Fire Island Review: A Delicious Jane Austen-Infused Rom-Com That Matches the Master’s Wit
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The post Fire Island Review: A Delicious Jane Austen-Infused Rom-Com That Matches the Master’s Wit appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: Right from the jump, thanks to the voiceover of Noah (Joel Kim Booster) and a carefully planted copy of Pride and Prejudice, Fire Island tells you what it’s going to be — a retelling of the Jane Austen classic tale, relocated to a place and time that Jane Austen would have had a very hard time imagining: the titular gay party mecca centered in the hamlets of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines.
Noah and his friends (including Matt Rogers, Tomás Matos, and Torian Miller) are making their annual trek to the island for a week of fun, sun, drugs, dancing, and most importantly — hooking up. But this year, things are a bit different. For one thing, their beloved adoptive mom Erin (Margaret Cho) has to sell her house on the island soon, giving this trip an air of finality. And also, Noah has a mission: To make sure his bestie Howie (Bowen Yang) hooks up before he does, despite Howie being more interested in “that rom-com crap.”
As the gang dives into the Fire Island party scene, Howie quickly makes a connection with the handsome, rich, and charming Charlie (James Scully) — but Noah isn’t initially as charmed by Charlie’s standoffish and sometimes rude friend Will (Conrad Ricamora), who does not approve of Noah and his friends’ antics. As Howie and Charlie grow closer together, though, Noah starts to see something in Will — when he isn’t trying to clean up after his friends when they start throwing up into vases…
Those Who Do Not Complain Are Never Pitied: Even once you figure out all the character connections between the characters of Fire Island and Pride and Prejudice, the narrative still manages to drop in a few surprises, if only in how it translates certain elements of the original story for a modern era. It helps that the rules of class embedded in Regency-era society correspond pretty nicely to certain innate prejudices within the gay community, with a premium put on personal wealth and physical attractiveness — Regency-era men worried more about the shape of their calves than the definition of their abs, but the correlation works.
Andrew Ahn (Spa Night, Driveways) directs from a script by Booster, and together the two of them manage to bring out the particular magic that makes Fire Island so special to these guys, from the exuberant nightclub scene to the beautiful sunsets. But what truly anchors the film and elevates it above similar attempts to transplant Austen to different times and places is the way that it keeps the action heartfelt and character-focused. From the beginning, Noah’s group of friends is a clear correlation for Austen’s unruly and embarrassing Bennet sisters and mother, but by the end of the film it doesn’t even feel necessary to include the “found” in “found family” when referring to them.
Fire Island (Searchlight Pictures)
In particular, the bond between Noah and Howie becomes the film’s beating heart. After several seasons of SNL, we know Yang to be one of the show’s most committed sketch performers to date, but here he demonstrates a different sort of commitment to his character. As the Jane Bennet in this narrative, he’s as sweet-tempered and lovable as Rosamund Pike, Susannah Harker, or any of the many other actors who have come before, and like Noah, you genuinely root for him to find the connection he’s looking for.
To Be Fond of Dancing Was a Certain Step Towards Falling in Love: While the familial bonds are key to this film’s success, it doesn’t hurt that Booster and Ricamora have an electric chemistry, and their slow-burn courtship is one to savor. Okay, calling it a “slow burn” is a bit silly given that the film takes place over basically a long weekend, though as we’re often reminded, time moves differently on Fire Island — one of many knowing winks to the audience sprinkled across the script.
Even when Noah gets tempted by the diabolically charming Dex (Zane Phillips, serving as the film’s Wickham), the film manages to keep their connection front and center. Ricamora (perhaps best known as the sweet-natured Oliver from How to Get Away with Murder) delivers all the qualities of the best Darcys, especially the ever-lurking vulnerability beneath the stone-faced visage, and watching him and Booster connect is one of the film’s primary pleasures, especially when Noah manages to push Will out of his comfort zone.
The Verdict: Early into my viewing of Fire Island, I started wondering whether or not this would be a movie I could recommend to my mother, an avowed lover of romance stories who raised me to love Jane Austen as well. I can’t answer that question for your own mothers, but mine will probably be okay with the amount of graphic sex shown, because it all culminates in one of the most delectable romantic comedies in years. If Clueless is the definitive modern-day adaptation of Emma, then Fire Island deserves the same crown for Pride and Prejudice.
Even if this review’s Austen references have all gone over your head (what, you don’t know what it means for somebody to be the Wickham?), Fire Island more than stands up on its own. For a movie that repeatedly dogs on the concept of monogamy, it delivers some achingly wonderful moments of yearning and passion, with the rom-com tropes invoked somehow coming off as believable and authentic. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s got Matt Rogers and Tomás Matos delivering flawless Marisa Tomei impressions, and it’s streaming now. Happy Pride, everybody.
Where to Watch: Fire Island is streaming now on Hulu.
Trailer:
Fire Island Review: A Delicious Jane Austen-Infused Rom-Com That Matches the Master’s Wit
Liz Shannon Miller
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