Darren Stein’s G.B.F., staring Michael Williet, Paul Iacono, and, of course, the incomparable Megan Mullally, humorously explores the perils of coming out while addressing a much deeper problem: the tendency for culture to impose archetypes on others. 

Williet plays Tanner, a shy, introverted high school teen who is forced out of the closet when his high school’s newly formed Gay Straight Alliance uses a Grindr-like app to “find” gays amongst the student population.  This puts enormous strain on the relationship between Tanner and his flamboyant, yet closeted, best friend, Brent (a deliciously funny Iacono). 

However, things get much worse when three of the most popular girls in school hone in on Tanner to become their G.B.F., Gay Best Friend, for reasons having nothing to do with camaraderie: each girl knows that having a G.B.F. is, like, the ultimate social accessory and with luck, the lucky winner of Tanner’s companionship will also inadvertently win the title of prom queen…that is, after the girls provide Tanner, a self-described comic book geek, a total gay make-over.

Stein’s film provides a humorous commentary on how our culture views minority groups (not just gays) in archetypical bubbles and how such classification is truly counterproductive to full societal acceptance.  In one scene, a bubbly, staunch Mormon student is overjoyed that she befriends the only black female prom queen candidate and claims that she is so happy that she has a S.B.F.—a Sassy Black Friend.  Brent’s extremely loving and fag-hag-in-the-making mother, played by Mullally, attempts to comfort her son’s awkward coming out by having a mom-son bonding session over popcorn and a screening of—what else?—Brokeback Mountain.  These scenes, while laughable, provide a sense that underneath the pink-glittered, yearbook-filled world, there’s a strong urging to break down perceived sociological stereotypes.

 O.M.G.!  Who knew that, like, a gay comedy could be so TOTALLY insightful?