Spoiler Alert

Terminal-illness romances are nothing new, but this dramedy gives the subgenre fresh life by putting a gay male couple at the center of the story. Directed by Michael Showalter, who covered similar subject matter in The Big Sick (also based on a true story), every beat in Spoiler Alert is true to what audiences are used to seeing in romances. The meet-cute. The awkward/nerdy main character and the gorgeous love interest. The sharing of insecurities and haunting life events. An obstacle to overcome, like parents who may not be accepting. And a moment or two of passion before the camera cuts away without actually showing anything too risqué. Showalter combines romcom conventions with a more dramatic genre sometimes referred to as "sick lit" cinema -- i.e., book-based romances in which at least one partner in the central couple is dying. And he completely delivers: Spoiler Alert goes toe-to-toe with cancer comedies, romantic comedies, and terminal romances. Audiences typically adore these films, while critics are more "meh," and Spoiler Alert is no exception. But in this case, being a B movie is perfect.

The film's very averageness fosters the normalization of mainstream LGBTQ+ stories. It's impossible not to wonder: What if Hollywood had always shown queer characters and their stories this way? How might the world be different? How many lives would be better? And how many people might still be alive? It's no coincidence that one of the movie's screenwriters is Dan Savage, who started the "It Gets Better" campaign to encourage queer kids to hang in there. Even in 2022, in a time where more and more folks understand that "love is love is love," normalizing a gay romance in the media could help create positive and lasting change.