There is a lot of great queer media that's been released recently and in the past covering a variety of communities and subcultures. There has also been some fantasy wish fulfillment stuff which I don't prefer but can interesting and entertaining on it's own merits.
This movie and the book it comes from are repulsive to to me for 2 reasons:
Firstly: It completely misunderstands gay relationships between men, its not just unrealistic (which could be ok) it's cartoonish and stereotypical, just not in the usual way.
Secondly: It's objectifying and accessorizing to male homosexuality. This is not gay fiction by or for a man, this is gay fiction by and for WOMEN.
The second issue is what I'd like to zero in on, because on one hand I could see how this could aid in it being appreciated as a campy romp by my fellow gays, but on the other this is possibly one of the most regressive gay movies to ever be released.
I've never met a gay/bi guy in person who likes this movie (if they've seen it), I've met to many women enthusiastically praise this movie whilst also behaving in subtlety homophobic ways towards me. I feel they mostly are ignorant of what allyship as a straight person actually means.
This is a generalized experience and to be clear, the women in my life that are important to me (many of which are queer) can have a nuanced conversation and perspective on the subject of women writing gay men through the female gaze.
However as it stands, this movie is a frustratedly shallow BL fantasy for women that's on the same level as Twilight masquerading as a progressive drama/comedy that socially accessorizes and objectifies queer men.
This movie and the book it comes from are repulsive to to me for 2 reasons:
Firstly: It completely misunderstands gay relationships between men, its not just unrealistic (which could be ok) it's cartoonish and stereotypical, just not in the usual way.
Secondly: It's objectifying and accessorizing to male homosexuality. This is not gay fiction by or for a man, this is gay fiction by and for WOMEN.
The second issue is what I'd like to zero in on, because on one hand I could see how this could aid in it being appreciated as a campy romp by my fellow gays, but on the other this is possibly one of the most regressive gay movies to ever be released.
I've never met a gay/bi guy in person who likes this movie (if they've seen it), I've met to many women enthusiastically praise this movie whilst also behaving in subtlety homophobic ways towards me. I feel they mostly are ignorant of what allyship as a straight person actually means.
This is a generalized experience and to be clear, the women in my life that are important to me (many of which are queer) can have a nuanced conversation and perspective on the subject of women writing gay men through the female gaze.
However as it stands, this movie is a frustratedly shallow BL fantasy for women that's on the same level as Twilight masquerading as a progressive drama/comedy that socially accessorizes and objectifies queer men.