Since the 1990s, when movies began including gay character who weren't villains or victims, the standard romcom model gives the focus girl a gay bff. He doesn't actually do anything gay, like check out hot guys or look for a boyfriend; he just swishes about, offering witty or catty comments and advising the girl on whether she should choose the rich jerk or the down-home boy.
Isn't It Romantic (2019) parodies the genre: under-appreciated, overweight architect Natalie (Rebel Wilson) thinks that she is unworthy of love. Her assistant claims that her best friend Josh (Adam Devine) is in love with her, but Natalie doesn't believe her. Wait -- Adam's Bumper was dating Rebel's Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect 1-2. Way to keep it in the family, guys.
So, Adam has corpulent girlfriends or potential girlfriends in Pitch Perfect 1-2, Isn't It Romantic, and The Righteous Gemstones (I don't care what he told Keefe, Kelvin was dating Taryn). And probably other works, too. I don't have any first-hand experience, but I have heard that corpulent women are often considered unattractive. Adam is one of the most attractive men on the planet. Are we supposed to find the juxtaposition funny?
Back to Natalie: after being hit over the head, she awakens in a world where everyone plays different roles, sort of like Dorothy's experience in The Wizard of Oz. She lives in a huge upscale apartment. Everything on the street is bright and shiny. The women are all supermodels, the men chiseled hunks (left: Hugh Sheridan as one of several "Cute Guys"). People burst into heavily choreographed songs at random movements. The downside: Natalie can't have sex, because the scene always cuts from the kiss to the next morning.
More after the break
