150 Word Review: ‘Fire Island’ (2022)
Mind your manners
Comedian Joel Kim Booster wrote the screenplay for Fire Island and stars in it as Noah, an intensely loyal, fiercely independent gay Asian man who gets to spend one precious week of his year partying with his chosen family off the coast of Long Island.
Booster’s screenplay is witty, and it successfully marries the class struggles of Jane Austen’s classic novel ‘Pride & Prejudice’ with a very modern queer rom-com romp. He’s also a charming, rogue-ish romantic lead.
Fire Island also features a stand-out performance from SNL’s Bown Yang as Noah’s shy bestie and legend Margaret Cho as a mother hen.
Andrew Ahn’s direction is zippy. The jokes are bawdy, but a few offer sharp social critiques. Fire Island is both horny and corny. But corny in the best way. It’s all fun and games until you realize getting old with someone you love is as good as it gets.