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The Screen Long Journey Behind “Fire Island”, a gay rom-com loosely adapted from Jane Austen “pride and Prejudice,” Could be more interesting than the movie. developed for Quibi since closed (RIP), the project shifted from the originally planned “quick bite” format to a film Hulu. making his debutBut it still feels like less than a complete meal.
It’s hard to say for sure right now, but this project may be best remembered as a vehicle bowen yango, who’s up for big things since joining “Saturday Night Live,” and comic Joel Kim Booster, who’s actually the star of the film as well as its writer. Margaret Cho and Conrad Ricomora (“How to Get Away with Murder”) are joined by a cast to prepare Austen in a more contemporary take, only in the latest effort (see “Clueless” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary”). . the packet.
Here the transplant process is enjoyable enough, but doesn’t quite work, Booster’s Noah and Yang’s Howie are part of a group of friends who descend on Fire Island for an annual getaway weekend, narrating bare flesh. And the abs insist on “gay Disney World.” Within the group, the dynamic skews by Noah’s matchmaking efforts on the part of the more buttoned-up Howie, while insisting that he not seek a relationship. doing, but still stumbling into one.
Wild parties and no-strings-attached hookups don’t immediately spark thoughts of Austen’s tightly-tied corset, but Noah’s questioning doesn’t recognize his needs as he funnels his energy into the reluctant Howie, following the original blueprint. Is.
“Fire Island” – arriving in the midst of a wave of programming related to Pride Month – does not hold enough substance to sustain on its own, which may have explained the appeal of Quibi’s short-form approach to this particular property. .
Directed by Andrew Ah, the film’s contemporary wrinkles—how this diverse group of friends stay together, and Noah’s sense of being looked down upon because of class and racial divisions within the gay community—work out marginally better. There are also a smattering of strange lines scattered along the way, including an Austen reference, lest one misses the similarities.
“Fire Island” primarily wants to be fun, not necessarily deep, so it needs to be consumed on those terms. Austen customizations obviously never go out of style, but this latest change reminds us that that alone doesn’t mean they pack enough luggage to make the trip completely valid.
“Fire Island” premieres on Hulu on June 3. Its evaluation