Gay happy endings

And in that spirit, here are seven of the best queer movies with happy endings.

Oh, by the way, SPOILER ALERT. As a bonus, the Pride and Prejudice riff features hilarious performances from stars Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster, as well as a bevy of spot-on cultural references.

The Thing About Harry (2020)

There’s an enduring stereotype about bi or pan men which states that they only pursue no-strings hookups with gay men, rather than committed romantic relationships, because they fear social repercussions or vulnerability.

Well, the same thing everyone else wants! Where do you get off? Just check its Wikipedia page, which literally says in its Plot section: “Everyone who deserves to lives happily ever after.” I don’t know what else to tell you.

Carol (2015)

This movie was almost the lesbian Brokeback Mountain – that is, a devastatingly bleak Oscar nominee, but with lesbians.

Just check its Wikipedia page, which literally says in its Plot section: “Everyone who deserves to lives happily ever after.” I don’t know what else to tell you. The movie, about a pair of horny queer buddies who accidentally incite murderous chaos by trying to get laid, packs on the laughs. But if we only saw sad endings, then we would never experience joy and thus never gain enough power to turn everyone gay.

I guess we’ll never know if my theory is true or not (it is), but one thing is undeniable: Queer movies are a lot happier these days.

This is a supremely silly and endearingly entertaining film, and as a huge plus, it features full-frontal male nudity. That’s how we ended up with weepies like Philadelphia, Boys Don’t Cry, and Brokeback Mountain. However, thanks to director Billy Porter, this Amazon film not only delivers a trans-tastic happy ending, but accomplishes it in smart, big-hearted style.

However, thanks to director Billy Porter, this Amazon film not only delivers a trans-tastic happy ending, but accomplishes it in smart, big-hearted style.

This was his baby. 

Carol (2015)

This movie was almost the lesbian Brokeback Mountain – that is, a devastatingly bleak Oscar nominee, but with lesbians. The ending is a bit contrived, but still joyful, and that’s something to celebrate. A bunch of undemanding movies to binge while covered in Cheeto dust on Saturday afternoons.

Also, the movie is directed by legendary Queer as Folk star Peter Paige!

Anything’s Possible (2022)

Movies with trans characters have taken even longer to lighten up than their cis counterparts. And what do queer people want? At its core, Anything’s Possible is a standard coming-of-age teen rom-com, but that’s still a step forward for inclusivity. 

Bros (2022)

This movie is actually good, y’all.

Fire Island, which follows a group of friends in the titular queer paradise, is no exception. And can we blame star Billy Eichner for being salty that the movie underperformed? This send-up of blaxploitation and sexploitation films is one of the campiest, messiest, and cringiest things that RuPaul has ever written and starred in, and that’s saying a lot!