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Fire Island (film)

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This article is about the 2022 comedy film. For other uses, see Fire Island (disambiguation).

Fire Island
Official release poster
Directed byAndrew Ahn
Screenplay byJoel Kim Booster
Produced by
  • John Hodges
  • Brooke Posch
  • Tony Hernandez
Starring
CinematographyFelipe Vara de Rey
Edited byBrian A. Kates
Music byJay Wadley
Production
company
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release date
  • June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million[1]

Fire Island is a 2022 American romantic comedy film directed by Andrew Ahn, written by and starring Joel Kim Booster. The film co-stars Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, and Margaret Cho. The plot follows a group of gay friends on vacation at the titular New York island, where romance becomes complicated by classism in a story inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Distributed and produced by Searchlight Pictures, the film was released June 3, 2022 on Hulu, to generally positive reviews.

Plot

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Every year, Noah and his close friends Howie, Luke, Keegan, and Max embark on a weeklong vacation to Fire Island, noted for its gay villages. The group takes the ferry from Sayville, New York on Long Island's South Shore to Fire Island Pines, and are reunited with their "house mother" Erin. Erin reveals that she has to sell her house, making this the last week they will spend together. The group meets Charlie, a doctor, and his wealthy friends, including Will, a lawyer, and Cooper. Howie and Charlie take interest in each other. Noah decides that his mission for the trip is for Howie to get laid. Charlie invites the group to his house, where the group gets drunk, feeling looked-down on by the other guests. Two of them cause a scene but Charlie and Howie get closer. Noah overhears Will criticizing the group and sounding worried that Charlie might get ripped off. He says Noah is 'fine' but 'not hot enough to be annoying'.

Howie spends the night in the bath tub and the next day, Noah goes to collect him. He invites Charlie and his friends to dinner at Erin's as a thank you for looking after Howie. At the grocery store, Noah meets Dex and they flirt. Upon discovering that Will dislikes Dex, Noah invites Dex to dinner as well. Charlie, Cooper, and Will arrive for dinner, and Will spots an Alice Munro book belonging to Noah. They discuss books, surprising both Will and Noah. Dex arrives, flanked by Luke and Keegan, making Will uncomfortable. Dex claims that Will judges him for making content on OnlyFans.

Howie tells the group that he and Charlie kissed, making Noah more intent on making the two a match. The group attends the weekly underwear party in Cherry Grove and do an assortment of illicit drugs. Cooper implies to Noah that he wants Will for himself and accuses Noah's growing attraction to Will of being based on money.

Noah meets up with Dex again. They head to the dark room to have sex, but Noah is distracted by Will and accidentally hits Dex in the nose. This causes a public confrontation between Cooper, Will, Dex, and Noah, during which Noah sees Charlie making out with someone that is not Howie. Turns out it is Charlie's ex. Noah gathers his intoxicated friends and Howie, who is distraught about Charlie. Noah walks back to the Pines with Will and they fight. Noah accuses Will of being uptight and judgmental, and Will tells Noah that Noah is pretentious even if he pretends not to be. At an afterparty in the Pines, Howie and Noah fight. Howie wants to give up on searching for romance and tells Noah that their experiences are not the same just because they are both gay and Asian, citing issues of body dysmorphia.

Noah is woken up the next day by his friends delivering a letter from Will. Will apologizes for the remarks he made after he first met Noah and explains that Dex hurt someone close to Will in the past. Charlie arrives to tell Howie that he has gotten back together with his ex-boyfriend, who has Lyme disease, and will be leaving the island sooner than expected.

Noah runs into Will at a drag bar. He shows Noah Dex's Instagram profile, on which he posts thirst traps with activism tags ("Black Lives Matter" and "Stop Asian Hate") to get attention. Noah and Will grow closer. Later, the group learn that Dex has posted a video of him and Luke having sex online without Luke's consent. Will helps Noah confront Dex by threatening legal action. Dex agrees to take down the video.

