It is almost the end of the year, yet there are still more movies to come. A few years ago, Hollywood adapted this fell in love with a niche romance genre, a movie related to this type of film is The Fault in Our Stars. If you are more into romantic topics, then you should definitely watch Spoiler Alert. This film was released on December 2, 2022, directed by Michael Showalter. This is a story that aims to make us laugh, cry and know how to spend quality time with the ones we love.
The Plot
Spoiler Alert is based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. The film focuses on a gay romance between Michael and his lover, plus it follows the final eleven months period of Manhattan photographer Kit Cowan’s life, from his diagnosis with terminal cancer to his death, through the eyes of Michael Ausiello, his lover of 14 year, and later spouse.
The stars of Spoiler Alert
The cast is formed by Jim Parsons as Michael Ausiello, Ben Aldridge as Kit Cowan, Bill Irwin, Antoni Porowski, Nikki M. James, Jeffery Self, Tara Summers, and Paco Lozano.
Jim Parsons is well known for his role as Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, Ben Aldridge is also known for his work on Fleabag and Our Girl. The film also features talents like Josh Pais who has played the Joker, Allegra Heart, and Jeffrey Self.
Some of these actors are openly gay or have worked in queer films. Parsons came out in 2012, and married his partner of 14 years in 2020. Co-star Ben Aldridge recently came out as gay, and will be acting ion another gay role in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming queer horror film Knock at the Cabin. Jeffrey Self has also starred on different LGBTQ+ films, including Gay of Thrones which is comedy parody about Game of Thrones.
The production
Production began in December 2018, when Jim Parsons signed on to produce and star the film and Michael Showalter signed on to direct it. In July 2021, Ben Aldridge was cast as Kit Cowan. In September 2021, Sally Field joined the cast playing Kit’s mother, Marilyn. Principal photography began in the fall in New York City.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 64% rating based on 22 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has scored 58% out of 100 based on 10 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.
The director
Michael Showalter has been part of successful projects like The Big Sick (2017), Hello, My Name is Dory (2015), among others. He came to recognition as a cast member on MTV’s The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995. Showalter is also a co-creator, co-producer, actor, and writer for the TV series Search Party.
If you are into romantic topics, and heartbreaking stories, this is the perfect film for you. It is definitely a film to watch with the ones you love, since this project’s main topic is to appreciate the ones that are still with us.
Andrea Rich