Review: 'My Fake Boyfriend' a Silly, Fun Gay Rom-Com
Director Rose Troche brings a summertime, Pride season treat to the screen with the silly, fun rom-com "My Fake Boyfriend," which is about... well, the title says it all.
This is one of those movies that's built around a huge, outrageous lie that the main character — in this case, a lovable, and lovelorn, guy named Andrew (Keiynan Lonsdale) — stumbles into.
Andrew is dating TV hunk Marcus Rosner, who constantly cheats on him. The two have broken up and gotten back together so many times that Andrew's well-meaning, but meddlesome, friend Jake ("Riverdale" star Cole Sprouse, rocking bleach-blond locks) and his girlfriend, Kelly (Sarah Hyland) finally decide to stage an intervention. It's not just a matter of sitting Andrew down and giving him a talking to; Jake, a gifted graphic designer, deploys his "Nuclear Option": He builds Andrew a fake boyfriend from the ground up, photoshopping together a supreme physique for the fictional "Cristiano," and giving the invented persona an irresisitible backstory (Cristiano saves white rhinos and fights for civil liberties).
You can guess the rest. No, really: The movie is that formulaic. Jake creates new social media accounts for Andrew and his hot new fictional boyfriend; Andrew wants nothing to do with the ruse, but then he sees how jealous Nico gets and decides to play along; Cristiano goes viral, thanks to Jake's many deepfake action-adventure photos (skydiving, running with the bulls in Pamplona); Andrew meets the man of his dreams and has to figure out a way to pursue him despite the fictional relationship he's supposedly in.
But just because the movie's diagrammed in such familiar ways doesn't mean it's no fun. For one thing, the man of Andrew's dreams really is hot. His name is Rafi (Samer Salem), and he's a kind, soulful restauranteur who teaches coking classes (Andrew's elderly roommate is one of his students).
Rafi is definitely adorable, but is he gay? Jake and Kelly get "scientific" about finding out, in their ham-handed, inappropriate way. Meantime, though, Andrew's ersatz relationship with Cristiano is opening up new doors to Andrew's career as a movie stuntman, while the imaginary studmuffin (who Jake upgrades to a photorealistic CGI creation) is commanding a global audience of millions on social media and raking in endorsement dollars. As Jake disappears into the fantasy he's created, Andrew struggles not to get lost in it, himself —�and to hold on to his hopes for true love.
The script, by Luke Albright, Greg Boaldin, and Joe Wanjai Ross, is packed with twists that demand serious suspension of disbelief, but also with plenty of fast-moving comedic moments. The sweet, slightly awkward friendship that grows between Andrew and Rafi is touching — so is the lunatic bond between Jake and Andrew, actually —�and Karen Robinson slays as Andrew's over-involved mother, Lucille. Rarely have all the usual tropes been so cleverly arranged and sleekly deployed.
Looking for a film that blends absurdity with romance and cooks up a good time? You've found it here.