The next day, Howie tells Noah he is leaving because he cannot get over Charlie's rejection. Noah confronts Charlie, who acknowledges that he has feelings for Howie. Noah and his friends hijack a water taxi to catch up to Howie's. Charlie express his feelings to Howie, and they kiss. The group goes to watch the sunset. Noah and Will dance together and finally kiss, agreeing to give their relationship a try.

Cast

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Production

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Streaming television network Quibi announced development of a comedy series titled Trip in September 2019, starring, created, and written by Joel Kim Booster.[2][3] The project was given a series order on March 11, 2020, with Jax Media set to produce.[2] Bowen Yang was cast in a lead role on April 15, 2020. Booster and Yang, who are both out gay Asian comedians and "life-changing" friends, were set to play fictionalized versions of themselves.[4][5] Closet Monster filmmaker Stephen Dunn was attached to direct the series.[4] Upon the shutdown of Quibi on December 1, 2020, the entire project was jeopardized.[6]

Searchlight Pictures announced the purchase of Booster's script on June 30, 2021, to produce as a feature film re-titled Fire Island. Spa Night director Andrew Ahn replaced Dunn as director.[7] The following month, Margaret Cho joined the cast of the film, as the only woman to be part of the film's cast.[8] Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos, Torian Miller, and Nick Adams were added to the film in August 2021, with Zane Phillips, Michael Graceffa, Aidan Wharton, Peter Smith, and Bradley Gibson joining the ensemble cast.[9] Principal photography began August 12, 2021, and was scheduled to last through September 2021, with filming taking place in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Fire Island, the locale of the film's title.[10] The final script incorporated humorous topics the filmmakers had long shared as friends.[11]

Themes

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Queer themes

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In Fire Island, Joel Kim Booster reimagines Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" through a queer lens, transporting the classic themes miscommunication and romance to the contemporary setting of Fire Island, New York. The adaptation introduces a group of gay men who frequent Fire Island, drawing parallels between Joel Kim Booster personal experiences and those depicted in Austen's novel.[12] Through its queer adaptation of a classic novel, Fire Island challenges conventional narratives of romance and relationships. Booster subverts traditional gender roles and heteronormative expectations, offering a fresh perspective on love, desire, and societal norms.[13] The film invites viewers to reconsider preconceived notions of romance and embrace diverse expressions of love and desire that are expressed through the movie and often overlooked in Austen's original writing."Fire Island" serves as both a tribute to Jane Austen's themes and a celebration of queer identity and community.[12]

Class relations

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The film portrays the ways in which queer individuals assess one another, drawing from their own experiences of discrimination and marginalization to perpetuate a hierarchical class system seen in a straight community as way to elevate their own social status within the community.[14] The characters navigate the intricacies of social class within the queer community, even in a space like Fire Island, where traditional heterosexual norms are absent. Joel Kim Booster, the screenwriter, draws parallels between Austen's exploration of class struggles and the dynamics observed within the queer community. He emphasizes how, in the absence of straight oppression, queer individuals can inadvertently recreate artificial class systems and hierarchies.[14]

Similar to Austen's novel, the forging of relationships across perceived class lines is also impacted by these biases, as Howie finds himself enamored with Charlie, a charming doctor who is part of a group of affluent and judgmental individuals.[15] Among Charlie's friends is Will, the Mr. Darcy to Noah's Lizzie for adaptation. As these social circles intertwine, tensions escalate with the characters being made to feel unwelcome in Charlie's upper-class circle, with Noah and Will exchanging both flirtations and sharp remarks.[16]

Race relations

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In addition to class dynamics, Fire Island tackles issues of race within the queer community, particularly highlighting the experiences of Asian American characters. The film features a predominantly POC cast, reflecting the diverse realities of queer individuals. Characters like Bowen Yang's Howie represent the intersection of being queer and Asian-American, adding layers to the narrative and offering representation to underrepresented communities within the LGBTQ+ umbrella.[14]

