Fire Island Review: The Queer Destination We All Need

Fire Island might not be the dream vacation destination for everyone, just as Fire Island, the Hulu original film, might not be the movie for everyone.

I didn’t know how much I needed to go on this trip! It will make you laugh, cry, and yell at your TV out of love.

First of all, this movie is shot beautifully. You cannot call it Fire Island and then film most of it on soundstages. Much like when they say Manhattan is the fifth girlfriend on Sex and the City, it’s evident that director Andrew Ahn needed Fire Island itself to be as much of a character as everyone else.

On the surface, this is a story of a queer, chosen family spending what might be their last weekend of sex, drugs, and partying on Fire Island. Meanwhile, the hub of the friend group, Noah, plans to forsake all male attention until he gets his best friend Howie laid.

If that doesn’t have gay romantic comedy written all over it, I don’t know what does.

You might be thinking, throw some gay men in a party town with drugs, booze, and rising temperatures; how hard can it be to find sex? I say: “How stereotypical, and offensive, and not wrong!”

Even though there is always a significant hurdle gay men have to overcome in situations like this, it’s something we as a community don’t address that often. Gay men are shallow. Yes, we talk about acceptance and inclusion, but we can be just as judging and biased as people in the Regency Era.

This is a period referenced deliberately since screenwriter and star Joel Kim Booster (Sunnyside) uses Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice as the template for this story. But while Austen’s Bennet sisters are concerned about money as a determination of class, the Fire Island boys have to deal with that, as well as body type, masculinity, and race divides.

After all, the unfortunate mantra “no fats, no fems, no Asians” comes from somewhere.

Booster could have made this a mass-appealing fantasy, where the colors are bright, prejudice doesn’t exist, wackiness ensues on the path to coupling up, and everything ties up in a neat bow. But if you know anything about Booster’s standup, that’s not his style.

His Fire Island is full of money problems, passive aggression, misunderstandings, heart-to-hearts, redemption, love, drowned phones, and sex. (Like, more gay sex than you’d expect to see on Hulu.)

There are also no happily-ever-afters implied. Instead, both romantic couplings have a “let’s see what happens” quality at the end. It’s modern, and it’s refreshing.

Booster doesn’t reinvent the wheel with his characters, but something about them feels uniquely real, almost as if you know them or are them. It’s easy to recognize their feelings of being ostracized by the community you most desire to be accepted by, both on a basic human level and sexually.

It’s through Noah and Howie that we truly see the struggle. Here are two gay Asian men who know how stigmatizing the world is, who want what’s best for the other while ignoring the same for themselves. They both want to be vulnerable but are afraid of what comes after.

Howie (the brilliant Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live) sucks it up and puts on a brave face, despite being reluctant to be there in the first place.

And yet it’s he who breaks into the hot, rich boy group and finds himself with Charlie (James Scully, who is so adorable, I can’t stand it). Is it merely kindness or something more? The uncertainty of reciprocated feelings is heartbreaking.

Let me tell you, it sucks! The back and forth, the highs and lows, only to see the object of your affection back with their insufferable ex, and if that ex is super hot, it adds salt to the wound. (Yes, Michael Graceffa is super hot, but Rhys is kind of awful.)

But here, on Fire Island, the payoff is worth it!

Coming to his senses, and in true romantic comedy fashion, Charlie makes his big, stupid gesture by stealing a water taxi to stop Howie from leaving.

Sweet, earnest Charlie stepping out of his comfort zone and swinging for the fences (“Too big! Too stupid!”) to declare his feelings is honest, heartwarming, and funny.

Meanwhile, Noah (Booster) is more rigid and cynical but has also given in and physically conformed as a way to beat them at their own game.

He’s not as quick to love but is ready to cut a bitch. He’s fine with the societal digs from the cool kids. But, when they start messing with his friends, the claws come out. Such is the case of Noah meeting stoic Will (Conrad Ricamora, looking buff as hell, by the way), who is seemingly the embodiment of chilly judgment. 

What happens in the atmosphere when a cold front meets rising heat? You get a thunderstorm! When that lightning strikes, you know something will go down between Noah and Will. They’re either going to fight or have sex.

It’s definitely a fight! These two really get into it about their friends being good enough for each other and their places in the larger gay world. They project a lot of their insecurities onto the other person.

I love this scene, but I admit that the sexual tension at its end feels forced. I 100% buy the chemistry between Booster and Ricamora and believe that Noah and Will soften each other throughout the movie, but this moment in the rain is not it. It’s a testament to how well the rest of the scene plays and how honest they are about everything.

This brings me to the minor quibbles I have with the movie.

Early on, we find out that Erin (the timeless Margaret Cho) will probably lose the house because she’s broke. (She was an early investor in Quibi – HA!) The plot point remains a gloomy cloud hanging over the group’s weekend, a melancholy loose end that is never tied up.

I thought one of the rich boys would come up with a solution or offer financial assistance for Erin to save her house. If they are looking for a big, stupid rom-com gesture, that would be it. Perhaps that will be in the sequel?

The other criticism I have is regarding the sex tape.

Will is very ominous, saying that Dex (the incredibly hot Zane Phillips — like no joke, so hot I can barely look at him) isn’t a good guy, so recording his hookups and posting them online makes sense for the character. It also provides a great scene when Noah and Will confront him.

His choice of scene partner is what doesn’t quite track. When does Dex have the opportunity to get Luke (my crush Matt Rogers from I Love That for You) alone in that time frame?

I am surprised it is not Keegan (the campy and delightful Tomás Matos) in the video with Dex. One can assume they hook up when they wander off together so that pairing would make more sense. That being said, the payoff of Luke and Noah solidifying their friendship is worth it.

Again, these are minor criticisms of a great trip to Fire Island.

So, if you’re looking for a getaway this summer or any time of year with great people, lots of laughs, and a few dramatic hijinks, check out Fire Island. But maybe stay away from the Dunes, or bring protection — and I don’t mean sunscreen!

Final Thoughts

• Howie referencing the “Gays in Space” sketch from Saturday Night Live is the kind of self-referential stuff I find hilarious! Also, did I mention Bowen Yang is brilliant in this movie? Because he is.
• The best line reading in the entire movie comes from Max (a hilarious Torian Miller). While high at a club, he catches sight of himself in a mirror and says, “Who is that? Is that me? I’m gorgeous!” Writing it out doesn’t do it justice, but it’s brilliant.

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What did you think of Fire Island? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Fire Island is now streaming on Hulu.

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