Romantic comedies in which something terrible occurs are very common at this time; add in Christmas, and you have a tried and tested formula. We go into these films expecting to feel unhappy and hope for a wonderful adventure along the way.
Spoiler Alert recognizes this and takes the time to tell a love story in all of its beauty and rough edges, distinguishing it from others. The film is based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies,” directed by Michael Showalter and written by Showalter and Dan Savage. Spoiler Alert is a joyful, amusing, and life-affirming story of how Michael and Kit’s relationship changes and deepens when one of them becomes ill.
It’s been a fantastic year for romantic comedies, but we’ve also had the opportunity to witness LGBTQ romance depicted in several different ways. Fire Island reinvented Jane Austen, Bros challenged masculinity, while Heartstopper caught pure teenage romance on television. Spoiler Alert has something new to give. Hollywood adores the “real narrative,” the tragic love story that makes you laugh and cry. Spoiler Alert is the perfect predictable picture, but it’s the performers, their chemistry, and their sensitivity that made it my favorite gay rom-com of the year.
The film begins with the discomfort of falling in love and the concerns that accompany a budding passion. They talk about intimacy, coming out, family, and their mutual dread of destroying each other’s hearts. It’s a nice start that feels genuine between the two. But the most endearing aspect of their burgeoning romance is the candor with which Mike and Kit approach their relationship. The pair navigates intimacy without pressure on their first night together, allowing for concerns and working through them. Each time sexual intimacy is exhibited, it is accompanied by great emotion, either uniting the two through a difficult period or showing how they allow themselves to be vulnerable and trust each other.
That being said, love is difficult. It isn’t easy, and anyone who claims otherwise hasn’t spent enough time with their partner to recognize that you have to work for love since humans are, well, people. Spoiler Alert does an excellent job of capturing this. Despite Michael’s desire for a televised love story, Michael and Kit aren’t perfect people living in the perfect fairytale.
They’re both defective, and that weighs on them both. Michael is so insecure that he jeopardizes their sex life. The kit is uncommunicative and not a one-man show. Their weaknesses fuel each other, and yet they adore each other. Deeply. Spoiler Alert captures the grownup aspect of love by capturing what it’s like to love others when it’s difficult.
Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge, who play Mike and Kit, respectively, are fantastic as the leads. They’re funny, they’re profound, and their chemistry is off the charts.
It’s easy to fall in love with the love on the screen when Bill Irwin and Sally Field play Kit’s parents. This is especially noticeable in how Mike’s narration is positioned through the disclosure in the film’s conclusion.
Spoiler Alert: It’s the same tale we’ve seen before in the rom-com genre, with the character left alone following a medical disaster. But within that paradigm, it forges its route in the genre, one that embraces every emotion you experience when you love someone, and there are a lot of them.
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Although Christmas is crucial to the film as a holiday enjoyed and treasured by our main Mike, Spoiler Alert situates itself in the greater romantic landscape by not making it a pure holiday picture. Spoiler Alert’s genuine view on love and the hardships that come with it makes it a film that catches more about being human than most romances, and it flourishes because of it.
