Old School scribe Court Crandall gets back to buddy comedies with a silly tale of dumped best friends. Bromates has two lifelong pals moving in together after being unceremoniously dumped by their significant others. More than roommates… they’re bromates! Yup, you read that right. The film is actually funny with several stand-out scenes. The ensemble cast of famous comedians keep the laughs flowing. The problem is that Bromates runs out of narrative steam. It’s more like a collection of skits than a cohesive story. A subplot about the primary protagonist’s love for solar power has little meaning.
Sid (Josh Brenner) and Jonesie (Lil Rel Howery) have been besties since childhood. Jonesie narrates that Sid was always into solar energy and protecting the environment. The pair live with their long-term girlfriends. Sid loves Sadie (Jessica Lowe), a superficial social media influencer. He spends all of his free time documenting her lifestyle choices for ardent online fans. Jonesie’s lucky to have a Charlotte (Nelcie Souffrant), a sophisticated professional tiring of his immature ways.
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Sid is shocked to discover Sadie’s been cheating on him with their next-door neighbor, Clos (Flula Borg), a puppeteer. She moves in with Clos much to Sid’s dismay. Charlotte tosses Jonesie after he hires a model to safety test their sex swing. The men react differently to the break-ups. Jonesie doubles down on his juvenile ways and parties. Sid descends into utter depression listening to Sadie and Clos cavort through the wall.
Jonesie decides to rescue Sid from his doldrums. He invites him to live together as bromates. Jonesie gathers their other friends, Angry Mike (Asif Ali) and flamboyantly gay Runway Dave (Brendan Scannell), to break Sid out of his funk. This leads to an encounter with redneck beauty queen, Darlene (Taryn Manning). Sid wants to pursue Darlene but has an important solar energy deal. His boss (Rob Riggle) has put the company’s fate in Sid’s hands.
Bromates is a Dude-Centric Comedy
Bromates never tries to be anything more than a dude-centric comedy. Sex and shenanigans are the focus. In that sense, it’s pretty funny. Jonesie, Angry Mike, and Runway Dave are a barrel of laughs. Bromates delivers unfiltered frat boy antics. I can’t imagine anyone watching the film and not chuckling at least a few times.
The narrative drags because of a flimsy plot. It’s obvious the cast of famous comedians are improvising in every scene. This works at times but ends up drawing out the story. There’s a lot of filler that gets old quickly. Director/co-writer Court Crandall (Old School, A Lobster Tale) needed more to add more substance. He could have fattened up the script and kept the humorous bits.
The solar power subplot was a missed opportunity. Sid’s job as a solar salesman gets scant screen time in a film needing heft. This angle is brought up but never fully explored. That’s a shame because Rob Riggle’s performance stands out. He’s a scene stealer with some of the best laughs. Snoop Dogg, on double duty as an executive producer, and the legendary Marla Gibbs are also underused. There was definitely room for improvement with such a substantial cast. Best enjoyed while tipsy.
Bromates is a production of Snoopadelic Films, Darius Films, Grambo Productions, and Palmetto Clean Technology. It will have a theatrical and VOD release on October 7th from Quiver Distribution.