Fire Island as a setting

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"Fire Island" serves as a poignant exploration of queer spaces, particularly focusing on the titular island as a haven for the LGBTQ+ community. The film celebrates Fire Island's significance as a historic queer hotspot, where individuals could socialize without fear of judgment or persecution. Throughout the narrative, there is a deliberate absence of straight characters, allowing queer culture to be glorified and celebrated authentically.[17] This specificity highlights Fire Island as a place where queer individuals can exist free from the influence of heteronormativity, exploring the nuances of LGBTQ+ life without the need to cater to cis-het audiences.[17]

By centering on found family and friendship dynamics within the community, "Fire Island" offers a nuanced portrayal of the joys and complexities of LGBTQ+ life. The movie also changes the expectations of the typical retelling of Pride and Prejudice by concentrating more on the friendship and family elements present in the original writing, moving it away from a more traditional rom-com. By focusing on the relationship between Lizzie (Noah) and Jane (Howie) as well as their attachment to the family house they are losing, it sets the priorities of the movie to the core of the queer experience.[16] The movie emphasizes the necessity of portraying how joyful and raunchy queer experiences while also acknowledging the potential for the community to experience internal conflicts and divisions.[17]

Release

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The film was released June 3, 2022, on Hulu in the United States, Star+ in Latin America, and later released on June 17 Disney+ via Star in other international territories.[9][18]

Reception

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Audience viewership

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According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, Fire Island was the eighth most anticipated film during the month of June 2022.[19] According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, Fire Island was the sixth most streamed movie across all platforms during the week of June 11, 2022.[20]

Critical reception

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Fire Island received positive reviews from critics upon release.[21][22][23][24] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 112 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Brought to life by a tremendously talented cast, the breezily entertaining Fire Island proves there are still fresh ways to update Austen."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]

Alex Abad-Santos of Vox applauded Fire Island for being a high-profile comedy movie that dares to focus on gay men's sex lives without providing debauchery, and found the screenplay ambitious for its approach on social expectations, stereotypes, and racism. He also praised the film's take on friendship between LGBT people, while complimenting the chemistry between Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang's characters.[27] David Fear of Rolling Stone found Fire Island to be a love letter to the LGBT community and its culture, writing, "This romantic comedy has its share of those archetypes. It also has gay lead characters, gay love interests, gay heroes, gay villains, and gay people of color galore. That doesn't excuse some of the clunkier, more brochure-friendly scenarios that Fire Island throws at them. But it does give you the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing everyone to this picture-perfect spot and inviting them to the party in the Pines, had been the means of uniting them."[28]

Siddhant Adlakha of IGN rated the movie 9/10 and wrote: "Indie director Andrew Ahn creates a mainstream queer classic with the romcom Fire Island, his inventive modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Following a group of gay friends on a wild vacation, it features some of the funniest and most tension-filled scenes in any movie this year. As complete as any piece of entertainment can be."[29] Jude Dry of IndieWire gave the film an "A−" rating.[30] Dry found Booster's screenplay amusing and stated that Andrew Ahn's direction "brings a cinematic touch that elevates the comedy."[30]

