Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Fire Island’ is the Best Rom-Com of 2022

REVIEW: ‘Fire Island’ is the Best Rom-Com of 2022

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez06/02/20224 Mins Read
Fire Island - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Fire Island - But Why Tho

I feel like every time I review a romantic comedy; I open by stressing how much I love rom-coms. The genre has been there for me through thick and thin, but with less investment in it, recently, the genre has become one all about copying and pasting across different holidays and continents in the hopes of sticking a landing (thanks, Netflix). But Hulu Original Fire Island is changing things up. A queer rom-com directed by Andrew Ahn, written by Joel Kim Booster, stars Booster, Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, Zane Phillips.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

While gay rom-coms are few and far between, Fire Island manages to both buck the heteronormativity of the genre and wholey embrace tropes and traps that have made rom-coms many folks’ guilty pleasure. Fire Island centers on a group of queer best friends gathering in Fire Island Pines for their annual week of love and laughter (and drugs and drinking and a bunch of sexual exploration).

At the center is Noah (Joel Kim Booster), the irreverent know-it-all who thinks he’s cracked this thing called love by, well, focusing on sex. As the lens that we see the story through, Noah is surrounded by a group that has a lot of the archetypes you can think of. Howie (Joel Kim Booster), the innocent friend looking to finally let loose; Max (Torian Miller), the anxious rule-follower; Luke (Matt Rogers) and Keegan (Tomás Matos), the quintessential fuck-ups that everyone else looks out for; and Erin, the mom of the group (Margaret Cho). But a sudden change of events might make this their last summer in gay paradise, meaning it’s time to do the absolute most. As they discover the romance and pleasures of the iconic island, their bonds as a chosen family are pushed to the limits.

Fire Island is hilarious, romantic, and embodies everything I love about the rom-com genre. Instead of subverting heteronormative rom-com tropes, Booster’s screenplay embraces them and adapts them to queer romances. More importantly, though, the romantic comedy of it all is bolstered by a reinvention of Jane Austen that never feels overdone but instead feels just right. Noah’s narration takes the moments shared by him, his friends, and the guy he totally hates and who totally hates him (but not really) and maps on a quintessential Austen drama.

Noah shows an irreverence that comes with a deep love for his community and his found family. His sharp tongue, quick wit, and fierce loyalty are something that marks and rom-com lead, but it’s the execution that grounds even his meaner moments as ones grounded in looking out for those around him, even when he can’t see that they don’t need his help.

Additionally, the film centers itself around a group of friends that consistently have to push back against beauty standards and class. While offering up a great rom-com, Fire Island also provides explicit commentary on pervasive racism in the queer community, more specifically, how that affects queer Asian men. By having our leads interact with both fetishists and racists, the film offers a sharp takedown of elements of the queer community that need more discussion. Whiteness isn’t the default here, and it shouldn’t be anywhere.

The only issue that the film runs into is that Noah’s narration and calling out to matters within the queer community works. Still, the historical exposition meant to teach the audience and get them up-to-speed can come off as more explanatory than immersive. This strikes a difference in the film’s tone and made me the question: who is the film talking to?

While the history of Fire Island and tea dances feel like a presentation given to those on the outside of the queer community, the commentary about race, class, and beauty standards is delivered in a way that calls out the queer community on its problems. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, and Fire Island manages to be a rom-com that is immensely enjoyable no matter how you identify. That said, I raise the point because the film’s tone shifts in those moments in a way that nearly fumbles pacing.

Ahn and Booster’s work provides social commentary while entertaining the audience with physical and visual gags and amazingly written dialogue. Every bit of Fire Island exceeds expectation and presents an unapologetic queer story that sees joy, friendship, romance, and all the ills that come with them. It’s safe to say that Fire Island will find itself in the halls of rom-com as one of the most iconic, and I hope there are more to come from Ahn and Booster. Fire Island is queer joy above all else.

Fire Island is streaming exclusively on Hulu on June 3, 2022.

Fire Island
  • 8.5/10
    Rating - 8.5/10
8.5/10

TL;DR

Ahn and Booster’s work provides social commentary while entertaining the audience with physical and visual gags and amazingly written dialogue. Every bit of Fire Island exceeds expectation and presents an unapologetic queer story that sees joy, friendship, romance, and all the ills that come with them. It’s safe to say that Fire Island will find itself in the halls of rom-com as one of the most iconic, and I hope there are more to come from Ahn and Booster.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Physical’ Season 2 is Perfect Rose Byrne
Next Article ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Ripple Effects,’ Issue #1
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Choi Gyu-ri, Shin Eun-Soo in Love Untangled
7.5

REVIEW: ‘Love Untangled’ Is Just Adorable

08/31/2025
Austin Butler in Caught Stealing
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Caught Stealing’ Marks An Exciting Pivot for Darren Aronofsky

08/27/2025
Margaret Qualley stars as Honey O' Donahue in the film Honey Don't
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Honey Don’t!’ Is A Genius Work Of Subversion And Fantasy Fulfillment

08/25/2025
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses But Why Tho
5.0

 REVIEW: ‘The Roses’ Lacks A Thorny Edge

08/25/2025
Mert Ramazan Demir in Abandoned Man
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Abandoned Man’ Lacks Depth In Its Take On Betrayal

08/22/2025
Ne Zha 2 promotional still from a24
10.0

REVIEW: ‘Ne Zha 2’ Is One Of The Most Epic Feats Of Animation

08/21/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here