MY FAKE BOYFRIEND is my favorite comedy of the summer. Bright and charming, clever and full of surprises, this new piece from Amazon can be enjoyed by all audiences. It has a unique concept perfectly pitched for today. I think you will have a great time.
Andrew (the charming Australian actor Keiynan Lonsdale) has split and reconnected with the hunky, shirtless Rico (Marcus Rosner) too many times for his friends Kelly and Jake (Sarah Hyland and Dylan Sprouse) to tolerate. So they create a virtual man, Christiano, who becomes a viral sensation with millions of followers, leading to sponsorship offers and much more.
Watching Andrew grow from skeptical to grateful to horrified is a lot of fun, especially when he meets a man IRL (Samer Salem) who could be the real deal.
Simon Sinn and Karen Robinson are terrific in supporting roles. And it is excellent to see BIPOC in the leading roles.
Chicago director Rose Troche, who had a breakout success with the much-loved Go Fish, deserves much of the credit for this comedy's humor and sexy style. Never revealing too much, she keeps what easily could have been over-the-top performances perfectly scaled for at-home view. But I suspect audiences would adore attending in-person screenings as it is a crowdpleaser.
Beware of spoiler alerts in the trailer below.