Odie Henderson of RogerEbert.com rated the movie three out of four stars and called it an entertaining and heartfelt romantic comedy film.[31] Henderson complimented Booster's screenplay for its humor and its approach on racial issues, and praised Ahn's approach to plot lines and characters conflicts.[31] Henderson also singled out cinematographer Felipe Vara de Rey, saying he manages to provide a nostalgic feeling about the island of the same name.[31] Jennifer Green of Common Sense Media rated the film three out of five stars and complimented the movie for its depiction of positive messages and role models, as well as its diverse characters of different origins and sexualities. Green stated Fire Island manages to approach issues raised by heteronormativity and social expectations.[32]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Artios Awards March 7, 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Film, Non-Theatrical Release Jessica Munks, Andrew Fem Won [33]
Dorian Awards June 26, 2023 Best TV Movie or Miniseries Fire Island Won [34]
GLAAD Media Awards May 13, 2023 Outstanding Film – Streaming or TV Fire Island Won [35]
[36]
Gotham Awards November 28, 2022 Ensemble Tribute Nick Adams, Joel Kim Booster, Margaret Cho, Tomás Matos, Torian Miller, Zane Phillips, Conrad Ricamora, Matt Rogers, James Scully, and Bowen Yang Won [37]
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards January 8, 2024 Best Streaming Movie Fire Island Nominated [38]
Independent Spirit Awards March 4, 2023 Best First Screenplay Joel Kim Booster Nominated [39]
Mill Valley Film Festival October 15, 2022 10 Screenwriters to Watch Joel Kim Booster Won [40]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards January 6–7, 2024 Outstanding Television Movie Fire Island Nominated [41]
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Joel Kim Booster Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards February 25, 2023 Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures John Hodges and Brooke Posch Nominated [42]
[43]

