men behave similarly.

“Bros” misses a key moment to show two people in love without the typical shenanigans seen in straight and gay movies. Romances never just let people fall in love with soap opera tactics.

These are two very attractive men, one for his intellect and the other, also intelligent, but physically attractive. They are different people. They irritate each other and their audience. They are mismatched pairings, yet one wants to see them make it work.

However, they argue over silly matters enough that one wants them to go their separate ways for peace.

As much as they aggravate each other, “Bro” still has its moments. The funniest is the committee of the LGBTQIA museum board trying to settle loose ends before the grand opening, a subplot of this screenplay. They carry when the romance becomes arguments. Although the board’s jokes appear repetitive.

As noted earlier gay relationships are prevalent in movies and on television more, yet the relationships still fall prey to the same romantic tropes as straight couplings. “Bro” follows accordingly.

Grade: C+ (A comical but childish bromance.)

“The Greatest Beer Run Ever” (Adventure/Comedy: 2 hours, 6 minutes)

Starring: Zac Efron, Russell Crowe and Bill Murray

Director: Peter Farrelly

Rated: R (Language and violence including war engagement)

Movie Review: Based on a true story as told in John “Chick” Donohue’s book, “Greatest Beer Run” is the work of Peter Farrelly, who directed the Academy Award for Best Movie recipient “Green Book” (2018).

“The Greatest Beer Run” feels like a fraternity dare. Its comical moments downplay the severity of the greater Vietnam War narrative that plays in the background.

Chickie Donohue (Efron) decides to deliver beer to his childhood Army friends fighting in Vietnam. He leaves a 1967’s Inwood, New York, and heads overseas to commend his friends with his unplanned arrival to a war theater.

A devout patriot who supports the war movement, media and seeing events personally has an affect on Donohue, a veteran himself. He begins to see the war differently, especially after spending some time trailing war photographer Arthur Coats (Crowe).

This movie plays like a comedy at first, despite the severity of what it displays about the war in its second half. The more serious tone during its latter scenes is more engaging than the first half. Once Donohue is in Vietnam, this movie gains more respect to equal the messiness of the early New York scenes.

Grade: C+ (An interesting but “light beer” run.)

“The Good House” (Drama/Comedy: 1 hour, 44 minutes)

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline and Morena Baccarin

Directors: Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky

Rated: R (Sexuality, strong language and thematic elements)

Movie Review: “The Good House” is a fixer-upper but Weaver is sensational as Hildy Good, a realtor in Wendover, Massachusetts.

People in her town for her real estate ventures and her exploits as the town alcoholic. Just as she is failing on multiple fronts at work, her family and friends stage an intervention. Her life becomes better when a romance ensues with Frank Getchell (Kline).

This screenplay is the third collaboration for Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline in a movie. Their previous ventures together, “Dave” (1993) and “The Ice Storm” (1997), are much better movies but “Good House” is interesting although the execution is terrible.

The non-chronological scenes are off-putting. The movie jumps from past to present at quick intervals. One must keep track of time shifts constantly, some very subtle transitions.

Weaver and Kline save the movie. The romance is refreshing. Weaver is particularly keen, carrying this movie until it gets to the good moments of this story. Too bad, the story did not have a chronological sequence that starts in the past and progresses to the present.

Grade: B- (Weaver is good but the house has a shaky foundation.)

“Amsterdam” (Comedy/Drama/History: 2 hours, 14 minutes)

Starring: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Rami Malek and Robert De Niro.

Director: David O. Russell

Rated: R (Violence and bloody images)

Movie Review: “Amsterdam” boasts a large cast of well-known actors. Like the cast, the plot is many stories intertwined.

This is sad considering the historical part of this screenplay is the more impressive element of this movie. Instead, all is a convoluted turn of events that inspires laughs but unconvincing associations among the characters also.

In the 1930s, war veteran Dr. Burt Berendsen (Bale), attorney Harold Woodman and artist Valerie Voze are three friends who witness a murder. Corrupt corporate agents frame the three friends for the murder and the trio must now clear their names.

Along the way, they stumble upon one of the most sinister plots to threaten American democracy.

David O. Russell directed two attention-getting movies last decade: “American Hustle,” 2013; “Silver Linings Playbook,” 2012. Here, he allows a large cast playing eccentric characters to become distractions from what is an intriguing plot based on several historical events.

The humor is present but it is not always funny. Often, the laughs are slight moments that fail to resonate. It is good with a few characters, such as the ones played by Rami Malek and Robert De Niro are present. They provide a tangible reality to this tale.

Grade: C (Amsterdam, visit and leave.)

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar has reviewed movies in South Georgia for more than 20 years.