The best scenes in Fire Island aren't necessarily the ones you'd expect.
The romantic comedy, written by Joel Kim Booster and inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, stars funny comedians like Margaret Cho and Saturday Night Live's Bowen Yang.
So yeah, it goes without saying that it's funny. But the most impressive moments in the Hulu Original aren't even the comedic ones. Instead, you finish the movie remembering the heartfelt and emotional interactions between the characters.
Director Andrew Ahn told E! News that these close bonds and Joel's portrayal of queer friendships is what made him want to bring the script to life. "I think when a lot of people think about Pride and Prejudice, they focus on the romance," he explained. "But I love that Joel's script refocuses onto the friendship between Noah and Howie—it's the chosen family that really means something."
Andrew continued, "For me, that feels really queer because as queer people, chosen family means so much to us, like even more than our romantic relationships. To do that slight shift in emphasis makes it feel modern, makes it feel fresh, makes it feel gay."
Of course, not everyone is good at meeting people or forming close friendships, but in a separate interview, Bowen said that his Fire Island character, Howie, sets the perfect example. As Bowen explained, "Not to echo my character but I feel like there is this vulnerability that begets closeness and bonding. If you put yourself out there to get people to come to you, that's when you start to form these bonds."
Yes, it's easier said than done, but Bowen knows there's someone out there for everyone because "we all need" a chosen family at some point in our lives.
Fire Island is streaming now on Hulu.