References

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  1. ^ Jung, E. Alex (June 9, 2022). "Andrew Ahn Did Want to Show Dick on Fire Island". Vulture. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Petski, Denise (March 11, 2020). "Quibi Orders Fire Island Comedy Trip from Joel Kim Booster & Jax Media to Series – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "Development Update: Wednesday, September 25". The Futon Critic. September 25, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Petski, Denise (April 15, 2020). "SNL's Bowen Yang Joins Joel Kim Booster in Quibi Comedy Series Trip". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Baska, Maggie (May 7, 2021). "Joel Kim Booster explains why friendship with Bowen Yang has been 'life changing'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Spangler, Todd (December 1, 2020). "Quibi Is Officially Dead". Variety. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Donnelly, Matt (June 30, 2021). "Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang to Top Feature Fire Island with Director Andrew Ahn for Searchlight (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Donnelly, Matt (July 28, 2021). "Margaret Cho Joins Bowen Yang, Joel Kim Booster in Fire Island (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (August 12, 2021). "Fire Island: Andrew Ahn's Searchlight Pic Adds 11 to Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. ^ McGaughey, Alex (August 12, 2021). "Bowen Yang Led Rom-Com Fire Island Full Cast Revealed". Blackfilm. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  11. ^ Romano, Nick (June 3, 2022). "Gays. In. Space! Bowen Yang explains the Fire Island bit and his obsession with the SNL sketch". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Nordstrom, Leigh. “Eye: Joel Kim Booster Turns Jane Austen Into ‘Fire Island,’ His New Hulu Movie.” WWD, 2022, pp. 23.
  13. ^ James, Alastair. “Fire Island’s Bowen Yang: ‘There’s No Such Thing as a Perfect Queer Movie: Exclusive: Attitude Sits down with Bowen Yang, One of the Stars of the Upcoming Queer Rom-Com, Fire Island to Discuss the Film, What Makes Him Funny, and Saturday Night Live.” Attitude, Stream Publishing, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Tensley, Brandon (June 3, 2022). "'Fire Island' explores the fault lines that run through queer communities". CNN. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  15. ^ Coates, Tyler. “‘It Was Like Gay Summer Camp’: Fire Island Director Andrew Ahn Captured a Summer Vacation Full of Queer Romantic Intrigue for Hulu’s Emmy-Nominated Movie Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.” The Hollywood Reporter, vol. 429, no. 24, Prometheus Global Media LLC, 2023, pp. S28.
  16. ^ a b Coates, Tyler. “‘It Was Like Gay Summer Camp’: Fire Island Director Andrew Ahn Captured a Summer Vacation Full of Queer Romantic Intrigue for Hulu’s Emmy-Nominated Movie Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.” The Hollywood Reporter, vol. 429, no. 24, Prometheus Global Media LLC, 2023, pp. S28-
  17. ^ a b c Sarwar, Umar. “JOEL KIM BOOSTER & THE CAST OF FIRE ISLAND.” Gay Times (London, England), no. 520, Gay Times, Ltd, 2022, pp. 13–22.
  18. ^ Murphy, Chris (March 4, 2022). ""Something Special and Unique and Gay": Your First Look at Fire Island". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  19. ^ Prange, Stephanie (May 26, 2022). "Disney+'s 'Ms. Marvel' Top New Show, Netflix's 'The Umbrella Academy' Top Returning Show Anticipated in June". Media Play News. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  20. ^ Connellan, Shannon (June 11, 2022). "Most streamed movies this week are all about vikings, dinos, and hedgehogs". Mashable. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  21. ^ Katz, Evan Ross (September 6, 2022). "Mr Bowen Yang Takes His Victory Lap". MR PORTER. Retrieved July 26, 2024. Fire Island was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, particularly for Yang's performance as Howie
  22. ^ Cunningham, Kyndall (June 4, 2022). "Joel Kim Booster Hopes 'Fire Island' Starts a Gay-Movie Movement". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Yahoo! News.
  23. ^ Singh, Ritika (May 5, 2024). "Fire Island Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Hulu". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved July 26, 2024. It garnered positive reviews
  24. ^ Wong, Curtis M. (June 9, 2022). "Writer Claims 'Fire Island' Fails The Bechdel Test, And Twitter Users Have Thoughts". HuffPost. Retrieved July 26, 2024. "Fire Island" has received mostly positive reviews
  25. ^ "Fire Island". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  26. ^ "Fire Island". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  27. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (June 3, 2022). "Fire Island: A sharp look at queer desire, tucked into a sweet rom-com". Vox. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  28. ^ Fear, David (June 3, 2022). "Fire Island Is Part LGBTQ+ Rom-Com, Part Pride & Prejudice Among the Pines". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  29. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (May 23, 2022). "Fire Island Review". IGN. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  30. ^ a b Dry, Jude (June 2, 2022). "Fire Island Review: The Gay Comedy Boom Bears Juicy Fruit in a Raucous Heartfelt Rom-Com". IndieWire. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c Henderson, Odie (June 3, 2022). "Fire Island movie review & film summary (2022)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  32. ^ Green, Jennifer. "Fire Island Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  33. ^ Clark, Jason (January 12, 2024). "Wonka, Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Iron Claw, Across the Spider-Verse Among Artios Awards Film Nominees". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Coates, Tyler (June 26, 2023). "Succession, Abbott Elementary, The Other Two Among Dorian TV Award Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  35. ^ Pedersen, Erik; Complex, Valerie (May 13, 2023). "GLAAD Media Awards New York – Complete List: Fire Island, Anything's Possible, We're Here, Heartstopper, Win Big; Honorees Include Maren Morris & Jonathan Van Ness". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  36. ^ Complex, Valerie (January 18, 2023). "GLAAD Announces Nominees for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  37. ^ Zee, Michaela; Malkin, Marc (September 20, 2022). "Fire Island to Receive Gotham Awards' Ensemble Tribute (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  38. ^ Anderson, Erik (July 11, 2023). "'The Boys', 'Yellowjackets', 'Abbott Elementary' lead 2023 HCA TV Awards nominations". AwardsWatch.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  39. ^ Davis, Clayton (November 22, 2022). "Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: Everything Everywhere Leads with Eight Noms". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  40. ^ Burton, Carson (September 8, 2022). "Variety Announces 10 Screenwriters to Watch for 2022, Honors Andrea Berloff with Award". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  41. ^ Moreau, Jordan (July 12, 2023). "Emmys 2023: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  42. ^ "Producers Guild of America Awards Celebrates Everything Everywhere All At Once, White Lotus, The Bear, Navalny & more with Top Honors" (Press release). Los Angeles: Producers Guild of America. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  43. ^ Chuba, Kirsten; Lewis, Hilary (February 25, 2023). "PGA Awards: Everything Everywhere All at Once Wins Top Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
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