There are some genuinely touching moments between him and Olive (Emma Stone), giving more depth to his character as well. Sure, maybe faking losing your virginity to a girl isn’t the best idea, but high school is a cruel place and Brandon does what he has to do to protect himself. There’s something endlessly endearing about Dan Byrd’s performance as closeted high schooler Brandon.
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The movie also deals with HIV and, despite having a gay male character, doesn’t equate it with gay men.īyrd as Brandon with Stone as Olive | Photo: IMDB 6. His plot involves coming out to his conservative parents, which may not seem groundbreaking now, but was more compelling in the 90s. Unlike Leo, however, it’s much more substantive. Like Leo, he gets his own life outside of his friends. Sammy (Steve Zahn) is part of a friend group in this 1994 film that follows the ups and downs of post-college life. Still, as fun as he is in the film, he doesn’t have all that much to do.
The character Oliver broken ground as an out Asian gay character played by an out gay actor (Nico Santos). It brought diversity, complexity, glamor, and charm to the romantic comedy in ways we hadn’t seen in years (or sometimes ever). Oliver, Crazy Rich AsiansĬrazy Rich Asians was a smash hit last year - and for good reason. Santos (middle) in Crazy Rich Asians | Photo: IMDB/Warner Bros.
Despite being a trope, positive representations of friendship are still welcome. Plus, even though his scenes are all primarily with Sarah and supporting her, their scenes are earnest and genuine. He has a job and a partner, both of whom we get to see him enjoy. Still, one way he excels above plenty of other gay best friends is that he has a life outside of being a GBF. Just like Buddy, Leo (Brad William Henke) exists primarily in support of Diane Lane’s Sarah. Still, at the time it was refreshing to have ‘one of the guys’ be gay and for that not to be a big deal. Charles Grodin’s gay character Buddy doesn’t exist outside of a supporting role for the lead man, Teddy (Gene Wilder). It likely has to do with the fact that this is the oldest film on the list, coming out in 1984, because it definitely feels the most dated.
For the purpose of including more characters, I’m using a much looser interpretation of a rom com. Note: This list includes characters from movies that aren’t actually rom coms, but are usually discussed in the same breath (simply having teens and comedy does not a rom com make). It takes the trope of the gay best friend and flips it on its head - but before you head out to the theater, why not look back on some gay best friends in rom com history? Isn’t It Romantic? is a new rom com, out tomorrow (13 February), and continuing the trend of the rom com renaissance. One of those tropes often seen is the gay best friend (GBF), there to support the lead character (typically the female lead), provide comedy, and not much else. Romantic comedies are some of the best trope-filled movies in Hollywood.