THIS FAR, BUT NO FURTHER: QUESTIONING THE “BROMANCE” TROPE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM AND TELEVISION ROBYN JOFFE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO April 2020 © Robyn Joffe, 2020 ii ABSTRACT In traditionally male-oriented genres of contemporary film and television, the bromance is a relationship that outwardly suggests an acceptance of homosexuality, but is instead actually dependent upon both men being heterosexual; the closeness between these male characters is played for laughs, and no one seriously considers the possibility that the relationship may become romantic. This problem is compounded by the recent popularity of queerbaiting audiences, both within the actual narratives and by those working behind the scenes. I use post- structuralist textual analysis and interviews, as well as the practice of seeing queerly, to examine how bromance relationships are constructed and represented onscreen in the Buddy Cop, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Superhero genres, and the effects of those representations on society. Media creators have the power to affect cultural change, but only if they stop using the idea that someone might be gay as a punchline. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my mother, Shelley Joffe Weinstein, for supporting me in every possible way throughout this entire process. I would, literally, not be here without you. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to extend my utmost gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. John McCullough, and my committee members, Dr. Jennifer Burwell and Dr. Mark Hayward, for all of their support and encouragement of myself and my work over the past few years. Their feedback has been invaluable and this thesis is better for having received it. I also wish to acknowledge the assistance provided by Jayne Greene-Black, Marlene Mendonça, and CUPE 4207. Their support of and belief in my abilities has made all the difference. Finally, I must express my unending and extremely enthusiastic appreciation for my best friend, Stephanie Waechter, who read every single page of this entire thesis—sometimes more than once—and was always willing to lend an ear when I needed to talk myself out of a corner. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ......................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... v Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.1. Common Law ................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Theoretical Lenses ........................................................................................... 2 1.3. Research Questions .......................................................................................... 4 1.4. Essential Vocabulary ........................................................................................ 4 1.4.1. “Bromance” ................................................................................................ 4 1.4.2. “Queerbaiting” ........................................................................................... 5 1.5. Film and Television ......................................................................................... 5 1.6. Traditionally Male-Oriented Genres ................................................................ 6 1.6.1. Buddy Cop ................................................................................................. 7 1.6.2. Science Fiction and Fantasy ....................................................................... 7 1.6.3. Superhero ................................................................................................... 8 1.7. Case Studies ..................................................................................................... 8 1.8. Chapter Summation: The Shape of Things to Come ..................................... 13 Chapter Two: Literature Review ................................................................................ 15 2.1. The Basis of Inspiration ................................................................................. 15 2.1.1. Vito Russo and the Unfortunate History of Queer Representation .......... 15 2.1.2. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick and the Homosocial Relationship .................... 18 2.2. The Bromance ................................................................................................ 21 2.2.1. Bromantic Literature ................................................................................ 21 2.2.2. The Problematic Aspects of the Bromance (Friends Without Benefits) .. 23 2.3. Queerbaiting ................................................................................................... 24 2.3.1. Rising to the Bait (the Popular Response) ............................................... 24 2.3.2. Joseph Brennan and “Homoeroticism, Yay!” .......................................... 26 2.3.3. Michael McDermott and the “Authentic” Narrative ................................ 29 Chapter Three: Research Methods .............................................................................. 32 3.1. Post-Structuralist Textual Analysis ................................................................ 32 3.2. Interviews ....................................................................................................... 35 3.3. Interview Analysis ......................................................................................... 40 Chapter Four: Relationships, Gender, and Society ..................................................... 42 4.1. Journeys without Ends (Holding a Mirror Up to Nature) .............................. 42 4.1.1. Relationship Scripts ................................................................................. 42 vi 4.2. Why Can’t We Be Friends? (Why Can’t We Be Friends?) ........................... 47 4.2.1. Plenty of Fish in the Sea .......................................................................... 47 4.2.2. Imaginary Friends? (The Thin Line Between Love and Hate) ................ 48 4.2.3. Rule 63 (When a Man Loves a Woman) .................................................. 54 4.3. Let’s Talk About Sex ..................................................................................... 59 4.3.1 A Love Story Between Two Men ............................................................. 60 4.4. Macho, Macho Men (The Problem of Masculinity) ...................................... 62 4.4.1. Battle of the Sexes .................................................................................... 63 4.4.2. The Rough and Tumble, Strong, Silent Type .......................................... 64 4.4.3. The Sexual Spectacle ............................................................................... 68 4.5. On the Evolution of Species (AKA Working in Progress) ............................ 71 4.5.1. Paying Lip Service (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised) ................. 72 4.5.2. Implicit Bias (Pride and Prejudice) .......................................................... 74 4.6. Chapter Summation: Moving Out of the Friend Zone? ................................. 77 Chapter Five: Seeing Queerly and Queerbaiting ........................................................ 79 5.1. Seeing Queerly ............................................................................................... 79 5.1.1. Isn’t it Romantic? ..................................................................................... 80 5.1.2. Crowd Control.......................................................................................... 84 5.2. Queerbaiting, or: Whose (Punch)Line is it Anyway? .................................... 87 5.2.1. Onscreen Queerbaiting ............................................................................. 89 5.2.2. Off-screen and Paratextual Queerbaiting ................................................. 92 5.3. Chapter Summation: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility .......... 95 Chapter Six: Women in Bromances ............................................................................ 98 6.1. Doomed or Disappeared (out of sight, out of mind) ...................................... 98 6.2. Convenient Girlfriend (used as needed) ....................................................... 100 6.3. The Third Point of a Love Triangle (also known as the “third wheel”) ...... 104 6.4. The Third Musketeer (if you can’t beat’em, join’em!) ................................ 110 6.5. Chapter Summation: What a Girl Wants (what a girl needs) ...................... 117 Chapter Seven: Conclusion ....................................................................................... 118 7.1. Where Men Actually Have Gone Before (AKA No Guts, No Glory) ......... 118 7.2. It Remains To Be Seen... (Pics or It Didn’t Happen)................................... 119 7.3. Sooner or Later (Coming to a Screen Near You?) ....................................... 120 7.4. Ready or Not (How Soon is Now?) ............................................................